OUR BOYS IN CAMP

Otago Witness, Issue 3251, 5 July 1916, Page 26

OUR BOYS IN CAMP

THE CHAPLAIN'S WORK. STRONG PLEA FOR BETTER EQUIPMENT. Chaplain-captain D. C. Herron, from Trentiiam camp, is at present visiting Dunedin with a view to raising the money necessary to make some adequate provision, under the auspices of the Presbyterian Church, for the needs and comfort of the men in camp in the North Island. Captain Herron has already visited Uhrietchurch, where a business committee was set up which has undertaken to raise £6OO. In one day at Ashburton Captain Herron secured £75. The total amount required for tho immediate projects in hand is £ISOO, and, .in addition, there is a debt of £IOOO to be liquidated. On Sunday Captain Herron spoke five times in various churches, putting beforo his hearers the urgent claims of their friends and relatives now in camp. On Monday afternoon, at the invitation of the Rev. G. H. Balfour, Captain Herron met some 50 business men and ministers at the Y.M.C.A. Hall. Mr Balfour, who presided, referred to the magnificent work being done by Chap-lain-captain Herron, and sad that the institute they had at present at Trentham was disgraceful to the Presbyterian Church. Captain Herron, who gave a brief, -vigorous talk on the conditions and needs in the camps, said that many of the boys who went from the atmosphere of good, clean homes had never realised till they went into- camp that there was a blacker and darker side of life. They had the strange experience of having there the best men in tho country, and side by sido with them the very worst. He was sorry to say that the tone of many of the huts was very far from what it might be. Men were suddenly plunged unprepared into this atmosphere, and they realised at once that they must fight or go down. The strange loneliness of the first five days in camp showed itself in the way in which men came round to the institute to sing more in those days than they did afterwards. What they wished to provide for the men was a church reasonably comfortable for parades and to be used as an institute as homelike as possible through the week. When tragedies happened, as they sometimes did, it was generally in the case of very young men, not 20 perhaps, who were anxious to live just like the rest. The chaplains began by warning the men about their choice of companions, and particularly against going into town with the wrong type of fellow, for the streets of Wellington at the present time were not a place for young men to be out on at night. All the worst type of harpies from other towns had gathered together in Wellington, and they Knew from bitter experience that they made a prey of the men who went from the camps. It would be far better for a man never to go into camp than to fall and make shipwreck of his life. From the military standpoint the men who fell into drinking habits or went even lower weTe making themselves unfit, and so the military authorities were on the side of the chaplains in everything they could do to make the camp a better place. They had even offered to take down two of the buildings so as to provide a good site for a new institute. —(Applause.) If a man started right in camp in all probability he would go right through and come back clean and an infinitely stronger man than ho ever was before. The universal opinion among those who knew was that if a man kept away from drink ho would not go any further down. It was when a little drink had taken the keenness oil* the edge of a man's moral senso that he made shipwreck. They arranged Bible Classes- in each reinforcement, and these were continued from camp to camp, on to the troopships, and right on to the field of battle. There were 30 or 40 men in these classes, and they were tremendously keen, although they could only meet }ambed up into a small bedroom. The first Presbyterian Institute was built to hold 150. Then it was doubled to hold 300, but since that was done 12 months ago the Church had done nothing to meet the growing needs. Other denominations and tho Y.M.C.A. had built large halls, out the Presbyterians wore under the great disadvantage of having to hold church parades out in tho open. At present they were meeting in the Y.M.C.A. hall, into which 650 could be jambed, but a few weeks ago he had the mortification of turning 80 men away from the service because every.corner of the building- was packed. For lack of accommodation the Presbyterians co.dd not accept the offers of excellent concert*, which were so much appreciated, and which served 6uch excellent purpose in "keeping (he men away from town. Moreover, they had no quiet place such as the men so often sought for where they could engage in private devotions away from the boisterous interruptions of the hut. There was ±"1000 still owing as the share of the Presbyterian Church oil tho United Institute at Feathcrston, and with the further £ISOO lie asked for he proposed tcf erect a hall capable of seating 900, and a, Bible Class room and proper institutional equipment. Captain Herron concluded by saying that tho men for whom he asked this were worthy. Ho was proud to bo the chaplain of tho Presbyterians who were in camp—(applause)— but he was sick of apologising to them for their Institute. There v ere men there who had deliberately broken into brilliant academic careers, men who had sold their farms or businesses at serious loss, men who had closed down their businesses and put behind them every ambition they had beforo tiiom for years. " He knew he was asking a good deal of sacrifice from them, but what was that compared with the sacrifice of the men who were offering their lives ?-r (Applause.) The Chairman <>aid he had already received several unsolicited contributions and one cheque for £so.—(Applause.) Mr Crosby Morris moved that a committee composed of one representative from each congregation in the city and suburbs be set up to raise money for the work outlined by Captain Herron. This was agreed to, and the following were appointed a committee--Messrs R. S. Black. H inter, John Arthur, T. Somerville, Mears, T. Fleming, -W. Henderson. Veale, .Tames Begg, P. G. Prvde, Crosby Morris, Lunn, Scoular, J. G. Patterson. Craig, Tamblyn, M'Elroa, Moir, and Henderson.