Mennonites in the World War/XIII
CAMP VISITATIONS
[edit]Duty of Pastors to the Brethren in Camp
[edit]It is the duty of the pastor to look after his flock regardless of where it is, or through what trials it is required to pass, especially when the flock has no choice in the matter. Before any of the drafted men went to camp the question of how to care for the brethren who would be thus isolated, and be in en vironments which were not conducive to spirituality, was discussed a great deal in conferences, in private conversation, and by correspondence. Parents who had sons in camp were also vitally interested. No precedent had been established, and while it was evident that the brethren could be visited, no one knew under what circumstances it could be done or what Christian privileges either the boys or the visitors would have. Could ministers hold preach ing services? Could the young brethren have Sunday school or any other religious exercises? A great many questions arose regarding the spiritual help that could be given which time alone could answer.
Work of Committees
[edit]The various conferences saw that no definite action could be taken which would adequately meet the needs not even after many had been in camp for some time because of the various war orders which were sent out from Washington in quick succession, the difference in the methods of work in the different camps, and conflicting actions of offic ers in the same camp. Conditions must be met in some other way. The work was generally given over to committees who were to see that necessary aid should be given in the best manner possible. Some of the conferences united in this work. Three conferences west of the Mississippi River had one committee. This plan had some advantages as well as a few disadvantages. In spite of the fact that these committees did noble work, the most difficult problems arising out of misunderstandings between the officials and brethren in the camps fell to a few men scattered all the way from the eastern to the western coast. I. B. Good and J. C. Habecker in eastern Pennsylvania, Aaron Loucks in the western part of the same state, D. D. Miller in Indiana, S. C. Yoder in Iowa, D. H. Bender in Kansas, and E. Z. Yoder on the western coast were among those who gave themselves over to this work and their services were in great demand.
Segregation
The war department ordered that those who re fused to wear the uniform and to accept noncom- batant service should be segregated. At Camp Meade (Md.) this was understood to mean that civ- i.ians would not be allowed to go into the barracks; fnat segregation practically means imprisonment. A soldier stood at the door and would call any young man provided the visitor named the one wanted. They could visit for half an hour, but it must be .lone in the presence of the guard. This gave no
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opportunity for religious services except such as the young men could hold among themselves. At first the interpretation was very different from this at Camp Taylor (Ky.). There the ministers were al lowed to come into the barracks, eat with their friends in camp, hold services, and visit for hours. One minister who had a son there was even allowed to sleep there. Some other camps regarded the guard-house as the only proper segregation. Be tween these two extremes could be classed all the camps in the United States.
Getting an Understanding at Camp Meade
Aaron Loucks and D. D. Miller, two of the com mittee appointed by the General Conference to inter view the war department concerning the status of our brethren in the draft, had occasion to make a second trip to Washington, and hearing of the condi tions which prevailed there, went by way of Camp Meade and asked to see the brethren. The guard said that he would call any one out that they wanted to see and asked who they wanted. They replied that they wanted to see all the Mennonite boys, but they were told that they would have to name them. They left the camp without seeing any of them. In company with I. B. Good and J. C. Habecker, the committee appointed by the Lancaster Conference to look after their brethren who were drafted, and Wil liam Derstine of the Franconia Conference, they pro ceeded to Washington. They called on Provost Marshal General Crowder and reported their experi ence at Camp Meade. The General at once called up Secretary Baker by phone, and got orders to call up the commander ait Meade and tell him to so arrange
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matters that the brethren Good and Habecker could hold religious services in the C. O. barracks the next day. This was done, and later the department made arrangements so that services could be held there regularly. A few weeks later Bishop P. R. Nissley accompanied the brethren who went there to hold services and they observed the communion. Quite an experience a Mennonite bishop in a war camp holding a service in commemoration of the suffer ing, death and atonement of the Prince of Peace; but that was caring for the flock, and shows one of the needs and opportunities of camp visitation. These two brethren wrote up a full account of their many visits to this camp. This will be important history in the future.
Centralizing the Work
With all that good work being done in vis iting camps, answering letters, etc., matters were constantly becoming more and more complicated. Camp officials were trying to drive our brethren into the service. More correspondence with Washington became necessary and more requests were coming in asking that certain young men in the camps be aid ed. With the drives for war funds came demands for more meetings for consultation. All of this meant better organization. It called for one man as leader. It was better that he should come to such leadership by force of circumstances than by election. It was but natural that Aaron Loucks, chairman of the committee appointed by General Conference to look after the welfare of the draftees, should be that man. His counsel and help were in almost constant demand. Being away from home much of the time
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his letters and telegrams would often not be an swered for a long time. This was very unsatisfac tory, both to Brother Loucks and to the correspond ents. It was decided that he must have help, some one to take charge of the correspondence. J. S. Hartzler of Goshen, Ind., was asiked to do this and went to Scottdale to take up the work. With in creased help came increased demands. Both men were busy. For months at a time Bro. Loucks could not have made all the calls that were asked for, even if he had remained on the road all the time.
Some seemed to think that there were few limits to the powers of those who would visit camps reg ularly. One father wrote, "They have taken my boy to Camp. I do not like that. I want you to go down there and have him transferred to one of the north ern camps either Sherman or Taylor/ Imagine about how much good it would have done to have gone to a camp or to have written to the war de partment requesting such a change.
Benefit to the Parents
But the young men in camp were not the only ones who were benefited by these visits. In many cases the parents at home were suffering more than their sons in camp. Sometimes because the mails were not regular, they imagined that their loved ones were sick or imprisoned and were not allowed to write, and a visit with the son and a letter to the parents soothed many a troubled heart. To know that some one had visited their son, some one who could help him to solve some of his problems, was like a healing balm to the broken heart. Many a mother slept better after receiving a letter stating
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that her son had been visited, was faring well, and was in good cheer.
Benefit to Camp Commanders
Even camp commanders and officers under him were benefited by these visits. It was very difficult for such officials to understand how any one could take the position of the C. O. and be anything else than a German sympathizer, a slacker, or a coward. Many were honest in their convictions and were glad for an opportunity to discuss the subject with some one who because of age and experience was better versed on the subject than many of the young men were. Many of these officers would discuss the doc trine of nonresistance with the ministers for an hour or more and thus see whether the visitors and the C. O.'s agreed on the subject. The majority of the officials would hardly admit that they had received any new light on the subject of the new life, but in many cases their actions toward the Christian young men were more considerate after such visits.
A brother called at a certain camp and after talking with the brethren for a time went to see one of the higher officials who received him cordially After discussing the C. O. problem the officer said that he had been expecting the board of inquiry for some time but as yet had heard nothing from it. The brother asked whether he had reported to the depart ment at Washington that there were any C. O.'s in his camp. The officer looked a little surprised at such a question and said, "No." The brother took a paper from his pocket and showed him that on the first day of each month, camp commanders who had C. O.'s in their camps should report the same
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to the war department at Washington. What hap pened after that is not known, but reasonably soon after the beginning of the next month the C. O.'s were transferred to another camp where they met the board a few days later.
Wilful Neglect
Again, camp visits were necessary because some camp commanders, and especially under officers, were wilfully neglecting to observe orders from Washington, or were so construing them as to make them meaningless. As stated before, all post and camp commanders were required to report at the beginning of each month the names of all persons under their respective commands who professed re ligious or other conscientious .scruples, and "who have not been willing to accept by reason of such scruples, assignment to noncombatant military serv ice." This order also required that such report should contain a brief, comprehensive statement as to the nature of the objection. This shows that pro visions were made for such as could not accept either combatant or noncombatant service, and that the war department actually expected that there would be such. In spite of this, commanders were con stantly trying to force such work upon the C. O. s, many of whom were too inexperienced to handle such a situation, and appealed for help. Persons from outside could do much more especially if it was evi dent that they knew their business. Here were men whose sole interest in camp was to see that Christian young men got the treatment that the department had provided for them. While it was the business of the officials to get as many to accept service as
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they could, using legitimate means in doing it, they were more careful in the methods used because they could not tell how soon such camp visitors might come or whom they might befriend if they came.
Undue Criticism
It is a self evident fact that President Wilson and the Congress (A the United States have been un wisely criticised by some of the C. O.'s and their friends (more from the political than the religious objectors) because Government did not meet the situation better from the standpoint of the objector. As representatives of the people they were obliged to consider the wishes of their constituency; also, the conscientious objectors constituted such a small per cent of the whole that to make them an excep tion might have proven a misfortune, both the offi cials and to those excepted. Taking all these things into consideration one can not account for the re gard and privilges which the nonresistant people re ceived, both at the hands of the law-makers and of the camp officials otherwise than by an honest effort on the part of those who made the laws, even though they did not understand our position nor agree with it, and the over-ruling and protection of our heav enly Father for His own.
Position of the Official
Camp officials, too, had reasons for their actions in many cases. There were actual "slackers," and the C. O. cloak was a good one under which to hide. Those had to be sifted out, and testing was the only method that some of the officers knew for sifting. Then again, while the officers were in training they were taught that every man must serve. They were
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not taught that there were a few exceptions; that these were to be excused because they had a con science against war. Every man MUST. The offic er was boss of men and was himself under a boss. His boss expected him to see that conditions were met according to the rules of war. His promotion depended upon how well he succeeded in getting every man trained in the part required. It is easy to see why officials were so persistent, and equally easy to see the need of proper camp visiting.
Injudicious Camp Visiting
Not all such visiting was proper, however. Some visits had better never been made. One minister, in his desire to go just as far as he could to comply with the desires of a camp official and at the same time not violate a Christian principle, upon hearing the explanation of a certain kind of work said, "Cer tainly our boys can do that." He had not investi gated the matter nor consulted the young men who were in constant touch with the work and knew better all the points involved. After that the officer insisted that the work be done and the nonresist- ants all refused to do it. To the officer this looked like stubbornness. One of the brethren wrote to his pastor to come at once. After the pastor and the boys had carefully gone over the matter the former went to the officer and said, "I am sorry, but our boys cannot conscientiously do the work which has been assigned to them, and I cannot encourage them to do it. I could not do it if I were placed in like circumstances." The officer said, "Some time ago a minister who claimed that he was a Mennonite was here and he said that the boys could do this work;
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now you say that they cannot. I believe that you had better go home and agree among yourselves as to what you want, then come here and we will talk it over. We will not get anywhere this way" and he was right. There were other injudicious visits which did more to confuse than to set matters right. Considering the training of the officers, the small number of nonresistants as compared with the great and mighty army, and the disagreement of pastors as to the work that could be done with consistency, we can be thankful indeed for the consideration re ceived, and that camp visits were not much more necessary than they were. "Truly, God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart. *