The Redwood gazette., 1918-04-24

coming by the thousands 70 OHer
life itself at their country's call. |
did not think in all our country there
were so many great-souled men.
And men they are. Some way or
another, while we call them "boys, .
to me they answer the description
of men. l have not met one yet who
did not possess a thorough knowl-
edge of the task before him and the
gravity of the burden he has as
sumed. I have not met one with
whom | would not trust all hold
dear They are cheerful. They are
happy. They are always smiling or
laughing. But underneath their young
ioyousness there is something that
is always present, an undercurrent
running smoothly, strongly, that
seems to permeate their whole be-
ing. never met it in civil life, but
never lose sight of it here. | think
it is a consciousness that so much
depends upon them and an iron reso-
luton not to be found wanting when
the time comes.
I have great deal to do with
them. and the more know them the
more l love them. They come to me
with all their sorrows and joys. A
priest is always near the hearts of
his people, but here he seems little
nearer. They have left home and its
familiar faces. They cannot bring
their little troubles or their inter-
ests to father, mother, wife, brother
or sister. Home sickness, admitted
or not, is their trouble now. How
they crowd around him, how they
consult him, how they value his SER
vices. only one who has been fortu-
nate enough to be chaplain can
fully understand.
I could write reams of personal
anecdotes. I could tell the story of
the private who offered to- lend one
of the officers 100000 for some bust
ness enterprise. | could write of an
other private who paid off the mort
gage or a comrades farm. could
mention the private whose father is
a colonel, but whose Americanism
and democracy led him into the ranks.
could align him with the private
whose one brother is a priest and
the other a colonel.
At the mess where / take my meals,
one of the walters is former Su-
perintendent of schools. While was
talking to him the other day after
dinner, he quietly told me that he
had just finished an article for a
leading newspaper.
We had mock trial by jury one
night. I was surprised at the man
ner in which it was conducted. The
mock Judge looked as conventionally
solemn as a real judge. The clerks
of the court, the attorneys and all
the rest connected with the trial were
true to type. 1 learned afterwards
that five of the men were lawyers.
So they follow, one after the other,
always the last little more startling
than that which preceded-the sur
prises of camp life. The moments
do not lag here at Funston.
From Catholic standpoint there
is great joy in being here as chap
lain. I remember how friends, who
are ministers to non-Catholic con-
gregations, were fond of asking me
for the secret I possess which en-
ables me to attract crowds to my
church. They could not get bak-
er's dozen of men into their church
es, although they were good preach
ers. The explanation is simple: they
did not know the power of the holy
sacrifice, and they thought that
something personal was the attrac-
ton. When I informed them that
Catholics could not be kept out of
church when the holy sacrifice of the
mass was offered up on Sunday, they
marveled at it and could not under
stand. And here it is more evident
and more edifying than ever to watch
the men crowding in for the holy
sacrifice. Their breathless attention,
their earnest acceptance of it, is in
spiration enough to urge chaplain
to give them the best in him in his
sermon A mixed congregation is
gratifying sight for a priest to be-
hold, but some way or another a
congregation composed only of men
seems in my estimation to demon
strate the power Of religion more
than anything else.
There is a strong appeal to me in
the freedom with which the men ac-
cost the K. of c.. chaplain. You know
the army chaplains have an officers
rank and wear an officers uniform.
The men are accustomed to salute
their officers and to stand at strict
military attention when an. officer
speaks to them. And while they
know they may have entire freedom
with their regulation chaplain, dis
cipline is hard to overcome once it
is instilled, hence they are not quite
as much at ease with the commits
stoned chaplain as with the K. of c.
chaplain.
The great pleasure of the day is
the attendance at the K. of C. hall.
The one I live in is, think, rather
quiet But this feature seems to be
appreciated by the men. Every even
ing the writing desks are filled with
the boys writing home to the loved
ones. The small tables have chess,
checkers, or dominoes, and the games
are played with great gusto. The
j