Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1919-06-22
NORRIS WRITES
OF WORK WITH
''D0UCHbOyS"
Describes His Visits to Prison
Camp and Isolation
Stockade.
RED CROSS CANTEEN
put CITY ON MAP"
Meets Few Acquaintance, But Finds
Hundreds Who Remember Re
Ccption Received in Pine
Bluff.

DR.. j. |. Norris, pastor Of of the
First Presbyterian Church, on leave,
now serving troops of the A. +. F,
as a member of the Army Y. M. c.
A. overseas for ces, is having ted
ious, though an interesting and fruit
full time, as may be gathered from eX-
erpts from letter received from his
family. In this letter written at st.
NaZaire, France, on May 25, DR.. Nor
rls tells of his visit to d prison camp
and of his work there.
He mentions too. that he meets
many boys who know Pine Bluff, and
speak OF it as the place where they
had a finer reception than anywhere
IN the United States, and requests
that Mrs. w. Il. Lowe be informed
that the Red Cross Canteen put Pine
Bluff on the map of the world.
Speaking All the Time
The letter, in fact, follows:
Il am very busy, speaking, speak
ing, speaking, and serving these men
on their way to the gang plank
Great ships come in every day empty
and go out at high tide laden with
American men, their faces radient,
and in their eyes the joy, the ineffac-
lble JOY of going to 'Blighty.'
1--WE are still having wonderful
weather She is indeed sunny France
today | have seen much of tn coun-
try and feel as if had been studying
medieval history, and at the same
time visiting the most modern places
in the world. For right against the
walls of some of these ancient forti-
flcations American signal corps men
are repairing American telephone and
telegraph lines.
Visits Prison Stockade
II am just back from the American
prison camp where | spoke to several
hundred prisoners, many of them fine
boys, who cracked some on on the
head and refused to salute their su-
perlor officers and>Were put in pri-
son. Some of them, however, were
rail old time crooks. Three or four
OF the bunch crowded around me Gag
erly, as children around teacher
whom they love. The othere fourth
one scooted away to the other end
OF the stockade. 1 never made just
such a speech. | stammered several
times, which is nearly always fatal
when speaking to soldiers, but these
boys listened so intently that they
made my herat pound against my
ribs, and made me pray for a word
OF comfort and inspiration.
"A nice Virginia boy introduced
me most happily, and l said: "Boys,
sorry you're here, but being Ameri-
can soldiers, Pm for you. When |
got through with my speech, and had
prayer (and | never prayed with a
hushed and more reverent company
OF mem the cheered me until | left
the stockade. God grant that some
mothers boy got a new vision of lift
ana us possibilities from what said.
In Isolation Camp
Monday night shad the most en-
thuslastlc meeting | have had in
france. 1t was in an isolation camp
where there are some very pitiful
cases. l had no music with me, no
band and no soloist and | was almost
afraid to begin, but l asked them
what they wanted to sing, and one
boy with splendid physique and un
usually musical voice, said: Let it be
Rock of Ages, Doctor and never in
my life have l heard it sung so
NIGHTLY, and SO my courage came
and | spoke. l scolded them some.
out l encouraged them more. 1t was
the place for the prodical son story.
Some of them had indeed been with
the swine, all of them diseased in
some way; some of them were col
iege men and rich and engaged to
De married; some were Just poor
country boys, green and unfortun-
ate. l could hardly leave the camp
Tor the questions they put to me. and
the hungry desire in every eve for
some word of hope. 1t thrilled me to
bring whatever knowledge of science
and religion together to help them
Il Must go to the docks now.
40 not know how much longer I will
have to stay here.
Praise from Bishcp
MY boss is military man and a
methodist Bishop, He asked me to
lunch with him yesterday, and gave
me the only real official word of en-
enlargement I've had by saving
Norris, in the Judgment Day. vour
work here in st. NaZaire will out
shihe anything you have ever done
or That has ever been done here.
don't know why he said if hit T
thanked him. ~ 'N' !