Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-06-03
COMMANDEERED PREACHER
SPURS SHTPMEN TO SPEED
DR.. Charles A. Eaton "One of
the Greatest Men in Indus.
try" Says Schwab
Selected to Enthuse Workers
Following Speech Before
Naval Architects and Ma.
rine Engineers

T7HE Society of Naval Architects and
Marine Engineers gave dinner in
New York last November. One Of the
speakers was Or. Charles A. Eaton
then pastor Of Madison Avenue Baptist
Church. Those who heard him will
not forget either the man or his way
Of saying things; his patriotism or his
religion.
After he was through Rear Admiral
Capps. then of the United States ship
ping board laid his hand upon the
preachers shoulder and said You are
commandeered by the shipping board
for the period of the war
This is the same -. Eaton to whom
Charles NJ. Schwab. Director General
Of the Emergency Fleet Corporation. at
dinner given recently in this city IN
the Director Generals honor. pointed
and said There Is one of the greatest
men in the whole shipbuilding industry"
The national service section of the
United States shipping board. which
mainly promotes patriotic meetings here
and there and which was recently re-
quested by the United States Govern
ment to extend its. meetings to munition
factories and other war industry shops
and centers. came as an inspiration from
Doctor E,aton's speech at the New York
dinner. Doctor Eaton's job was to arouse
shipworkers to realize theirs vas not
job, but the greatest industrial under
taking in all history Nowhere. it is
thought. could man have been found
with better training and experience for
the work, and now the national service
section and he are one and inseparable.
Born in Nova Scotia, son of a ship
builder who went broke at the game in
a time of great depression in the indus
try. Doctor Eaton had to strike out early
in life and exist by his own hands He
took to railroadng and helped construct
the great transcontinental lines II was
his contact with the men there that led
him later on 10 his life work building
up the spiritual side of his fellowman.
The rougher the man the more Doctor
Eaton liked him for a spiritual subject,
anyway He has often said those rail-
road construction gangs comprised the
sweepings of hell" But he felt his place
was among them and his influence with
the worst was demonstrated in striking
ways
Once an embankment caved in and
many of the men We're caught in the
slide Eaton was among them and with
them in this great misfortune. The
worst off of the lot. his body frightfully
crushed and his head alone sticking out
OF the earth. Eaton directed the rescue
of his rough comrades and would not
accept any attention for himself until
the last man was out. Then reaction
took his consciousness away.
Doctor Eaton's education began in
those railroad camps, to be finished at
seminary. He had church in
Toronto for several years Then he
went to Cleveland. O., became spiritual
body John d. Rockefeller was one of
his congregation. Illness compelled Doc
tor Eaton to abandon his work there but
not until it had been established firmly
An old farm just outside of Plainfeld,
y. j.. soon restored him to health and
he gave up the life there to accept the
New York pastorate which he quit to
help win the war, Jack Bowman. a
New York hotel man who had known
Doctor Eaton as chaplain of the Hotel
Mems Association of that city, at once
put fine suite of rooms at the disposal
of the head of the new war work, The
National Service Sections work is still
being directed from these rooms
DR.. Eaton has personally addressed
more than 100000 shipworkers, and
with what effect can readily be
imagined when il is considered that
some Of his half-hour meetings in ship
yards attended by every worker have
cost the shipbuilders as high as $4,000