Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-06-03
CAMP ZACHARY TAYLOR
HAS CHAPLA|Ns' SCHOOL
~" instruction in Theological Sub
Jects Is Given to Ninety
Students in Glass.
MILITARY LAW is TAUGHT
Ciergymen Are Trained to Give In.
telifgent Advice to Soldicrs-Must
Know Customs OF Army-Minis-
tiers OF Big Churches Attend.


LOUISVILLE. KY, June THE only
schooi Tor Chaplains ever maintained
by the United States Army soon will
graduate it's second class at Camp
Zachary Taylor. There are ninety stu
dents In the class. which is made up
Oh ministers Of many denominations
some OF whom until recently served as
pastors OF big city churches. Some OF
the graduates already have been com
missioncd as chaplains while Others
are approved candidates for chaplain
awaiting appointment"
NO instruction on theological sub
1ectS Is attempted at the school The
"hoie effort is ceAtcrcd upon httins
cieTsymcn. fresh from civil life and tho
problems Of civil lie. into the military
scheme OF things
II Private Biz Jones gets what he
Considers raw dear from his cap
tam ten chances TO ore. he Will ind
. IL ecnvrnicn: 10 talk the matter over
with his chaplain, for IL is 20 the chap
'ain the "huddy" goes ia time OF trou-
be. When ii!l Jones appears with his
'~ie 81 voc he must get synpathet.c
hearing. and then. t he has been
wrong all the time. and his injury is
ou, tancicd. the chaplain must know
enough OF military law and military
regulations g tell him definitely just
how and why what was done TO Bill
was the right thing Therefore. the
School for Chaplaius bears down hard
On instruction in military la ~ and the
army regulations.
II Bill is In the right. the chaplain.
II he is polite, will not tell Bin so.
but VIII suggest that he see him again
In the meantime, the chaplain has seen
his commanding officer and asked that
such unintentional injustice as may
have been done is rcctihed before Bill
comes back. How 1T was done BIZ
may never exactly know. but il the
chaplain had lacked the knowledge of
3uts how to go about the thing, tn"
injustice under which ne sun rcd nigh,
have gone uncorrcctcG
In the words o! ono OF the inst-uc-
tors al tho school this is not INTENDED
TO make OF the chaplain a"Euard-
tousc lawyer" but merely TO IL him to
E:"a intelligent advice to soldiers
II the men in the army are TO lool:
UP TO a chaplain. IT is necessary tina
he have their confidence TO the smallest
detai!. And. as the men OF the Nat!ona
Army. are rapidly becoming experts
there must be no risk OF their coming
10 regard the chaplain with the ha.t
contemptuous amusement the expert
feel for an amateur. because OF any
lack Of knowledge OF military custom
on the chapla!ns part. For this reason
great attention is paid also to instruc
tion in military etiquette.
The Chaplains class is also laugh,
the very highest of high spots in in
ternational law. IN addition there is
instruction in eTuitation. in the care OF
person and clothing in the field for the
chaplains follows the men with whom
ne serves into the trenches. and may
frequently go over the top" with them
II not he Will be found assisting in
the care of wounded men on the field
under fire. Under such conditions. he
Ike every one else connected with an
army in the field. must shift for him
self and must know how
While attending the school Of chap.
plains, the students are quartered in
barracks originally built for enlisted
men: they get government straight"
10 eat three times a day. and the,
wash UP the mess kits from which
they eat just would any enlisted
men In addition they sleep on the
same rawndled mattresses TO be
found on the beds Of enlisted men
In this way they are learning some
thing of the conditions under which an
enlisted man lives an! works, and most
of them finding the experiences
really enjoyable. Their attitude is
Summarized in the answer TO "A query
given by one Of them who said:
oh boy! This bunch OF preachers
never knew how good real food could
taste or how soft a straw tick could
be until they started putting US
through this course OF sprouts eleven
and one-half hours every day
The school is in charge of Major A.
a Pruden, A regular army chaplain,
and he is assisted by four instructors
all draw from the regular army