The sun., 1916-01-23

ana HOW IL tuTns out tndt Vne irish
Catholic priest is the finest fighting
man Of them all. Up to this great war
the world has hardly known its
Catholic priesthood. Now the men
have come into their own. No con-
s.deration Of danger has kept the
Catholic chaplain in this present war
from administering the last sacra-
ments to tho men dying in the
trenches. Besides binding up the
wounds Of the fallen soldiers he has
the important duty on mis- hands Of
enkindling their souls with q cour-
age like his own
Those who are not coreligionists
with him or his men recognize tfds
all powerful influence and every lib
erty Is given him in all the different
armies now at war IN Europe to ex-
ercise his spiritual sway over his
soldiers. Tho Catholic men in all the
armies want their priest near them.
They want to know that he will come
to them IL they are mortally wounded;
they kneel In battalons and some
times in whole divisions 10 receive
absolution from his lips. after they
have offered up to God in a body an
! act Of contrition for whatever they
have done against His divine law
This Is real religion and this Is the
courage which is born only in a Chris
tian heart.
Mass is said wherever possible
a door laid on two trestles will
often serve for an altar and two tiny
| candles at either end, sometimes stuck
in the muzzles of two rifles. The
soldiers cover the altar with ever
green's or flowers IL there Is time. and
the highest officer present will serve
| the mass like a little child. 1t Is one
! OF The most inspiring sights OF the
| present war to see entire divisions OF
men. who up to this time In most
! cases have neglected God and the
| things Of God. kneel with bowed heads
at the benediction.
The chaplain hears confessions in
the trenches, in ruined houses. along
the roadsides and IN the open fields.
| any ywhere that the men are. and the
! men avow openly that they will 20 to
| death unafraid, II he is known TO be
near. There is also a beautiful spirit
OF comradeship between the repre-
| sentatives OF the different religions
| the Jewish rabbis and Protestant min
isters in the several ARMIES and the
| Catholic priests meet on tho same
| broad plane OF spiritual consideration
for their men. one helping the other.
| The future historian of the war will
find many singular and somewhat
amusing occurrences in uhis fraternal
assistance between the representa-
| tives of the different creeds.
You ask me-" says Canon Morette
OF the Seventeenth Regiment Of the
French line-a veteran OF the war of
| T0-"to give you some details for pub
lication. You must know that l am
little inclined to see my poor prose In
print, hut there Is an incident Of the
type you mentionDthis mutual as
sistance between the clergy OF the
different armies. which has an edify-
| ing side.
at has often happened to me to give
absolution to groups OF the enemy g
wounded. Many times 1t Is impossible
to separate the Catholics from the
Protestants. and so l give absolution
TO the entire group after exhOrting
them in German to form an act OF
contrition in their hearts. Often
read word by word in German an act
OF contrition to them and both Catho-
lies and Protestants Join with me. and
then ! give absolution to them all. II
Is ali exceptional thing, l admit, mais
j que voulez-vous'
| During the first days of the battle
Of the Marne our regiment took many
prisoners, mostly Protestants from
Saxony. I sent for the French Protes.
tant chaplain OF our corps TO assist his
wounded coreligionists, but he neither
understood nor spoke German. Let
him blame me who will, but ! acted as
Interpreter for him and translated his
French exhortation into German for
their comfort. Tell them this.' Tel
them that he kept on saying to me
and did so.
THE most scrupulous theologian
might have found grammatical errors
In my translation. but no dosmatic
ones admit in the beginning ! had
my doubts, hut now the moment
find a Protestant among the enemy's
wounded I speak 10 him OF God and
heaven and without causing him the
least embarrassment about his own
faith I prepare him II necessary for
DEATH"
.s,he Raw. Mr. Foeter oorrohorates thil