Evening journal., 1918-10-11

Fear Is the most prolific source OF all
svil. OF course II fear were understood
IA its full metaphysical significance, IL
would be understood to be the provok-
Ing cause Of all evil Of every sort. But
tven from the ordinary point OF view
pf the world, fear, when IL cohlinuni.
Rates itself to numbers, is capaDle OF
lansing greater disaster than any olIler
hhase of the human consciousness. me
bagan philosopher realized that there
was such a thing as the fear Of fear, IN
ather words. as they stated IL, the rear
~ death was worse than death itself.
lenturies later Shakespeare appropri-
Ted the idea. and put precisely the
,anoe sentiment into the mouth Of lsa-
hella in Measure for Measure, ana
indeed. anyone who knows anythlhs a'
all of history knows how disease Wa
spread upon the wings OF rear IN t,le
case of that awful visitation OF uie
Fourteenth Century known as tne blaos
Death. and again when pestilence OF
n similar nature swept London III ule
seventeenth Century.
Some day The world viii come 10 SCI
that what It calls contagion IS neiitai
.contagion. and that what It calls lniec-
tton IS the Infection OF one mlno from
sno,her. orthodox medical practice To-
aav largely recognizes this, but u draws
back from the logical consequences OF
ne own admission, and endeavors 10
sno,ter itself In a halfwayhouse, when
Is huiN partially out Of mind ana par
.iaiiv ont of matter. Any person VINO
hss watched the ravages OF such a dis
aase 40 cholera in the East must know
oxactiv what this means. The European
sahib. going about doing his duty, ana
oulte fearless Of consequences, moves
through the cholera camps win per.
feet Immunity from the disease. Due
The native. stricken by this disease, lies
down almost where he is overcome Dy
a whether In his house or by the ROAD.
side convinced. in the suddenness OF
the shock and the confusion OF MS rear
shat Inc moment has come from when
a is useless for him 20 attempt to es-
cape. 1t, chs
nus that the ssnest treatment Is 70 uu
everything possible TO destroy lear;
Fear in a Christian community shoulu
no self-condemned. Some nineteen CEN
nries OF reading the Johannine eplsties
should surely have effected TINS II
rhristendom Is understanding what u
reads Tt is little to the point TO say
ihat fear IS uncomfortable, for any per
ron who has ever had anything TO do
with causes which produce fear knows
that this is not the case. Probably
every man who has made the sea MS
nrofession has been through periods OF
foar which he has had 20 overcome IN
nrdnr 10 gain that Eereneness IN dan
vor without which he would be ma
h,iltv instead OF an asset on board MS |
shin Practically every man who mas |
over heen into action on land can tel |
vou something OF the slckening sensa-
i,ons Of the first experience OF Dattle.
Rut "a time goes on the veteran rises
unerior TO the fears Of the recruit, ana |
aailv takes his life IN his hands, win al
calmneas which shows that ne mas
harned something at any rate OF the
seminlon over fear. Il Is surely oDVi-
mis- then that in an hour OF great rear
when the prevailing tone Of the human
mind In the midst Of the conflict OF
krmareddop. finds expression In an cpl
sernic that a Christian country should
rather resort 10 iboN oheA NA~N
sself of its fears. than close their doors
40 as 10 sound the top note OF human
agony In a belief that Gods hand Is so
that Il cannot save.
let any person who has been brought
in contact with the conditions OF today
ask himself frankly whether II Is not
fear which is playing such fearful
havoc In the world Everywhere men
and women are afraid Afraid In the
areas OF war Of a storm blast that may
Al any moment strike over them; atrel1
within the orbit Of the air squadrons OF
he sound OF the terrible engines whir-
ling IN the darkness overhead, ana OF
hearing the bombs explode all round
Rows sleep fearfuly in the trenches,
waiting for the summons In the gray
to go over the top, and men
and women sleeping IN towns and VII
lagos. miles and thousands OF miles
away fearful Of what in that very mo-
ment may be happening to. those whom
they love: men and women at sea,
waiting as II were for the explosion OF
torpedoes; or even men and women in
immediate physical safety, wondering /
what effect the war is going to have on
4heir incomes and their lives. A great /