Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-08-23
FLYING THE LOYALTY FLAG
By WILLIAM T. ELLIS
Loyalty first!

Loyalty first!
a That is the imperative word of tn
nation. Disloyalty is dishonor, blacl
and complete. There is no room il
this land for divided allegiance. l
a persons loyalty be even suspected
he is forced to fly the flag of fealty
AS the war goes on, the conviction
has grown in the common mind tina
any failure in full fidelity is simpl,
intolerable. Pro-Germanism. pacif
ism, "internationalism" are no long
er permitted in any degree.
LIES great lesson of loyalty is be
ing taught afresh to the world. Al
the trimmers and truckers and dill
1ettantes are forced to take posi-
ton. squarely and openly. The men
tai laziness and indecision which
masquerade as superior culture have
been rudely jolted into a knowledg'
of the eternal truth that a hallmarl
of every genuine character is loyalty
The man who does not experience
the passion of faithfulness to
friend, a conviction or cause is ar
outcast. The war has taught us tc
fly our flags.
eff YOU have a friend worth loving
Love him, yes. and let him know
That you love him, ere life's even
ing
Tinges his brow with sunset glow.
Why should good words ne'er be said
OF a friend-till he is dead?
'If you hear a song that thrills you
Sung by any child of song.
Praise it. Do not let the singer
Wait deserved praises long.
Why should one who thrills your
heart
Lack the joy you may impart?
"If YOUR work is made more easy
BY a friendly helping hand,
Say so. Speak out brave and truly,
Ere the darkness veil the land.
Should a brother workman dear
Falter for a word of cheer?
An Old Poets Wise Word
The sort of mind that squirms un-
der the necessity of coming TO an
open decision finds these hard times
to be alive. The spirit of the world
war has taught us that we cannot be
neutral when moral issues are con-
cerned.
Neutral nations, even as was true
of America before she entered the
war have profted in worldly wealth
by their position. but they have SUI
fered spiritual and moral deteriora
ton. When a great Cause comes
forth with its challenge, all noole
souls are bound to align themselves
on one side or the other Loyalty is
the touchstone of character.
An ancient Hebrew poet summed
up the cases. as respects religion, IN
the terse eXhortation, Let the re-
deemed of the Lord say So"
That is an adequate program for
the growth of the kingdom of God
"Say so,"-and by that testimony
the number of witnesses Will con-
tinue to increase in geometric ratio.
Never mind about preaching an
elaborate system of theology. or pro-
noting an intricate ecclesiastical or
ganization; simply Say so,' If you
are a friend Of Christ. Thus His
crowd will grow and grow, until the
last man on earth has entered this
fellowship There is no other method
II nropa ganda to equal the simple
Testimony of those who know what
they are talking about.
Hard Times For the PhariSees
Something like bitterness marks
the attitude of men in the army
against anything savorinS of pnarl-
saism. They are as fierce as Jesus
himself against paraded .self-right-
ogusness. Pisty that poses as super
ior to others meets with scant court
esv from soldiers. Goodness gets
rough treatment Hosts of self
conscious Christian boys have been
cured of priggishness in camp. They
have had TO learn, in a rather severe
school that there is all the differ
ence in the world between pose OF
r:ety. painfully aware of its own re-
ligiousnesS, and a simple, modest
genuine faith that is a thing of the
heart and of the conduct. They have
been taught that Christian testimony
which is not tactful, and respectful
to the other mans personality, IS
really odious.
Saying So" among the friends OF
Christ in the army. is not a matte!
of sanctim onious phraseology. 1t is
rather sunny ,imperturbable ad-
herenCe to Christian standards and
a display of the Christ-spirit in
everyday life. The three cardinal
sins, in the eyes of the soldiers, have
been listed as % cowardice, 90
selhshness. CD self-Conceit. These
things are the antithesis of the gen
ius of Jesus; and a Christian may
SAY So by his bravery, his helpful
ress, his modesty and his comrade-
ship.
This is the special light that the
war throws on the lesson. 1t is not
new, for Jesus indicated it in His
tremendous phillippics against phar-
l!dlSm, which Is but selt-rlghteous-
ness Anybody who is going to ad-
Vertise the Christian religion nova
days has got to put the soft peda,
on himself. Likewise, he must be
considerate of the rights and beliefs
of the other man. Consciousness is
not saintliness: on the contrary
Jesus is advertised by His loving
friends-loving towards others, as
well as towards Him.
Tripped by the Tongues
Sages of all times have dwelt upon
the power of the tongue for evil and
for good. A few days ago l was
confronted at Atlantic City with an
opinion which I had expressed in San
Francisco a dozen years ago. Those
few idle words had been treasured
by friend as my creed upon a vital
public matter: though they are al
variance with my lifelong convic-
ton. Either he had misconstrue ed
my words, or I had been careless and
susceptible of misunderstanding in
my utterance. No special harm had
been done; but it was startling tc
realize, in this concrete fashion. the
power of a chance flung sentence.
d" The boneless tongue, so small and
weak,
Can crush and kill declares the
Greek.
1.-The tongue destroys a greater
horde