National Affairs: Religion's Ranking

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In the U. S. Army there are 125 chaplains. Chief among them is John T. Axton, Congregationalist native of Salt Lake City, Utah. Chief of Chaplains Axton is apparently hale, and only 52. Hence he is not due for retirement until 1939.

But Chief of Chaplains Axton was last week ordered to Walter Reed Hospital for physical observation, preliminary to appearing before an Army retiring board. Citizens wondered why.

Observers guessed that it might be because Chief of Chaplains Axton, who at present has the rank of a colonel, has advocated making colonelcies possible for all chaplains and giving the chief of chaplains the rank of major general. Major general is the highest U. S. Army rank, except in war. Infantry & artillery officers resent the idea of the chief of 125 "sky pilots" being ranked equally with the few U. S. soldiers who rise to command 10,000 to 12,000 (a peacetime Army division).

Whether or not Chief of Chaplains Axton would be involuntarily retired or not appeared to depend upon the lobbying strength of various church organizations in sympathy with his efforts to obtain for modest "sky pilots," Army rankings which they consider commensurate with the spiritual plane of their duties. Should Chief of Chaplains Axton, the Utah Congregationalist, be retired, next in line for his post would be Chaplain E. P. Easterbrook, Methodist Episcopalian now stationed at Fort Sam Houston, Tex.