Evening star., 1918-09-24

Ministers who cannot be spared by
their local communities are the men
the War Department wants for chap
iains in the Army, Third Assistant
Secretary of War Keppel told 900 del
egates to the Wartime Church Coun-
ell conference at New York Avenue
Presbyterian Church today. Mr.. KEEP
pei said the spiritual and physical
standards for service in the Army are
higher than the requirements for
service in civilian life.
Therefore, give us the men you
can't spare, the men who are SO
equipped that you believe them to be
absolutely Indispensable to the spirit
ual and moral welfare of your COM
munity. Men who have not reached
this high standard are not the kind
of men who will distinguish them
selves as chaplains in the Army" Mr..
Keppel said.
bishop Mcdowell, head of the
Methodist Episcopal Church in the dis
tfict, said when the true story of the
war is written one of the brightest
pages will be that which records the
seif-denying spirit of religious con-
gregatians who have surrendered
their pastors for service at the front
Many hundreds of these receive their
full salary from their congregations
while serving the boys in France or
on some other front. Bishop Mcdowell
said,
Twenty Methodist pulpits in the Bal
timore conference, of which Bishop
Mcdowell Is head, are vacant because
pastors are in active service at the
front. Bishop Mcdowell said the War
DEPARTMENT is paying as much atten-
tion to the spiritual needs Of the boys
az to their physical equipment.
Navy Wants Red-Blooded.
Head Chaplain Of the Navy ]. b.
Frazier said the Navy wanted red
Hooded chaplains. men who could
wrestle with flesh and blood as well
as, with unseen powers of darkness
and invisible kingdoms of sin. He
literally .go to the mat" with the
boys and break an occasional collar
bone In the process would be guaran-
teed more than fleeting fane a:l2ng
the jackies.
'Ohe evening a chaplain who had
been f1Fst-class foot ball player
was present at a wrestling bout which
was not going to his satisfaction" Z"
said Chaplain Frazier. SO he got
nta Hua that hs Ss p1ohe mss sa snd S the ae
bone. Feeling badly over it. he was
consoled with a remark from a su-
perier officer who said:
'.Parson. if you break another COL
won't be standing room for tire boys
who want to hear you We don't
want chaplains in the Navy who have
water in their veins. Let US have
red-blooded men,
Chaplain Frazier said that four years
ago but twenty-four chaplains were
assigned to the Navy: now there are
185.
"And they are the best preachers
in the United States" said Chaplain
Frazier.
Pref William Adams Brown and
DR.. Robert E. Speer. who presided. de-
livered brief addresses at the morning
session.
The Rt Rev. Charles Gore. Bishop of
Oxford. England. will be the chief
speaker at the mass meeting tonight.
President Sends Letter.
In answer to a letter from Dr.
Speer. President Wilson sent the fol-
lowing:
rMr. Dear DR.. speer:
II thank you sincerely fog sending
me the very interesting and inspiring
messages from the several churches
which you have been kind enough to
have made accessible to me in bind
ing. If followed my own impulse, ]
these messages. but I see only too
clearly that il l began I should begin
to discriminate as between one mes
sage and another or else be obliged
to answer them all. which would be
out of the question ! must content
myself with asking you to avail your
self of any opportunity you may have
to say with what interest and in
spiration I have received them.
Cordially and sincerely yours,
WOODROW WILSON"
'Redlight' Curbing's Effect.
Mai. Boscom Johnston of the War
department spoke instead of Raymond
Fosdick on training camp activities.
stating that the practical result of
the elimination of redlight districts
Is that the rate of disease in the
Army has been decreased fourfold.
Ivy Lee spoke Of the Red Cross.
whose greatest work. he thought, had
been in that it had taken a message
of love to the sick, war-worn people
of E,urOOe.