The Nenana daily news. (Nenana, Alaska) 1918-1921, 1918-06-25
TRAINING CHAPLAINS

The only School for Chaplains ever
maintained by the United States
army soon will graduate its second
class at Camp Zachary Taylor, an
nounces an Associated Press reporter
from Louisville, Kentucky. There
are ninety students in the class,
which is made up of ministers of
many denominations, some of whom
until recenttF, served as pastors of
big city churches. Some of the
graduates already have been com
missioned as chaplains, while others
are approved candidates for chap
lain awaiting appointment"
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 a raw deal" from his cap
tain, ten chances to one, he will find
it 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 ap-
pears with his tale of woe, he must
get sympathetic hearing, and then
if he has ben wrong all the time,
and his injury is but fancied, the
chaplain must know enough of mill
tary law and military 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 in
struction in military law and the
army regulations.
If Bill is in the right, the chap
lain, if he is polite will not tell Bill
so, but vii suggest that he see him
again. In the meantime the chaplain
has seen his commanding officer and
asked that such unintentional in
justice as may have been done is
rectified before Bill come back.
How it was done Bill may never. ex-
actly 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 uncorrected.
In the words of one of the in
structors at the school this is not
intended 10 make OF. 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 a chaplain. it is necessary
that he have their confidence to the
smallest detail. And, as the men If
the National army, are rapidly be-
coming experts there must be no risk
OF their coming to regard the chan |
lain with the half contemutuous
amusement the experts feel for an /
amateur, because of any lack Of
knowledge of military custom on the
ehaplain's part. For this reason I
great attention is paid also to in
struction in military etiquette.
The chaplains class is also taught
the very highest of high snots in
international law. In addition there
IS instruction in equitation, in the
care of persons and clothing in the
Held, for the chaplain follows tile
Men with whom he serves into the
trenches, and may frequently "co
over the top" with them. If not he
will be found assisting in the care
OF wounded men on the field under
lire. Under such conditions, he. Ike
every one else connected with an
army in tn field, must shift for him
self and must know how.
While attending the School of
Chaplains, the students are quartered
in barracks originally built for en-
listed men; they get government
straight" to eat three times a dav.