Palisadian. [volume] (Cliffside Park, N.J.) 1906-current, 1919-07-19
Talk by
'Y' Worker Who Was
At Austrian Prison

AL AuSCI 1dI1 FI1SOI1
The kind of religious talk that
warns the cookies of a mans heart
and makes him think less of himself
than he ever did-that is, that puts
him in position to see himself as he
should be-was that made last Sun
day morning by Rev. Roy Welker, a
young minister who took the place of
Rev. Guhse in the Palisade Church last
Sunday. He is a friend of the Guhses.
Through misunderstanding Mr.. Wei
ker was an hour or more late, but that
was just as well as it was, for the lit
tie gathering was all whetted to hear
what he might say from the long wait
And such talk He had been IA Y. NJ.
G. A. worker in an Austrian prison be-
! fore the coming of America into the
war, and the story he tells of how the
Germans and Austrans knew nothing
of the real meaning of the spirit of
America and the feeling she had in
entering the war was interesting as
well as Illuminating He said that in
the prison where he was stationed as a
Y. M. G. A. worker conditions were
simply beyond human credence. Many
of the German guards were born
brutes, whereas some of them We're
| true men with sympathetic hearts like
other people. He says he told these
guards of the system of training chill
7 dren in America in Sunday schools i;
that here we took classes of children,
four, six, eight, twelve and eighteen
years of age and gave them, according
to their age, child lessons in the Bible
and the meaning of Christ. He told
of the methods of self government. in
many of the high schools over the
country where the jury and trial sys-
TEN were employed, citing instances of
young school lawyers turning them
selves into advocates before the high
school bars and tried prisoners" the
courts, etc. When he left the prison
work before America got into the war
they wondered if his going away did
not mean, "Goodby, Austria Hello,
Hungary p They felt that America
! getting into the war would mean tt'o
| conquering of Germany. Mr.. Wellser
told how the guards, many of them,
went to the train when he was leav-
ing, some to hiss him and others shed
tears at his departure. They had
| learned something of the higher civili-
cation represented by America, and
the simple telling of American relig-
ious ideals and processes of education
appealed very strongly. The impress
sion on the guards. the speaker said,
was most remarkable Their civiliza-
ton never represented anything like
it, and they felt that it was all over,
so far as Germany was concerned.
when they thought of her winning over
purpose of America. He said he told
his experiences to a regiment of Unit
ed States soldiers that was sent over
| from western state. They listened
with the deepest feeling and said moth
ing they had ever heard about the I'M
selfish spirit of America had ever been
told to them before. They felt it would
greatly encourage them in facing the
trials of war, and it did.
'You have never seen starving
man. any of vou?" asked the young
minister. "There came TO the prison
$50 Russians. and when visited them
| in their hunks with an interpreter and
asked them if I could do anything for
them thev with one voice cried: Give
us something to eat! Give us some
thing to eat = But outside of the little
chocolate 7 carried I could give them
nothing. Their cries were pitiful And
all of them ded-died there of starva-
I have seen the worst of it, but there
was nothing like these prisons where
did my bit for humanity.
''The thing that interests me in
America" said Mr. Weller. sis the
people coming together in LITTLE comma
MES like this. who prove the fidelity
with which they are fostering the
ideals I told the German guards about
and that furnish to the world the finest
hone of future civilization throughout
the world"
While waiting for Mr. Welker TO ar
rive singing was carried on. led by
Mrs Sihley. and Mr. Haynes gave a
very feeling and touching prayer of
the deepest earnestness. Mr. Welker's
talk will long he remembered as one
of the most interesting ever heard in
Palsade.