Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1918-06-09
ARMY CHAPlAINS PUT THRU HARE
 TRAINING TEST
School for Chaplains at Camp Taylor Soon to
 Graduate New Class.


 Louisville, Ky, June S.-The only school for chaplains ever maintained by the United States army soon will graduate its second class at CamI Zachary Taylor. There are ninet, students in the class which is made up of ministers of many denomina- tions, some of whom until recently served as pastors of big city church. es. Some of the graduates already have been commissioned as chaplains while others are approved candi- dates for chaplain awaiting appoint ment.'
 No instruction on theological sub- jects is attempted at the school. The whole effort is centered upon fitting clergymen, fresh from civil life and the problems of civil life, into the military scheme of things.
 If Private Bill Jones gets what he considers "raw deal' from his cap tain, ten chances to one, he will find 1t 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 sympathetic hearing, and then if he has been wrong all the time, and his injury is but fancied, the chaplain must know enough military law and military regulations to tell him defi- nitely 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 regula- tions.
 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 ccmanding officer and asked that such unintentional injus- tee as may have been done is recti- fled before Bill comes back. How it was done Bill may never exactly know, but if the chaplain had lacked the knowledge of just how to go about the thing the injustice under which he suffered might have gone uEccrrt cted.
 In the words of one of the in- structors at the school this is not in- tended to make the chaplain guard house lawyer but merely to fit him to give intelligent advice to soldiers.
 If the men in the army are to look up to chaplain, it is necessary that he have their confidence to the small est detail. And, as the men of the National army are rapidly becoming experts there must be no risk of their coming to regard the chaplain with the, half contemptuous amuse- ment the experts feel for an anna teur, because of any lack of knowl- edge of military custom on the chap lain's part. For this reason great at tention is paid also to instruction ill military etiquete.
 The chaplain's class is also taught the very highest of high spots in in- law In addition there is instruction in equitation, in the care for the chaplain follows the men With whom he serves into the treunches, and may frequently "go over the top' with them. If not he will be found assisting in the care of the wound ed men on the field under fire. Un- der such conditions, he, like every one else connected with an army in the field, must shift for himself and must know how.
 While attending the school of the students are quartered in barracks originally built for en- listed men; they get government straight" to eat three times a day. and they wash up the mess kits f.om which they eat just as would any en- listed man. 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 something of the conditions under which an e,listed man Ives and works, and most of them are finding the experiences really enjoyable. Their attitude is summarzed 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 tick could be until they started putting us through this course of sprouts eleven and one-half hours every day"
 The school is in charge of Major IA. A. Pruden, regular army chaplain, and he is assisted by four instructors all drawn rom the iegular arihy.