Over Here: Mobilizing the Homefront
“The Episcopal High School of Virginia is ready and waiting. America, our hearts and souls are already wholly yours; it is but left for you to call and our bodies are yours, to fight, to live, to die--for the right.” -- the Chronicle, republished on the Baltimore Sun, June 8, 1917
When the U.S. entered the war, like other schools across the country, Episcopal mobilized its students for the war effort at the homefront and spread patriotic messages. Yet, since Episcopal operated as a private school, it distinguished itself from other public schools as well. Namely, Wilson’s national propaganda organizations like Committee on Public Information or the National School Service could not directly pressure the students. Yet, the Administration still had great success in mobilizing for war.
Red Cross Meeting
On May 13th, 1918, the Fairfax Co. Red Cross fundraising event was held at Episcopal, and over a thousand dollars was raised. Congressman and Ex-Governor A. J. Montague, Major Miller of the British Embassy, and Hon. Walton Moore, who led the Red Cross in Fairfax, attended the event and gave patriotic speeches. Moore stressed that the war was about “[overcoming] German autocracy and tyranny,” telling the Episcopal students that “high school boys” would play an important role in this country and they should continue to commit their “fixed duty” to America. Major Miller, who partook in the famed Battle of Vimy Ridge, discussed the importance of Red Cross in keeping the Army’s morale.
Interestingly, in addition to these guests, Major Ransom, a Confederate Veteran, was invited; he sat on the platform with Head of Hoxton. The use of Confederate symbol was critical to mobilize the South for the war. Considering that American South was the most agrarian and isolated region of the country at the time, it was difficult for the U.S. government to convince Southerners to join the war effort. Confederate symbol was used repeatedly to appeal to the Southerners, especially the urban and middle-class ones. Wilson himself, in fact, used it to rally support when he praised the past chivalry of the South before a convention of Confederate veterans on Registration Day. Episcopal implemented the same method here, by juxtaposing the Civil War veteran with the ongoing war.
“Rituals” of Patriotism
To the school, fundraising event served not only as a way to support the war effort, but also a ritual to educate the students of patriotic causes. These activities took place often and subtly throughout the year. For instance, in 1917, the declamations at the finals contest before graduation were “The American Flag” and “England to America,” emphasizing patriotism and anglophilia.
Letters of the Great War
The patriotic sentiment was not confined to the school activities. As shown in the article published on the Baltimore Sun, the student publications continued to express patriotic sentiments. Regularly, the Chronicle would publish updates on the Episcopal alumni oversea and dedicate pages to those who had fallen. The stories about Episcopal alumni helped the students connect their experience at school with the battles in Europe. A poem named “To Our Boys in Service” was published in Whisper, glorifying the Episcopal alumni in service.
Due to the limits of technology, the easiest way for alumni and friends of the community to directly connect with the student body was letter. Headmaster Hoxton and the Episcopal faculty often read these letters to the students at bible classes or meetings to bridge the communication gap. For instance, on December 29th, 1917, Hoxton read to students two letters. One of them was from Patrick Henry Callaway, the teacher that the current Callaway Chapel is named after. Callaway started teaching at Episcopal in 1916, before enlisting in the military for the war. In the letter, Callaway told the student that he was optimistic about the war efforts, but he hoped that the students would write to him more often. The second letter came from Arthur Kinsolving, an alumnus who graduated four years ago. An ambulance driver, Kinsolving discussed the difficulty he encountered to stay in service since he failed to pass the physical examination on account of his eyes. Fortunately, he “succeeded in getting an interview with the corps commander who turned out to be an old High School boy” and secured the position. Arthur Kinsolving also mentioned the work of his brother, another alumnus, in the aviation corps.
Letters from the friends of the community were also read to help students understand the war. On March 24th, 1918, Headmaster Hoxton read a copy of a letter published earlier in a Richmond newspaper, from Bishop A. B. Kinsolving of Brazil. Bishop Kinsolving had traveled to France earlier, and the letter discussed the diminishing German morale that Bishop Kinsolving had observed. On the same day, Dr. Rollins read a letter from Dr. Bell of the Seminary, who had gone to France to become a war-time chaplain. Since the school contributed to part of his funds for the trip, the students were eager to hear his story.
Occasionally, the Chronicle would also publish letters from the alumni, one of which could be found in the November issue of the Chronicle in 1918. The author, Lt. W. B. Pierce of the First Marine Aviation Force, talked about his experience as a pilot in Europe, and how his excitement was similar to that of “priming up before the Woodberry game.” Again, minor details like this helped raise the awareness of the student body to the present war. The Chronicle also managed to publish a war letter from Josiah R. Ellis Jr., an Episcopal alumnus who served in the military police unit of the 42nd “Rainbow” Division. Ellis originally wrote this letter to his mother, who then sent it to Richmond News-Leader and the Chronicle. In his letter, Ellis described his excitement of arriving in France and receiving his own war horse. He also wrote about his experience of having to walk from the hospital to his unit, seeing the French colonial soldiers, and enjoying recreations at the camp.
Entertainments
During the Great War, many entertainment services throughout the United States had to be altered or terminated to make way for the war efforts, and student life at Episcopal was no exception to this change.
For starters, war songs became a popular form of music. According to the Chronicle, in the previously mentioned Red Cross Fundraising meeting, the choir, under the leadership of A. K. Davis, “sang some stirring war songs with great emotion and quantity.” War songs were added to performances as well. In January, 1918, the school enjoyed a music performance from Winston Wilkinson of Lynchburg. In addition to the repertoire of classical music, Wilkinson played a selection of war songs as well, which the students sang together.
In addition, the student proms--a school tradition--received challenges and criticism. The Chronicle mentioned that there was a strong opposition to the Fall dance that took place on November 24th, 1917--the first of the school year. The students against the prom stated that an event like this was inappropriate in the time of war. In the end, the dance did take place, and students decided to donate to proceeds of the dance to the Red Cross. The same decision was made for the proms ensuing the Fall dance.
Food Conservation
To manage the Allies food reserves, the Federal Government created the U.S. Food Administration. Across from entire country, from households to restaurants, the USFA created events such as “Meatless Monday” to promote food conservation. Following such spirit, on October 7th, 1917, Episcopal invited Henry Oldys to talk about the significance of food conservation. Oldys served as an assistant to Herbert Hoover, future American President and the director of the USFA during the war. Oldys went on to explain ways of conserving food, some of which were counterintuitive, such as “urging those who could afford it to use fancy food instead of simple dishes.”
YMCA
Similar to the Red Cross, the YMCA played a significant role in the Great War, by providing religious services to soldiers at the frontline, distributing supplies to POWs, mobilizing entertainers oversea to perform for troops, and offering other humanitarian aids. During the war, Episcopal also attempted to educate the students on the accomplishment of YMCA and support its endeavor. On October 22nd, 1917, Mr. Reese, a Seminary student, came to talk about the work he has done with the YMCA following the British troops in Afghanistan and Mesopotamia. According to the Chronicle, Reese was attached to a brigade from London and given the rank of captain; his experience in the Middle East, from the Suez Canal to Aden, Yemen, not only briefed the students on the war in an unfamiliar region, but also informed them on the necessity of YMCA in the global conflicts. Two more speakers would visit on behalf of the YMCA in the following month. First, Mr. Wilson, who led the YMCA in University of Virginia, talked about the importance of YMCA, both religiously and socially. Emphasizing on what YMCA has done for the soldiers, Wilson stated that “amusements of all kinds were provided for [the troops], athletic games, moving pictures, well-known lecturers and musicians giving performances in their hut.” He concluded by requesting the students to aid the YMCA at the earliest convenience. Lastly, invited by the Missionary Society, on November 11th, 1917, Dr. Paul Micou addressed the Society and later the whole school on the work of YMCA in the Army, and asked the students for “liberal contribution” to the YMCA to reach its one billion dollar fund objective; the Missionary Society collected the donations during the Study Hall that ensued the talk in chapel.
Summer
The duty to serve one’s country on the homefront did not end with the break. In the April issue of the Chronicle, an editorial titled “the summer” asserted that the summer of 1917 would be critical to the war efforts. The author argued that while President Wilson had already issued a call to all boys between the ages of 16 and 19 to work on farms over the summer to help feed the troops, Episcopal students could contribute in different ways as well, such as working at a shipyard or a camp. Again, the editorial revealed how the socioeconomic background of the Episcopal students changed the way they participated in the war.
