The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-02-10
WAR; HAS BROUGHT
CREEOS TOGETHER
Occasion at the Battle Front, as
Is Often Witnessed.
CBy Captain Roger Pecock.)


London, Dec. s. tBy mail =
Padre Is the Spanish word for
father and the general name for
army chaplains. In the British
army there are chaplains Of all
sorts, not only Church of England,
Roman Catholic and Presbyterian,
clergy of the Free church and Jewish
rabbis, but also Mullahs for the
Moslem troops Of India. and some
priests Of other faiths unknown TO
Europe. Tommy has his own way of
Judging, and rates each chaplain &C
cording to his manhood. The padres
all wear the same uniform. THAI OF
an officer, but with black facings and
badges, and the white lined dog col
lar" American officers, who wear a
thin edge of white collar. are often
taken for padres, and that natural
error has led to amusing accidents.
In the United States il has long
been the custom for the clergy OF all
denominations to work together lis
amity and for one church building In
a country village to serve the purposes
of various denominations OF that
there has been very little hitherto
among the British denominations, but
when all the army chaplains get to-
gether in one officers mess they seem
to make friends at once. In face Of
the great realities of war, all minor
differences are sunk out Of sight. and
at last one gets feeling that in the
army the clergy are really Christians,
loving one another.
Read a Protestant Prayer.
Here IL the comment of a Scottish
Canadian sergeant;
Il think the most beautiful thing
! have seen in France was this; 1t
came to me to bury a comrade. our
Church Of England padre Was on duty
elsewhere. so / went to the Roman
Catholic padre and said: Sir, will you
bury this mani Certainly, sergeant.
said the priest TO what church did
he beiongT Church OF England, sir,
Have you Church of England
prayer book Yes. sir. here is one.
The Roman Catholic priest read the
Church OF England prayer over an
/ Anglican soldier"
! "Of course" says anybody who has
/ been at the front But to many who
I have not served, II is revelation o.,
that new spirit which war Is bringing
/ into the world
Showing the French People.
A friend OF mine, a civilian, on
/ duty with the armies in France, heard
that an officer, his colleague in civil
civilian borrowed a car and drove
! thirty miles TO attend t he funeral.
AS the car drew up at an officers mess
the padre on duty was just coming
down the garden path, carrying a sill
YER professional cross for use at the
service He was Church Of England
Clergyman. or, az Americans would
say. Episcopaliap.
( II want 10 show the French people
, here" he said, that we of the Eng
/ ush church are OF the same faith as
| themselves. the differences between
7 us not so great as they may perhaps
have thought. I could not do this
better than by means of this process
sionaI cross. and as I had none with
me / have borrowed it from my friend
: the Roman priest OF this village. II
will be carried by a soldier who was
chorister In one OF our London
churches"
Rabbi Holds Up the Cross.
/ A Jewish chaplain serving in the
I French army was on duty in one OF
the oattlehelds just At the close OF
the engagement. Seeing that he was
I padre, a young French soldier beck
oned and called to him. supposing the