OCR Text |
Show FUNSTQN TELLS If REVIVALS teyiiED Replies to Secretary of Baptist Bap-tist Executive Board and : Incidentally to His Other Critics. j I SOLDIERS ARE NOT NECESSARILY LOST Army Officer Believes Some J of the Men at Home Are More in Need of Revival Re-vival Services. SAN ANTDNro, Texas, Dec. 9. Major General Frederick Funs ton, commanding the department of the south, tonight replied re-plied to the Rev. J. S, Gamhrell, secretary of the executive board of the Baptist gen-' gen-' eral convention, explaining the general's j reason for not permitting revivals In the i military camps here and along the border. ; Numerous Baptist conventions have adopted resolutions condemning what they " understood to have been the general's action, ac-tion, and suggestions wer made that President Wilson, as commander in chief of the army, be asked to take official cognizance of the matter. A resolution asking for Information on the controversy also has been introduced In congress. General Funston gave tout copies of the letter to the press, In which he says, in part: From time to time I have been receiving re-ceiving copies of resolutions passed by various Baptist bodies concerning my supposed stand relative to holding ' religious services among the troops ! on the border, and also have received I a number of very unjust, and, in some cases, abusive letters from clergymen of the same denomination. Incidental-I Incidental-I ly I might say that I have had more ! letters approving my stand than X ! have criticising It. Origin of Incident. ! This whole disagreeable incident, ! with all of Its annoyance to me, of course, arises from the statement made by you after your visit to the headquarters a couple of months ago, in which you sought to obtain permission permis-sion to conduct a series of revivals In the border camps. You stated your business to Colonel Barnum, chief of staff. If Colonel Barnum stated at that time what denomination you be- I longed to, It made no Impression on my mind, and If he had It would have made no difference whatever. i I told that officer to explain fully to you that while religious services along i the usual lines wore conducted in the camps hy chaplains and other clergymen clergy-men and wore welcome, I could not give my consent to the holding of revivals re-vivals therein, giving the word, as I was justified In doing, Its usually accepted ac-cepted meaning. I told Colonel Barnum to explain to you why revival services would be out of place In a military camp, citing the disgraceful perforin - ; a nee In San Antonio last winter as an example of what revivals are apt to develop Into, and drawing to a certain cer-tain extent on a genera! knowledge as to how revivals, or "protracted" meetings, meet-ings, as they are sometimes called, are I usually conducted. ' I further instructed Colonel Barnum to say to you that I did not accept. In fact resented, the implication that because a man had put on his coun- ; try's uniform he was necessarily lost, or worse than other men; that I ( hought there were people who had stayed at home who needed revivals worse than the soldiers did. I'nder the circumstances, you may imagine my astonishment when I read your statements to the effect that l had said that I would not allow the soldiers to be told that they were "lost." You must know as well us I do ttiat the doctrine that should be preached to the men was never once considered or mentioned, and. wit"h all due courtesy. I feel compelled to say that your making repeatedly the statements you are quoted as making is absolutely inexcusable and did me a great Injustice. The only time the word '"lost" was used bv me was when T said that I did not accept the view that because a man put on his country's uniform he was necessarily lost. 1 say frankly that T would not want to take chances on allowing a series of revivals or protracted meetings in these- great camps. I am justified in giving the word revival its usually accepted ac-cepted meaning a series of meetings continuing day and night for an indefinite in-definite period, with loud exhortation and singing and much emotionalism. Hnw about the rights of the men who do not want to attend revivals and who do not wish to be disturbed bv them? Ate they to be compelled to leave the camp, which is their home, and wander about down town or through fields to get away from them? Has a man no rights because he is a soldier? There are many religious re-ligious people who disapprove strongly strong-ly of revivals, with their attendant emotionalism. And, anyhow, be a man religious or irreligious; be he Christian, Hebrew or Mohammedan, -no other person has a right to rub his belief or his worship into his face that is, to bring it Into the place where he has a right to be and where he cannot escape it without abandoning abandon-ing that place. Soldiers must be protected from Imposition Im-position by their superior officers, and If these officers from weakness or other reason fail in their duty, their only recourse is submission or riot; and it is a safe guess that the latter is what you would have got with a typical old-fashioned revival in any one of the camps. Every regiment has its chaplain, and these practically represent every Christian denomination many of these chaplains are Baptists. They regularly hold service in the camps, but at the proper time and along the usual lines, just as services are ordinarily ordi-narily held in churches. What Was Accomplished. By the way, does it not seem queer to you that I had never indicated to J any one of them that he should not preach to the men that they were lost? Do you, down deep in your heart, really believe that after twenty years' service as an officer I am just now beginning to set myself up as an expert In theological doctrine and taking it upon myself to dictate what shall or shall not be preached to the men under my command? Now, let us be perfectly honest. Is it not a fact that you were badly put out because I could not let you have your way about conducting revivals in the camps and you said to yourself, ""Why, trie idea of that obstinate little cuss not letting me do as I please and presuming that he knows more ahout what soldiers like than I do. I will warm his jacket and make it just as disagreeable for him as 1 can." 1 If you will acknowledge that, I shall acknowledge that you succeeded, and everybody ought to be happy. 1 |