The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1918-02-09

nv" III lildllN Eases
dependency has been followed by
despair.
Numerous appeals are being made
10 the Y. NJ. C A. y poor Russian
peasant saw that letters OF appeal
were being answered. Not knowing
to whom else to appeal for aid, he
wrote d letter TO God in which he
humbly asked God to send him q
hundred marks. The letter attrac
ted attention at the censor's office
and was referred to the War Minis
try. The offices there collected
twenty-five marks and sent them to
the Russian prisoner, thinking they
had thereby done a good turn. The
prisoner, however, was not we'll sat
istied, as was apparent by his reply.
III which, it is true. he thanked God
for the gift, but cautioned him to
send future money direct rather than
by way of the War Ministry saying
that the rascally officials there had
kept seventy-five marks and had sent
MIN only twenty-five.
Food, books, games, athletic equip
ment, and educational supplies have
been sent to these men whenever al
lowed by the authorities.
Religious work, with Protestant,
Roman Catholic and Greek services,
has been established Most of the
men at one camp had attended no
service for two years, and when the
white-robed priest began the opening
chant of the Mass, a great many cri-
ed. A young officer twenty-three
years old had written every note of
Shubert's Mass from memory and
trained a chorus for the occasion.
Special efforts have been made to
provide nourishing foods for the men
in the hospitals. Fresh eggs are
sent from Denmark to sick men in
the German prison camps. In one
case a number of hens were sent to
a prison in the interior in order that
fresh eggs might be available for
those needing them. In addition
they provided amusement and occu-
patton for men assigned to take care
of them.
More than $4,000 books have been
distributed among German prisoners,
and more than 107, 900 among Rus
sian prisoners in Germany. AS Rus
sian books were scarce, Bunyan'S
Pilgrims Progress was translated in
to Russian. Special editions of the
Russian prayer book and an A. B
c. book for Russian illiterates were
issued A total of 100000 French
books and pamphlets were also dis
tributed in Germany.
Musical Instruments, ranging from
mouth organs supplied in individual
cases, to full equipment for bands
and orcheStras, were supplied.
Wheat flour for making bread for
the celebration of Holy Communion
has also been provided in many
places.
One of the biggest pieces of work
done by the Young Mems Christian
Association in this connection for
the folks back home is the locating
in prison camps of boys and men re-
ported as missing. More than ten
thousand have been located for the
home folks.
After searching for months for
her husband, who was reported miss
ing, young wife called on DR.. Ar
chibald c. Harte, International Sec
rotary for work among prisonerS-of-
war. She travelled several hundred
miles to do so. During her visit
some pictures which he had brought
from Russia were shown her. In
looking over these she suddenly dis
covered her husband in one of them.
An eXultant cry, There he isl"
burst from her lips as she excitedly
ran to the window to make sure it
was he. Then she tainted. After
she regained consciousness, she
clapped her hands, eXclaiming, And
he has even got a pipe"
Max, Prince OF Baden, who is head
of the Young Mems Christian Asso-
citation Prisoner-of-War Work in
Germany, in his farewell message to
the American workers when this
country entered the war, said that
the brotherly love shown in this
work would be the one solid pillar
around which the warning nations
could gather. In part he said:
Il can assure you that the coop
GRAFTON with you and your leaders
belongs to the most delightful eX
periences that l have had in this
war, at a time when all the founda-
tions upon which up to now, the life
of nations and their relations to one
another rested, have begun to totter
and threaten to crumble completely.
The work among the prisoners in
my estimation signifies one solid pill
lar around which all these thoughts
and feelings can be collected. which
breathe out the spirit of worldwide
brotherly love. That brotherly love
which declines to see in the woun-
ded and captive enemy anything
other than a suffering mortal.
The conversations that l have
had along these lines with your
leading men, among whom l would
name in first place DR.. John R. Mott
and DR.. a. C. Harte, l shall never
forget; for they have enriched my
life and have strengthened my firm
convictions that alongside the relent
less strife which is destroying man
kind, the mighty power of goodness
remains unconquerable, and out of
the depths of suffering is able to ac
complish works of salvation with re- ,
newed power"