Arizona republican., 1917-05-21
WAR PREPARATIONS |S SUBJECT USED
 BY REV. MARQUIS

A J. l.. Marquis preached on Organized Preparation for the War" using as a text, Give ye them to eat" Mark G.: 57.
 He said in part:
 "A big problem confronted the dis cirles of Christ They had gone by boat with their Master across the lake seeking rest. But a multitude of passover pilgrims, watching the course of the boat, had followed the shore line and were there to greet them when they landed. All day that crowd hal listened to the Christ Now night is approaching send the multitude away advised the disciples, for they have nothing to eat Bit Christ replies give ye them to eat Those disciples were not responsible for the presence of that crowd but Christ makes them responsible for supplying their reeds. And by carefully following out the directions of their master, they succeed in feeding five thousand men beside women and children with five barley loaNes and two small fishes.
 Not only is the physical want met, but on the following day Jesus seeks 10 meet the spiritual need of the same people by preaching a sermon on the miracle, an1 presenting him self as the Bread cf Life which came down from heaven. The disciples solved their problem through Christ's power.
 America too, has a big problem, one not of her own choosing, but thrust upon us by the course of events in the worlds war God, by his providence, has put upon US . responsibility that is both physical and spiritual. For the world looks to America for food in this crisis, and there are certain spiritual re- ouirements that also devolve upon US as Gods people.
 When Christ fed the five thous- and, his first step was to make an organized survey of the task before him. He commended them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass, and they sat down in ranks, by hundreds, and by fiflies.' Fifty ranks Of Q. hundred each quick ly showed them there were five thousand men present
 America, tCO. needs first of all to systematically consider the task before us.
 The wal has now been going on for two years and nine months. From the first we have felt the call for food for famished foreigners. Bleed ing Belgium has stretched forth her arms asking aid, and the Belgian re- lief commission has sent numerous cargoes of food to that people. Our president has brought before us the need of Armenia, where over one million of our fellow Christians have been slaughtered by the Turks and the entire Armenian race faces ex- termination by starvation Nearly every church in America has taken an offering to aid these Armenian. sufferers within the past three months.
 But now comes the realization that in addition to the charitable work of feeding the Belgians and the responsibility of feeding the armies and the families Of our allies in this war By His providence God says to us give ye them to eat The task of providing food for large part of the world rests upon Amer ica. It is a stupendous task. It is well that we realize that the prob lem IS q big one.
 There is also spiritual task, the responsibility for which devolves upon Anierlca. Several months ago a representative of the International. '. NJ. c. A. spoke i1 the Arizona club before a company or business men. He told us of the work being done by the Y. M c. A. in the trenches and especially in the prison camps ot all the nations engaged in this war Over three million men are held within these baro wire stockades, and practically the only spiritual work done for then is through the Y. M. C. A., who have been permitted to erect large build ings in each prison enclosure Now with our entrance into the war comes an additional field for this Y. Nj. C. A. work: for iE every one Of our own camps there is need of a Y. M. C. A. building to serve as a reli- giOGs home fer the men, to give the human touch to their fellowship. to relieve them from disco1.tent, home sickness and the temptation 10 use their leisure in harmful ways.
 On April 10 a conference of Y. M. c. A. leaders was held at Garden City, Long Island, and they have ap pointed a war work council of one hundred men, and have issued 2n ap- peal for the raising of three mil lion dollars within thirty days. Or that WET work council we have a representative in Phoenix. pr. J. C. Norton; and of that three million dollars, Arizona, New Mexico and E! Paso are asked to raise fifteen thousand dollars In nur own church a sub committee has been appointed consisting of c. R. Craig and l.. L.