Christian Science came to me on the battlefields during the late war through the aid of a Christian Science chaplain. He was with me on the front lines and we had many experiences together. Right here let me say that all Christian Scientists have reason to feel proud of the way their chaplains served the Cause of Truth during those trying days.
I served with a western division as a captain of infantry. We went into the Meuse-Argonne affair with considerable fear and trembling, and on the third day of that engagement I became a casualty. When discharged from the hospital a few weeks later I rejoined my outfit on the Flanders front. It was there that I met the Christian Science chaplain, and on the following day he was assigned to my headquarters for mess.
On the long night marches which followed, the chaplain marched with me at the head of the company column. I plied him with questions about his religion, and they were not always very friendly questions, but he always replied with a smile. His patience, compassion, and reasoning wore my opposition down. I was particularly impressed with the fact that he did not wear a gas mask and that he did not carry side arms. We soon ran into shell fire, but the chaplain went forward clad with the "armour of God" and armed with the sword of Truth. It was then that I received my first glimpse of the truth about God and man as revealed to us by our revered Leader, Mary Baker Eddy. When the situation seemed more than it was possible for human beings to stand, the chaplain told me to repeat to myself these words: "God is my strength, God is my guide, God is my protection." In the face of the most chaotic conditions, this brought me a peace of mind that I cannot describe. I became conscious of God's presence—I seemed to be treading on air and felt positively buoyant.
