Page:Christian Science War Time Activities.djvu/98

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CHRISTIAN SCIENCE IN THE WAR

church at Battle Creek, Michigan, assisted financially by a number of other Michigan churches, was doing a considerable work at Camp Custer at this time, something like eight hundred Monitors being distributed daily. The Literature Distribution Committee of the Chicago churches was also serving the men at the Naval Training Station at Great Lakes, Illinois, and The Mother Church had itself rendered some aid at Camp Devens at Ayer, Massachusetts, and at Camp Lee in Virginia. The Junction City, Kansas, church had also instituted a work at Camp Funston and aided by contributions of literature from the Publication Committee for that State, was doing effective work. Thus from many directions and in differing ways was coming the evidence, accumulating daily, that the Christian Science field was ready, yes, willing, even anxious, to undertake the task.

During this period the Christian Science Board of Directors, mindful of the ruling of the War Department and equally so of the growing need, earnestly sought a solution of the problem thus presented. In November of 1917 the Board appointed a Christian Science Camp Welfare Committee and delegated to it the working out of a suitable plan to accomplish the desired result. The Committee set to work at once, visited several of the large camps, studied the needs carefully and soon developed a plan that gave promise of meeting the requirements of the Christian Science men in the service as well as any others who might be inclined to accept the aid of the Committee and which at the same time met the conditions imposed by the War Department. The basic thought in the plan was, first of all, to render a tireless service to all men in the

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