The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1918-06-11
CHAPLAIN PRUDEN
HEADOF ASCHOOL
Former Schofield Barracks Spiri-
tual Leader Now Director Of
Army School For ChapIains


LOUISVILLE, Kentucky, June l..
ASSOCIATED Press)--The only school
for chaplains eSer maintained by the
United States army soon will gradu-
ate its second class at Camp Zachary
Taylor. There are ninety students in
the class which is made up of min
listers of many denominations, some of
whom until recently, served as pastors
Of big city churches Some Of the
graduates alSeady have been commits
stoned as ehaplains while others are
approved candidates for chaplain
awaiting appointment.
No Instruction on theological sub
jects is attempted at the school. The
whole effort il conferred upon fitting
clergymen, fresh from civil and the
problems Of civil life, into the mill
tary scheme Of things.
II private Bill Jones gets what he
considers O "raw deal" from his cap
tain, ten chances toone, he will find
IL convenient TO talk the matter over
with his chaplain, for it is to the
chaplain the "buddy" goes in time Of
trouble. When Bill Jones appears with
his tale Of woe, he must get a SYM
pathetic hearing, and then II he has
been wrong all the time, and his in.
jury Il but fancied, the chaplain must
know enough Of military law and mill
tary regulations to tell him definitely
Just how and why what was done to
Bill was the right thing. Therefore,
the School for Chaplains bears down
hard on instruction in military law and
the army regulations.
If Bill is in the right, the chaplain, if
he is polite will not tell Bill so, but
will 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 rectifed before Bill comes
back. How it was done Bill may never
exactly know, but if the chaplain has
lacked the knowledge Of just how to
60 about the thing the injustice under
which he suffered might have gone un.
corrected.
In the words of one of the instruc
tors at the school this is not intended
to make of the chaplain a "guard
house lawyer" but merely to fit him
to give intelligent advice to soldiers.
II the men in the army'arc to look
he have their confidence to the smallest
detail. And, as the men of the Ma
tional Army, are rapidly becoming ex
peTts there must be no risk Of their
coming to regard the chaplain with
the half cOntemptuous amusement the
experts feel for an amateur. because
Of any lack of knowledge of military
custom on the chaplain 8 part. For
4 L =. =, II.
to instruction in military etiquette.
The chaplains class is also taught
the very highest of high spots in in
ternational law. In addition there is
instruction in equitation, in the care
Of person and clothing in the field,
for the chaplain follows the men with
| whom he serves into the trenches, and
may frequently go "over the top"
with them. If not he will be found
assisting in the care of wounded men
on the field under FIRE. Under such
conditions, he, like every one else con
nected with an army in the field, must
| shift for himself and must know how.
While attending the School of Chap.
lains, the students are quartered in
barracks originally built for enlisted
| men; they get government straight"
to eat three times a day, and they
wash up the mess kits from which
they eat just as would any enlisted
| men. In addition they sleep on the
same straw filled 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 and works, and
most of them are finding the expert
ences really enjoyable. Their attitude
is summarized in the answer to
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 straw stick could
be until they started putting us through
this course of sprouts eleven and one
half hour every day.
The school is in charge of Major A.
A. Pruden, a Regular Army Chaplain,
| formerly stationed at Schofeld Bar
racks, and he is assisted by four in
structors all drawn from the Regular
Army.