The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1918-06-22
Yankee Soldiers streng
for Religion Ia France
In Unconventional Wav
"They Like to Look Into the Chapel
and Say Hello to Our Lord" Says
Knights of Columbus Chaplain
Absence Of Sectarianism.
minneapolis Tribune.)
BY William T. Ellis.
(The Religious Rambler.)

(lne Religious RamDler)
! Copyright 1918, by The Ellis Service)
American Headquarters in France,
May S1.-(By Mail sol.
diers are so busy about the absorbing
task of trying to get something like
! fundamental righteousness into the
Germans that they have not much
| time for prayer meetings.; and they
are not prone to pious talk. Some OF
| their language sounds like Billy Sun.
days; and they do not care copper
"clacker," as they call the French 10.
centime pieces, for the conventional!
accessories of religion. They have at
tanned an emancipation from the ira
ditional usages of the home churches
! that would shock some conservative
persons who have never crossed the
seas. Yet, withal, the American SOL
der is really religious at heart; and
outwardly reverent, also.
Imagine Roman Catholic priest
saying, as naturally as though he had
been trained in the seminary to speak
so: "The boys like to look into the
chapel and say hello to our Lord"
That remark was made to me, con-
corning his plain board chapel in a
large camp in France, by one of the
volunteer knights of Columbus chap
lains who are here in increasing num-
Der, doing really essential service.
| That is but indicative of the untram-
meled speech and life over here. There
may be a chaplain who does not
smoke; there is none who does not
/ distribute tobacco to the boys. Most
of them pass out more franc notes, in
the gulse of loans, to the men than
they do tracts. At one officers mess
the chaplain remarked, as he opened
| letter from an officer, "Why is it
| that most persons spell chaplain with.
out the a? Are they all movie fiends,
| knowing no other chaplains than the
nimble Charles?" Whereupon it was
recalled that following the Spanish
war and the Schley-Sampson contro-
versy, Sunday school scholars showed
a general tendency to spell the name
of the hero of Israel with a ''P.''
A PugiIistic Parson.
| There are more clergymen over here
than appear OH the roster of army
chapllains. Most of them are in Y. M.
G. A. and X. of C. service, though
there are quite number in the ranks.
There is current among one circle of
soldiers the sort of parson tale that
men relish. 1t befell Y. M. G. A.
worker from Utica, who is also a
Methodist minister, while he was yet
in Paris, before being assigned to his
field. -Four American soldiers were
going along the boulevard, when they
were accosted by dusky civilian,
evidently an Algerian, speaking Eng
lish. He offered to show them ga good
| time"
Just then along came the American
clergyman in Y. M. c.. A. uniform;
and back in camp in the states that
garb. had represented friendliness and
helpfulness to the men. So one Yam
kee, having qualms about the wisdom
of going off with this suspicious
stranger in sinful Paris, accosted the
wearer of the Red Triangle, and asked
if he thought it was safe to accompany
the swarthy volunteer guide.
Where are you going?" asked the
parson.
"None of your BANKED business"
was the reply. 1--WE are going where
these boys can forget the army and
America for night, and have good
time; and it is where no BANKED Y.
M. G. A. man can co."
The minister kept his temper, say
ing quietly: "Boys, I'm out for a
pleasant evening, and I think 1 am
going to have good time. How
would you like to leave this individual
and come along with me?"
Action swiftly followed. The
stranger aimed a blow at the Amer
leans head, which by quick lodging,
merely grazed his ear. It CHANGED
that this particular parson had been a
boxer in his college days. So without
words he countered with blow that
sent the runner for Paris underworld
prone to the pavement. When he stag
gered to his feet and skunk of, it was
with a mumbled: II didn't know they
had prize fighters in the Y. M. C. A."
AS for the four soldiers, they spent
the evening with the fighting parson,
and later sent him a silk American
flag, as a memento Of the occasion.
creeds Get Together In France.
Less spectacular than this particu-
lar instance of muscular Christianity,
but none the less unconventional, are
the ways in which the religious work
ers of various faiths get together out