Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1915-01-29
TOO OLD FOR War;
SEES BROOD DIE
His Sons Fail; His Daughters
Become Widowed; His Home
Is Destroyed by Shells.

pass away in contemplation and inac
tion, while to others come glory, hero
ism and sacrifice.
Through the war of 1870 he lost hi.
father perhaps, his home, certainly the
money and fortunes OF his family, sc
| that his education was more or less
neglected. He grew up in penury an6
sorrow-the sorrow that comes from
defeat
He has reared a small family and by
careful work and industry has amass
ed a little something for the soon
drawing-on winter OF his life Now
that little family is gone. the boys are
dying on the battlefield. his married
daughters are coming home TO him wild,
ows. with little children at their knees.
Perhaps he himself had a home in a
part of France devastated by the war,
so that even the stronghold has gone
now
Little-to-be-envied man of so! Con-
scious always OF his uselessness. For
he really is not strong. HIS has not
had the physic i training, the open out
of-door exercise of the Anglo-Saxons.
And oven though he has the heart of
to defend his country he is not allow
ed TO go-he would only be so much
waste material at the front
So he must sit at home and wait for
news of his children. And the bail
which passes through a soldiers heart
does not kill him alone; ii ricochets
and wounds mortally men and women
without number. II is not only on the
battlefield that are counted the vic
Tins of war.
And because of his inaction, his in
ability to help his country or his sons,
h, is once more falling back on the
faith of his fathers. He is imploring a
greater power TO help him.
It is an odd but interesting psyche
logical fact that the men and women
in the cities are daily becoming more
religious. and the men on the field are
daily losing the small amount of faith
they had.
OF course. for several years religion
in France has been becoming more
and more a merely formal and extern
al thing l have never met so many
atheists and free thinkers in my life
as here in Paris. And this movement
has been fostered by the socialist
party. which is out and out anti-cler-
ical.
Perhaps you will say "anti-clerical"
does not mean atheism" or 'agnostic-
ISM But in this case. whatever the
meaning is. the results are the same,
and in proportion with the growth of
socialism has come the throwing off
Of the church and all forms of religion.
However. with this war. men and
who have perhaps been to
church only once or twice a year, and
then only for the music, have begun
TO go again. You cannot enter
church any time of the day in Paris
now without finding many worshipers
Sneeling lonely in the scattered chap
els, by different affairs, praying in that
cold, dark, sanctuary for the warmth
IF assurance, for the light of faith
And in the trenches it is the other
way. was talking to captain of the
erritor;als this week, and also to a |
major of a French regiment and be- |
,ause the subject interested lie / ask |
ID them both about il. The English |
nan of course vas loath TO talk about |
[. Sentiment or religion did not
seem exactly decent" things for him
o talk about.
Its just the same as ever" he as
lred me. I'VE have our chaplain and
We have services and the men all sing,
lou know. and join in"
Il know all that" | said. but do the
men feel religious? How do you feel
ourseif?''
He looked little panied. Such per-
onal revival meeting style of talk
idn't please him at all. THE hymns
re jolly" he repeated, but / fancy
that you mean is If ! think of God and
cath and all that sort of thing when
go out to fight?"
l nodded.
81 say. that's a question to ask
ian. but, really. I don't know th;t
yer have. Mostly. I'm thinking about
eating the enemy"
My French major was more at his
ase in discussing the state of his soul
nd his relations with lie bon Dieu." {
There is so much death. so much {
ain, so much slaughter that it is i'm /
ossible to believe in religion out !
lere," he said frankly. Even those {
en- and boys who have been fairly '
.ithful attendants of the Catholic c
,urch from childhood no longer think 7
prayers or God. II is beyond the I
,ssible Imagination of a man to think h
; lie bon Dieu listening or paying '
~ attention to the hundreds of thou S
Inds OF men who stand in danger of
imminent death. q
"A man grows to rely on only him Il
III and his rife and to think that
cath is complete humiliation. What n
Sc could one Think" he asked me e
IMPLY. when one sees two or three d
ousand men wiped out in charge?
o man is afraid to die II is the I'M d
.customed one is afraid of. and @
.ath is only too common there -
But I have never heard one Of my
en- or any wounded man have help
the field call on God for cour- Il
,e. They may ask you to open their Il
,cketbook5 that they may die look Il
~ AT some loved ones face and I o.