Columbia Theological Seminary Bulletin, 36, number 2, September 1943

bulletin of

COLUMBIA THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

DECATUR, GEORGIA

Vol. XXXVI

September, 1943

No. 2

RETURN POSTAGE GUARANTEED
Entered as second-class matter, May 9, 1928, at the post office at Decatur, Ga under the Act of August 24, 1912.
PUBLISHED QUARTERLY AT DECATUR, GEORGIA

LETTERS FROM A NAZI PRISON CAMP

THE ENDOWMENT CAMPAIGN

PAST PROGRESS CHALLENGES TO NEW ADVANCE

LETTERS

FROM A NAZI PRISON CAMP

Galantry of Columbia Graduate Wins

Praise of German Officer

Columbia Seminary is proud of the fact that more than
sixty of her alumni have been commissioned as chaplains
in the armed forces of our country. These men are serving
in all quarters of the globe today and the record of their
experiences would make a most interesting vo ume. At
some future date it is hoped that a bulletin can be devoted
to news items concerning many of these men We believe
that at this time our Church will be especially interested
in news which has come from Chaplain Eugene L. Darnel,
'36, who has been a prisoner of the Germans since last

6 Af^ graduation from the seminary Mr. Daniel, who is
a native of Atlanta, served successively as pastor of the
Tackson and Fellowship group of churches in Atlanta
Presbytery and of the Cairo Church in Southwest Georgia
Presbytery. He enlisted in the chaplaincy during the early
weeks of the war and was sent to Ireland with one of the
first contingents of our troops to go overseas. He was a
member of the expeditionary force which landed in North
Africa last November, and was awarded the Silver Star for
his gallantry under fire during the opening phases of the
invasion. Late in February his mother, Mrs. E. L. Daniel,
was notified of his capture by the Germans while minister-
ing to the wounded, and later she was provided with the
address of his prison camp in Germany. In recent weeks
a number of very interesting letters have come to her from
Germany and, in the belief that these will be a source of
inspiration to many, we have secured her permission to
print portions of them here.

The letter which relates the circumstances attending
his capture was not received first in order of ume tor
reasons suggested in its opening sentences. It is repro-
duced in full: May 25 1942

"Dear Mother;

"The local newspaper tells us the African campaign is over
Therefore I suppose my story will pass both German and
Imerican'c e n S ors P I came into German hands February 16 h.
Our battalion was defending Les Sauda Mt. near Sidi Bou i Sid.
We had been shelled for two days and were almost grounded
We attempted to withdraw dunng the night of the 15th Meet
ing oppTsition our withdrawal became disorganized, however,

wa's withl' detail carrying wounded German prisoners
on liters. After several hours of most difficult carrying, on y
a bief period of darkness remained in which to escape. There
fore I ordered the men to escape while I remained in a deep
dUcn wth the wounded. (Later I learned that most if not
a my men did escape). Next morning I went out to the
Germans Their doctors and I picked up the wounded^ The
German Colonel wrote me a letter of appreciation and com-

m 'wf went to Tunis by truck and train, to Naples by plane,
to Germany by train.

"I am expecting a letter any day now.
"Love, Eugene.

In writing to an aunt on the same date he stated that
he was scheduled to preach on the next Sunday and to
conduct a Communion Service a week later. As an officer,
he had been placed in a camp with other officers under
terms of the international agreement concerning prisoners
of war, but wrote that several British chaplains were there
and that he was requesting transfer to the camp of our
enlisted men in order that he might be of service to them.
That request has subsequently been granted.

The following sentences are taken from other letters
which he has written, the first quotation having been
contained in the first letter received from him by his
mother: "I am quite well and well cared for. Strangely
enough we have had lots of fun joking about our plight.
Many of my friends are here. I continue my ministry
and think it is helping the men. The things of God are
very clear to me these days. I have great peace." . . .
"I am in good health and spirits. I'll be home by 1944."
(One wonders how that prediction got by a German cen-
sor) . "I am preaching and teaching the Bible. I am
studying German." ..." 'Tis strange to think of all the
experiences I have had in life. However, God supplies
the needed strength and comfort for any condition. I
pray that all of you may know the same peace of mind.
Indeed I pray that all men the world over might be so
blessed."

A snapshot which Mr. Daniel was allowed to send his
mother from prison camp shows him apparently in good
health. His present address is Chaplain 1st Lieutenant
Eugene L. Daniel, American P. O. W., Interned at Stalag
7A, Germany, P. O. W. Number 1490, New York, N. Y.,
and letters addressed to him there will be delivered. Prayers
are requested not only for him but for those to whom he
ministers and for all our men who are prisoners of war.

THE ENDOWMENT CAMPAIGN

On the first day of next month a generous and challeng-
ing offer will terminate. Under terms set by its makers
all gifts to the endowment of Columbia Seminary received
by October 1, 1943, are to be matched dollar for dollar
up to a total of $50,000. As of September the first only
about $20,000 had been contributed, so that it will be
necessary for many gifts, both large and small, to be se-
cured this month if the seminary is to take full advantage
of its opportunity.

No organized campaign for funds has been undertaken
in connection with this offer but an effort has been made
to keep its challenge constantly in the minds of the semi-
nary's friends. The response to our publicity has been
highly encouraging in the interest which it has revealed,
even though the size of most of the individual gifts has
been small. A great many of these contributions have
not been solicited. A record of just a few of them will
show the diversity of sources from which they have come.

The widow of a Presbyterian minister has contributed
twenty dollars of tithe money left by her beloved hus-
band, which she had held for many months as she looked

for an opportunity to invest it to maximum advantage.
A graduate of the seminary just leaving for Foreign Mis-
sion service made one of his last acts in this country the
purchase of a government bond for the seminary. From
his post of service with our troups in North Africa a
Chaplain has sent regular monthly contributions, asking
that these go to establish a memorial fund bearing the
name of his grandfather, a beloved Christian physician.
A Home Missionary recently sent his check for ten dollars,
and a devout Presbyterian lady is endowing a scholarship
in honor of her parents and giving the amount of this in
United States War Bonds. Real fellowship across denomi-
national lines was shown by a Baptist lady who read of
the offer to the seminary and sent a generous check to
the institution. A Christian business man has sent two
checks for a total of fifteen hundred dollars because God
had prospered him beyond his expectations, and a number
of churches have sent gifts from unallotted benevolent
funds which they had on hand. So the total has grown
and so we hope it will continue to grow.

Recently a group of prominent Presbyterian laymen in

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Atlanta has voluntarily interested itself in this movement
and has made an appeal for gifts in a letter addressed to
several hundred potential givers. It is hoped that the
response to their appeal and to this bulletin will be
sufficiently large to assure the reaching of the $50,000
goal and the addition of $100,000 to the seminary's en-
dowment. Only generous giving will make that possible
in the time which remains. We believe that there are
many who intend to give but who have postponed doing
so until now. Further delay will be fatal. Although
the offer made the seminary was for the matching of
funds actually collected within the allotted time, we have
recently been assured that pledges made to the institution
will be acceptable and will be matched as paid. This
should enable many individuals and churches who could
not give during this month to have a part in making our
effort successful. We earnestly appeal to our friends to
send their checks or their subscriptions at once. A dollar
given to Columbia Seminary now means two dollars in-
vested for the preaching of the Gospel.

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PAST PROGRESS CHALLENGES TO NEW ADVANCE

The record of recent years in the life of Columbia
Seminary gives reason for real encouragement and tor a
dZ sense of gratitude to God. His blessing .has made it
Sib e for the institution steadily to lengthen its cords
S to strengthen its stakes, until today there need be no
uncertainty I to her future At the same tin* ; w< > have
no reason to be complacent, for the material needs of the
institution have been only partially supplied and many
important improvements in its work must await an in-
C X in the "resources made available. We , believe , that
the figures given below show in a very striking way the
progress which has been made during the past eleven years.
Lest progress made seem too much reason for satisfaction
howeverf the amount of endowment reported by several
other Presbyterian seminaries in a recent year is also shown
A comparison of these endowments with that of Co
lumbia Seminary makes it perfectly obvious d* t Jhe
progress of past years must be continued if the real needs
of the institution are to be supplied adequately.

Endowment Indebtedness AJIWcesJ^tf^

Income for

Operations

from .. _ r >.
"-fiat

1,33 $298,700

1934 304,200

1935 300,500

1934 305,400

1937 352,200

1938 369 . 400

1939 371,800

1940 ... 378,400

1941 429,800

1942 584,700

1943 402,900

$105,900

$24,200

$15,398

103,000

30,300

None

101,400

31,100

None

101,400

35,700

None

None

35,400

None

None

35,300

None

None

34,200

None

None

34,700

None

None

41,900

None

None

45,500

None

None

48,500

None

1944

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COMPARATIVE ENDOWMENTS OF OTHER
SEMINARIES

(Approximate)

, . i/ ... $1,149,413

Louisville Theological Semmary, Louisville Ky 1534,154

Union Theological Seminary, Richmond a. ------ -^

The Presbyterian Theological Seminary Chicago III

Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton. N. J

Will you help in making it possible for Columbia Semi-
nary to render a larger service to our Church?