Article March 22, 1919 Issue

Extracts from Letters

"The average attendance for this month at the Welfare building almost doubles that of last month. While the men who desire to visit can congregate in the hostess room and feel unrestrained, the reading room is always perfectly quiet, as well as the writing room, and there is hardly a soldier who does not express appreciation for this quietness. The writing room has been so greatly in demand that four new desks have been added this month. Throughout the quarantine of the camp, the Welfare building was allowed to be kept open, although services were discontinued. As the 'Y' huts and hostess house were closed, many soldiers who were complete strangers to Christian Science flocked to the Welfare building. The first few evenings these soldiers made use of the writing room only, but soon many of them were seen enjoying the reading room and reading the literature. One young man after coming to the Welfare building for a week, asked to see the Welfare worker, stating that he had come to the building at first out of curiosity. He had stopped to write a letter, and because it was such a quiet, homelike place it seemed as if he just couldn't stay away, so he had continued to come every evening and had been reading the literature and now felt that he wanted a talk about Christian Science and would like a copy of the textbook.

"In order that the men might have the opportunity of coming in closer touch with each other, the Welfare building had an evening 'at home' to which all the Christian Science soldiers and their soldier friends were welcomed. One of the officers who came as the guest of a Scientist said that he had felt particularly lonely and was wondering how he could while away the evening, but now he was going back to camp as happy as he had been miserable a few hours before. Many 'Y' secretaries, chaplains, and camp pastors are frequent visitors to the Welfare building. There is no end to the opportunities of blessing the men that the Welfare building continually unfolds. It is to the stranger and to the Scientist alike, 'as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.'"

"Regarding the Christian Science literature, you will be pleased to hear that it reaches me quite regularly, and I cannot thank you too much for the great joy I derive from reading it. Christian Science is doing wonders for the soldier, and my heart goes out in gratitude to all those dear friends who so generously contribute to the various funds to meet the urgent needs of the soldiers and sailors engaged in this great war on error. If only the so-called 'lonely' soldiers could be induced to give Christian Science a fair trial, the truth would be as clearly demonstrated to them as it has been to me,—the human sense of loneliness would entirely disappear."

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