Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-09-27

first-hand observers of the attitude
of the soldiers toward religion is
that a surprisingly. large proportion
of the men confounded religion with
a few picayune, man-made rules
which really have nothing to do win
religion. over and over again, as 1
rode with Canadian and British SOL
diers on top OF LoRdon busses, or sat
with them in restaurants and Y. NJ.
C. A. huts and elsewhere; and as L
talked with American boys IN
France, from fair Brittany clear up
to the devastated regions OF the
trenches. 1 ran across this preVa-
lent notion that being religious
means abstinence from tobacco,
cards, dancing and theater-golnS
Splendid. reverent fellows, VINO nave
entered into the very fellowship OF
the cross, say apolosetically that
they are not religious, you know
though they have given their very
lives to God. and have come TO
vital knowledge of the Saviour.
They are mot religious" because
forsooth, they play cards in the
trenches and gto to the theater II
they get a chance, and smoke cigar
cts. In their sublimely uncon-
scious nobility of soul, they do not
llldI lllS ~ OoSASt~ 'ANN
deacons and elders and stewards who
used to talk so complacently about
doubtful amusements," are now sit
ting at the feet of our soldiers to be
taught what they have learned about
the reality of religion, as they have
faced death in France. We are
through with our petty efforts TO
compress the great and glorious Cos
pei of the Son of God into Few ar
bitrary prohibitions concerning social
usages. Religion is more than a
matter of hooks and eyes or fashion
in dress or rules affecting non-esson-
tials of conduct A Christian is IN
fnitely more than a person who does
not do certain specified things. Is
il too much to hope that this war
has delivered us from the oonoaSe
of man-made sinS-none OF WhlCH
can be so great as the sin or lead
ing myriads OF young people 10 pc
lieve that Christianity is merely an
austere set of trifiing regulations:
AS Soldiers See Christianity
We have come to the enalhs ol
the third quarter of the years Inter
national Sunday School Lessons,
wherein we have been assigned
weekly Studies in the Christian
Life" the first strictly topical course
offered by the Lew Lesson Comrhit-
tee. AS a Review Lesson for the
present week the twenty mllllohS
of Sunday School members are 10
consider What it Means TO be 4
Christian" Perhaps l shall be most
helpful if I confine my treatment Oh
the theme to an effort to snow tnaI
il means TO the soldiers to be Chris
tians There are no essential diff
ferences between them and the rest
of us. Only they have cast on, Win
their civilian garb, many OF the Tor.
ner restraints and conventions OF
their thinking. In the unchurchly
atmosphere of a masculine worla
they have learned how TO discard
incidentals, ard to hold in new pro-
portion the central and unchanS!ng
integrities. ,.,..-,-
First, for some things the soldiers S
: faith is not. 1t is not pious phras-
eology: the army puts the TABOO on
the language of Canaan" Nor is
1t a spirit of superiority; pharisalsm
has suffered a heavy mortality IN TINS
war. Priggishness and prudishness,
posing ana pretending, quickly per-
ish in the army. There is no good
ness" or paraded self-righteousness,
tolerated. Soldiers do not let cher
religion withdraw them from COM
Iadeship with their fellows. Their
faith is not so anemic that II can
not stand the blasts of the open all
and of real life. AS already indi.
Gated, it is not a matter of detailed
rules and regulations. Where the
Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty
is one of the New Testament words
upon which the religion of the mer
in the trenches is a continuous COM
mentary.
Positively, trench religion j:
faith in God. a great God, supreme
and intelligent in His present doings
but past finding out in all His ways
There is no unbelief among the sol.
diers. Men facing death have nc
time for cheap cynicism and pride
full atheism. Soldiers believe in God
whose other name is love. There is
new, strange, deep reverence
among the troops. One may Ent
more religious cock-sureness con.
cer-ning Gods ways with man IN q
single summer conference in this
country than in all the armies oi
France. 1t seems as if the soldier:
believe, without attempting to under.
stand. They freely disregard mucE
conventional teaching.
A Soldiers Rough Rhymes
A British Chaplain. who has wor
the military cross, Rev. G. A. Stud
uGII NOADSOss has "IlllGn d lllllN
book of poems, Rough Rhymes of Z
Padre" which comes nearer to ex,
pressing the soldiers religion tha.
many a pretentious tome. Here are
revealing fragments from one Tom.
my's soliloqUy:
"Our Padre were a solemn bloke,
We called i'm dismal jim,
1t fairly gave ye t'bloomin' creeps
To sit and ark at i'm,
When he were on wi judgment
Day,
Abaht that great white Throne,
And 'ow each chap would ave tt
stand,
And answer on is own.
And If e tried to charnce is arm,
And 'ide O single sin,
There'd be the angel Gabriel,
WI books to di i'm in.
e at it all writ dahn, e said,
And nothin' could be i'd,
e 'ad it all-in black and white,
And e would take no kid.
And every single idle word,
A soldier charnced to say,
ED ave it all thrown back at i'm,
/ court on Judgment Day"
By way OF illustration, the soldier
tells the tale of Billy Briggs, whC