Pacific Stars and Stripes, 7 Feb 53
By PFC Ray Waterkotte
TOKYO, Feb. 7 (Pac. S&S)- An
American bishop who sees no harm in pin-up pictures said yesterday
his countrymen in Korea are the most charitable servicemen in the
history of the world.
Back in Tokyo after an Air force-sponsored 18-day
round of missions in Korea, the Rt. Rev. Austin Purdue, bishop of
the Episcopal diocese of Pittsburgh, Pa., enthused in an interview
in the Sanno hotel, "The charity of the men in Korea is fantastic."
"EVERY OUTFIT I went to had
an orphanage or two," he said. "One jet fighter base was supporting
320 kids entirely by itself. I was always surrounded by kids the fellows
had rescued by rolling bands of homeless."
Bishop Pardue, still keyed up from his swing through
Korea, declined to comment on morals of the troops in Korea.
"I didn't go to peep through
keyholes or look over transoms," he said. "But I can say morals are
wonderful in this respect. Charity covers a multitude of sins. And
Americans in Korea are the most charitable services in the history
of the world."
The bishop said he had the chance to visit some
army installations during his tour with the Air force in Korea and
discovered that there were pin-ups in the bunkers.
"THERE ARE PIN-UP pictures
in the bunkers, but I don't think there's any harm in that." he said.
"The men there aren't a bunch of saints and lets not try and make
them that they are. They're human beings with the greatest of all
virtues coming out."
The spiritual head of Pittsburgh's 50,000 Episcopalians
journeyed to Korea at the request of the Air force chief of Chaplains
to conduct the Air force's annual Protestant mission.
He stamped the "Faith and Prayer" theme with his
personal trademark-the "no ought'' sermon which has made him an internationally
known speaker and writer.
"I DIDN'T TELL them what to
do. I only tried to help the men improve their prayers. If they improve
prayers, they'll take care of what they ought to do by themselves,"
he remarked.
He'll give a preaching mission on the same topic
at the New Kaljo Chapel in Tokyo Monday through Thursday at 7:30 p.m.
About attendance at the 11 schedule talks and
seven confirmation services he held in Korea, Bishop Pardue winked.
"They weren't shy of my Episcopal guns."
PSS-676
