WORTH-WHILE WORK IN WAR- TIME A REPORT of STEWARDSHIP By THE WAR LITERATURE COMMITTEE OF THE AMERICAN SUNDAY-SCHOOL UNION PHILADELPHIA JANUARY, 1918 Digitized by the Internet Archive In 2023 with funding from Columbia University Libraries https://archive.org/details/worthwhileworkinOOamer WORTH-WHILE WORK EK send hearty greeting on the threshold of the new year to all who have aided us in serving our soldier and sailor boys through the instrumentality of choice Christian literature. When the war began, the American Sunday-School Union saw its distinctive line of service. It has proved one for which there is much need, without overlap- ping what others are doing. Knowing that the work of our own missionaries would be more than ever needed—in the rural districts, mining and lumber camps, and other isolated sections which are their special field—we saw that our line of special service must be through the printed page. Our SpectaL LINE oF SERVICE. WARE of the work that the Y. M. C. A. War Work Council, backed by ample funds, would undertake in the larger camps, we turned with our offer: of service to the Chaplains—to all of them, but es-- pecially to those in the Regular Army and the Navy,. located at points and on ships which the Y. M. C. A. had not reached. Knowing, also, that the American Bible Society and the Pocket Testament League would center on the dis- tribution of Testaments, we developed our own plans of service along the following lines: 1. Cuorce Scripture Portions in the form of Wall Charts, containing such selections as the Twenty-third Psalm, the Ten Commandments, the Beatitudes, ete.; Wall Cards, each containing some great Scripture verse; ‘‘Silent Comforter’’ Wall Rolls, containing a page of Scripture for each day of a month. Of all of these, up to the end of 1917, 2,880 have been sent out, and they are hanging on the walls of meeting-rooms, of hospitals, and of barracks wherever our boys have gone. 2. One of the best ways of getting the gospel into men’s hearts is through song. For our own ‘‘ FAvoRITE Hymns,’’ a choice collection of 150 Church hymns and Gospel songs, there has been a constant demand from Chaplains in all ranks of the service. From 16,824 of these, men are singing—on warships, in the great Army and Navy training camps, in forts and isolated posts, in Hawaii, the Philippines and the Canal Zone, on transports and in the training camps ‘‘some- where in France.’’ 3. For personal, Hanp-ro-Hanp Work with soldiers and sailors, we have supplied a little book entitled Is Christianity True? dealing with practical funda- mentals; another entitled Hacuse Me, dealing with men’s grounds of hesitation in regard to entering the Christian life; with a variety of evangelistic leaflets. We have also furnished illustrated booklets telling the stories of the great Bible heroes, and many issues of our Young People’s Paper containing wholesome moral and religious stories and other good reading matter. Of all of these, 83,817 copies have had wide but careful distribution. 4, For this war-time service we have produced THREE New Pusuications. Chief among these is a special | edition of the Gospel according to Mark, containing, besides the text of the Gospel attractively arranged and printed, practical comments paragraph by para-— graph by Rey. F. B. Meyer,.of London, and other valu- able features. This little vest-pocket book so ecom- mended itself in its first edition of 50,000 copies that the Y. M. C. A. War Work Council has paid the cost of a special edition of 100,000, to be used in connection with its Bible classes in the camps. To meet the large demand through the Chaplains, another edition of 100,000 is also being manufactured. We have prepared for use especially among the officers, under the title of A Leader of Freemen, a short life of General S. C. Armstrong, calculated to inspire men to unselfish Christian service among their fellows. Though but recently issued, 1,234 copies have already been personally distributed, through Y. M. C. A. Camp Secretaries as well as by Chaplains. Sunday-school work has been started on many ships and in many camps and forts, and this has ealled for a non-denominational but evangelical lesson help. To meet this special need we have produced a new four- page leaflet entitled On Service, containing, together with the text and explanation of the lesson, a pungent paragraph on each Daily Home Reading passage by Mr. S. D. Gordon, and articles on the lesson truths in daily life which make each leaflet in itself an evangeli- cal message. Although only just ready, 19,237 of these have been called for, STANDING By THE CHAPLAINS. INCE the war opened, the force of Chaplains in our Army and Navy has been steadily increased, until in December it reached a total of 475, of whom 347 are Protestant and 128 Roman Catholic. Much pains has been necessary to keep in touch with this inerease by securing, with the aid of the Federal Council’s Committee on Chaplains, the names and assignments of new Chaplains as appointed. To them all we have-made our offer of co-operation. Move- ments among troops have been so frequent that many of the new Chaplains have found it difficult as yet to get into right relations with their work. The response to our communications has been most appreciative and grateful. Up to December 31, 1917, we had made ship- ments of literature to 134 Chaplains. Of these, twelve are Roman Catholic, and the rest are connected with the following Protestant denominations: Methodistwtiets- a cee 30 Disciples of Christ ... 4 Presbyterian ........ 18, Universalist {<2 eee 5 Protestant Episcopal... 16 Reformed ........... 2 Baptist= yee ene 16 Reformed Dutch ..... at Lutheranga-cn eee 10 United Brethren ..... ak Christian) @ cee eee 6 Methodist Protestant. 1 Congregational ...... 4 Not Ascertained ..... 8 In Aut LINES OF THE SERVICE. F those to whom we have furnished literature 49 are Regular Army Chaplains, 22 of these con- nected with Infantry regiments, 11 Cavalry, 11 Coast Artillery, 4 Field Artillery, and 1 Engineers. + We have supplied 29 National Army Chaplains con- nected with 15 regiments of Infantry, 9 of Field Artil- lery, and 5 of Engineers. These are located at 64 different camps and forts in every part of the United States, at barracks on the Pacifie Coast and in Hawaii, at posts in the Philippines and on the Canal Zone, and with the American Expedi- tionary Foree in France. We have also supplied 13 Chaplains of National Guard troops—Infantry, Field Artillery, Machine Gun battalions, Ammunition Train and Engineers—located at 8 different camps in the South. We have furnished, besides, 43 Naval Chaplains con- nected with 6 Navy Yards, 5 Receiving Ships, 2 Naval Hospitals, 10 Naval Training Camps and Stations, and 20 different. warships, including 2 vessels of our Asiatic Fleet. WHAT THE CHAPLAINS SAY. E have on file a great batch of letters from these Chaplains, expressing their appreciation and telling of the good which the literature has done. We give a few extracts from those most recently received: Chaplain C. Q. Wright, of the Naval Training Station at San Francisco, in asking for an additional ship- ment has just said: The supplies already furnished by you to this station have been well and profitably used. Our warm thanks to the Union for this service to our splendid lads now in training here and to the thousands who have already gone out to duty. Chaplain James Miles Webb, of the 27th Infantry, Manila, Philippine Islands, writes: No religious work among men of this regi- ment except mine; no literature or books for use. This is the first offered help and it is very much needed at once, Chaplain W. H. Cutler, of the 13th Engineers, writes from France: This regiment of 1,600 Railway Engineers is the first American regiment in active service here. We are near the front and operating a French war railroad. We are in need of song- books with music and greatly appreciate your offer. The 350 copies of Mark are desired for Bible-class use and personal distribution. Chaplain John R. Edwards, of the 19th Field Artil- lery, San Antonio, Tex., writes: I suppose you realize in some measure the importance of what you are doing in furnish- ing this literature, but as a Regular Army Chaplain let me say it is a wonderful thing. I am in desperate need of these very things that you offer. In the rush of preparing to fight, it is very hard for Chaplains in any way to procure them. Kindly hurry through what I have asked as fast as possible; we are in great need. Chaplain Thomas S. Cline writes from Headquarters 19th Engineers (Railway), American Expeditionary Foree in France: The books with which you supplied us before leaving the United States continue to be most 6 valuable. In all our services, both in the camp and in the American Base Hospital of which I am Chaplain, we use the ‘‘ Favorite Hymns’’ and find that it meets the situation perfectly, I am looking forward to the arrival of the ~ 1,000 copies of St. Mark which you wrote you have so generously forwarded me. Chaplain George F. Rixey, of the 64th Infantry, Camp Bliss, Tex., writes: I cannot commend your work too highly. It is sorely needed, and it will mean much in helping the American Army give back to eivili- zation an ideal well-nigh lost. Chaplain Joseph Clemens, of the 5th Field Artillery, American Hixpeditionary Force in France, writes: The first roll of the valuable material I requested for the use of my soldiers has come and I am very thankful. All the. lterature is the right kind. If more were doing the kind of service you are, perhaps the free distribution of cigarettes would not prove a curse by increasing their consump- tion forty per cent. Chaplain, William Reese Scott, of the 17th Infantry, Chattanooga, Tenn., writes: You can never realize how wonderfully your donations of books and other printed matter have helped the soldiers and assisted me in my work, for which God will bless you. Acting Chaplain Roy Leslie Lewis, of the U. S. S. Wisconsin, in acknowledging a second shipment, thus wrote: Let me again assure you that these books will be placed where they will be thoroughly appreciated. It is a pleasure to be able to supply the men with such wholesome and at- tractive literature. I am delighted with your specia. edition of Mark’s Gospel. No one can overestimate the value of these silent ministers that lift men to a higher plane of thinking and living, Chaplain Thomas M. Mark, U. 8. N. R. F., of Section Base 6, Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, N. Y., in asking for a second shipment, wrote: _The last consignment of this literature was highly appreciated by men going out from this Base. All sailors leaving here go at once aboard ship, so when they come to the Chaplain to bid him goodbye, these books make a suit- able gift for the men to carry with them to their new location. Chaplain Stephen R. Wood, of the 29th Infantry, Camp Gaillard, Canal Zone, wrote: I cannot begin to tell you how delighted I was with the contents of the boxes just re- ceived, nor shall I ever be able to tell you the immense amount of good that is being done to our men. I have distributed the literature very carefully that there might be no waste, remembering also the men in the guard house and in the hospitals. I am truly very grateful to you for the help you have been to me in my work. We Chaplains of the Regular Army are seldom thought of even by our own churches, and at a time like this, it helps to know that we are kept in mind, as well as the men who are in only for the war. 8 Chaplain A. F. Torrance, of the U. S. 8S. Brooklyn in our Asiatic Fleet, has just sent a request for an- other shipment to which he adds: Thank you for your past favors. I am writ- ing you a letter soon telling you of some great good your wonderful work is doing. May God bless it continually. How Has Tuis Work BEEN SUPPORTED ? OW has this good work been provided for? In the midst of many public appeals and campaigns, its quiet activities have been known only to those most interested. The first gifts toward its support came from the managers and employees of the American Sunday-School Union. From them, from Sunday- schools and elasses (chiefly Union schools cared for by the Society), and from some outside givers, we have received a total of $2,831.64. The correspondence neces- sary to promote the most useful circulation of the literature has been conducted by the Society’s officers without drawing upon our funds for this purpose. The cost of manufacturing the literature thus far distributed has been $4,129.14. In addition to that amount, for the large new edition of the Gospel according to Mark, and for renewing supplies of other publications most needed and asked for, we have assumed manufacturing obligations amounting to $8,216.06. The large difference between the receipts and ex- penditures has thus far been provided for by appro- priation from funds of the Society available for the free circulation of religious literature. These funds 4 have now been exhausted, and the continuance of this fruitful service urgently calls for wider and more generous support. It surely must not be allowed to cease. Wiuuram C. Srorver, Chairman Barton F. BLAKE E. Augustus MILLER Wiuuiam H. Hirst GeorGE P. WILLIAMS James McConavueny, Secretary Committee on War Literature of the American Sunday-School Union. 10