Private Ben Who Could Not Read By PHILIP B. MARQUART* Captain, Medical Corps B HAPLAIN KING visited' Ward 47. There he encountered a young soldier named Ben, who Was ill with pneumonia. Ben was il in every sphere of his life, even though he had previously been “ no account,” and a soldier of very doubt fu value to Uncle Sam. It was also
not needed sedatives when he -was most ill with pneumonia, and there fore he did not need them at this time. But he insisted he had not slept. “ Perhaps you’re n e r v o u s about something,” I suggested. “ I don’t know what it could be,” doubted Stuart. “Or perhaps your conscience is bothering you,” I added. Suddenly a look of recognitioru came -into his eyes. He remembered the curse words he had used and the warning Ben had given him. He blushed and hung his head. He thought was going to yield, but I said, “No, Stuart, you are not going to get any sleeping pill. You know what it was that disturbed you yesterday. Why not get that cured instead?” “ I would,” pleaded Stuart, “ but I don’t know what to do about it. It’s already done, and I can’t undo it.” . “Then perhaps you had better call Ben back again, and talk the matter, over. I’m sure he can suggest some thing.” As soon as v/ard rounds were over, Ben made a beeline for Stuart’s •bed. They talked for a long time, and Stuart was absorbed- with interest in the Scripture verses he was shown. Later in the day, I noticed a smile of peace on Stuart’s face and stop ped at his bed to see what he would say. “I’m h a p p y now, Captain,” he beamed, “ and I won’t need any seda tive. I took Jesus Christ a i my Sav iour, and now I’m a Christian soldier.” Little by little, the old selfish ways began to disappear, but not without a struggle, and not without repeated failure. On one occasion, he was im pudent to a nurse, and the nurses began to heckle him and give him extra duty. In fact, they were carry ing the punishment too far, and there was danger of discouraging him. But all he needed was a word of com mendation from other patients or a suggestion from me that he was big enough to take it. In the two weeks that he remained in the ward, Stuart was so thoroughly changed by his [ Continued on Page 131]
noticed that he no longer cursed. But the story of Ben does not end here; in fact, it does not end with Ben. And actually it has not con cluded at all, for the influence of Private Ben is even now spreading to all parts of the world from Ward 47. Reaching a Doctor of Philosophy Ben’s life touched another soldier, a man with a Ph.D. degree. Cultured and well educated, he watched the change in Ben after the boy had ac cepted Christ, One night, all by him self, this Ph.D. accepted Christ and was gloriously converted. A few days rater, I saw him hold up his Gideon Testament and say, “I once thought I knew psychology, but I didn’t know any psychology at all until I started reading this little book. It’s wonderful." The Ph. D. and a few other Chris tian soldiers began to meet every night in one corner of the ward to study their Testaments. That cus tom of Ward 47 is still going on— these mapy months later—and scores of hungry soldiers have oeen saved by partaking of the Bread of Life. Helping a Troubled Conscience Ben became a zealous soul-winner. One of the best examples of this fact is seen in what he’ did for Stuart a few days after he was saved. Stuart was a spoiled youngster of eighteen who just could not take Army life. One day the air of the w a rd ' was rent with curses as Stuart gave vent to some minor dissatisfaction. Im mediately, Ben laid flown his red Gospel and rushed across the room to Stuart’s bed and told him, in no uncertain terms, where soldiers go if they say such things as he had. Stuart answered in defiant tones, as though he were not fazed by Ben’s warning. But he was. The next morning, when I was on ward rounds, Stuart asked me for some sleeping pills because, he said, he had not been able to rest the night before. I told him that he had
literate. It had been noticed that he never attempted to read in bed in order to pass away his time. As a child, he had been to school, but after attending for five years, had not been able to pass out of the sec ond grade. However, Ben was-eager to hear about Jesus; he wanted desperately to be saved, and Chaplain King had no trouble at all in leading him to Christ. Being, as the men said, “ a Stickler for the Scriptures,” the Chap lain had explained carefully the plan of salvation as given in the Word of God; and then, not knowing that Ben was illiterate, had given him a lit tle red Gospel of John before he left the ward. The boy read that Gospel in all his spare moments from that time on ward. The word “ read" is used ad visedly, for he was not merely look ing at the pages, as some of the other patients surmised. He actually could tell what he read. It is true that he could not pronounce the words aloud from the text, except very falteringly, 1but Ms silent reading was effective for the first time in his life. We tested him on the morning newspaper, but he could neither read it aloud nor catch the meaning. He could read only the Bible. How for tunate some more highly endowed persons might be if they could read only the Word of God, and under stand it, rather than the worthless pages that they do .read! More important than this educa tional miracle of reading was the change in Ben’s personality and character. Every one who knew him noticed it. The other patients mar veled at it. As he got up and around in convalescence, the nurses sent him on errands, because he now could be relied upon. He became more capable * A preceding article by Captain Marquart: entitled “ The Pneumonia Patient with ‘ Heart* Trouble ** appeared in January. Before his entrance into military service, the author practiced medicine and neuro psychiatry in Texas. He is a graduate of Harvard Medical School and an earnest Christian .—FDITOR.
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