Evening star., 1942-06-20

Monday and stiff fight Is expected
between Senators favoring and op-
posing the legislation. Health ex-
perts, church and patriotic groups
and temperance societies are ex-
pected to testify. 1t is reported
that recently members of Congress
have received large quantities of
mail urging passage Of the bill.
The War Department is said to
be in sympathy With the purposes
Of the legislation, but believes that
temperance cannot be obtained. by
prohibition applied to the Army per-
sonnel. Secretary Stimson told the
delegation representing the Federal
Council OF Churches that church eff
forts to cope with the liquor prob
lem should be handled on a COM
munity-wide basis, rather than by
attempts to pass special legislation
concerning the sale of liquor to men
In uniform The liquor question,
as it affects soldiers and sailors,
he said, is simply a part of the
total community problem. 1t would
not be conducive to good morale,
he added, if men in uniform felt
they were being denied the oppor-
tunlty to buy liquor while there
were no restrictions on purchase of
alcoholic beverages by civilians.
Chaplaincy Shortage.
The Army needs more chaplains,
and is not getting them fast enough.
10 speed up the appointment of
clergymeh. the War Department an
nounced this week that it has
revised certain requirements for
appointment to the Chaplaincy
Corps. The revisions mainly con-
Germ age limits and educational
requirements. Under the old reg
ulations a candidate to the chap
laincy had to be under A. Now
the Army will take chaplains UP
to so years of age. 1t will also take
clergymen who have had two years
OF pastoral experience, instead of
three as heretofore.
And the Navy chaplaincy wants a
better break. A move was begun
this week to raise the rank of the
Navy chief of chaplains from cap
tain to rear admiral. The General
Commission on Army and Navy
Chaplains, at a meeting in Washing
ton, authorized the appointment of
a special committee which will meet
with congressional leaders and seek
enactment of suitable legislation.
If successful. the move would place
the Navy chief of chaplains on a
par with the Army chief of chap
lains, who was recently promoted
to brigadier general.
1t was pointed out that while the
office of the chief of chaplains is
an independent unit in the War
Department, the Navy's chief of
chaplains Office operates under the
Bureau of Navigation.
The General Commission on
Army and Navy Chaplains-which
is a church, not Government body
also stressed the need for pro-
gram to insure supply Of clergy
men for home pulpits. While no
action was taken, discussion CEN
tered around an approaching short
age of clergymen to meet both the
requirements of the armed forces
and of civilian life.
The same problem was the major
topic of discussion at the national
meeting Of the American Associa-
ton of Theological Schools held at
Rochester, N. Y, this week. The
association called upon selective
service headquarters to make it clear
to draft boards and seminaries that
deferment for theological students
is not only desirable but in con-
formity with present rules. The
request was made because OF the
increasing shortage of both chap
lains and regular civilian clergymen.
A committee representing the asso-
citation will meet shortly with Brig.
Gen. Hershey, director Of selective
service, in an effort to clarity the
status of theological students.