Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1918-02-27

l
! Of European militarism. When Amer
lea went in, my perspective narrowed
to my feet. was in trouble keep
| ing up with Mr.. Wilson, who had
been my prophet. My government
had involved me in what my cons
cience hated. Immediately con-
sented to the greatest temptation Of
, Christians. tried to translate mill
tary philosophy out OF the words of
Jesus, and actually sought to recon-
cile peace on earth and good will
among men, to strife on earth and
hate among men. If that could be
done 1t would greatly relieve me-
But could not do it. 1t was abund-
antly obvious that modern war, in it's
very nature, Is antagonistic to the
spirit Of New Testament Christianity.
The precarious texts on which some
Of my friends were hanging "the
sword Of Jesus" were for, me pulled
down instantly by the overweight of
the whole New Testament bias. When
| l saw red-hot appeals to the words Of
Jesus, Buy a sword, buy a sword"
1t impressed me as painfully as If
they had said in the name of the Holy
Spirit, Johnnie, get your gun, get
your gum" All my effort to con-
strue the New Testament into line
with war left me cold.
And yet something as deep as my
soul rebuked me. Out of my depths
/ could hear an imperious righteous
ness crying passionately against the
German peril. The cynical contempt
for treaty obligations, the savagcry
in Belgium, the fiendishness in
| Armenia, the brutalities in France
the ruthlessness on the seas, the CON
sDiracies in America, the pan-German
schemes of worldpower-these were
haunting facts heading up solidly as
the German fact, and they pleaded
with my conscience necessarily. The
visible and larger collisions Of the
war became centered in my heart and
tore me- I was at war within my
self-thought war, felt war, even
when | loved peace and abhorred
bloodshed. ! was at strife when
longed for brotherhood. My soul was
divided, suspended between two vio-
lent, invisible debaters, botN seeming
to speak with authority from the
throne Of God. I continued in this
unhappy frame for weeks.
Light Comes.
The first intimation to my con-
science Of some extraordinary signifi-
canoe Of this war, which might not
justify me in applying to it strictly
as I was doing, the usual standards
Of Judgment against war, came to me
as I>read and re~read President Will
| sons Arlington address. 1t impress
ed me intensely-more, in fact, than
either Of his other addresses, which
have confirmed the original sugges-
ton. He seemed to see something
very big and vastly sinister-big
enough to challenge the whole world,
and sinister enough to curse it. The
Bryce report came on, and other con-
vincing proofs Of the inhuman, unna-
tural character OF GermanX's spirit.
Then the malign Godlessness Of the
immoral German philosophers. Nett
schke, Triestchke and Bernardo, as
sumed logical, creative relation to
what Germany was doing and set to
| do. I began to have the sense Of a
weird and devilish presence let loose
in the earth, the forebodings of a
monster at hand. This conviction
deepened and held fast. Infinite
moral interests were surely at stake
in this conflict. I visualized war ris-
ing from dark. Empire Of Evil
| darker than Germany, through which
| It was venting itself upon mankind.
"The rulers Of the darkness Of this
world" took more 'figurative shape.
''The day"---der tog- to which Ger
man officers had for years drunk
toasts became the DEVILS Day. Now
it had come. Every welfare Of souls,
born and unborn for centuries, stood
| in jeopardy. This conclusion dawned
to the relief Of all my perplexities.
| Whatever was true OF other wars,
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