Trench and camp. [volume] (Augusta, Ga.) 1917-1919, 1918-01-16
What Will You Do In a Crisis?
JOHN RAY EWERS

A man may set to the place where he
can predict with q certain degree of aC-
curacy precisely what he viii do in
given crisis. A gentleman of my ac
quaintance suddenly woke uD to face
burglar in his house ana his reaction
was exactly that which he before de-
termined upon. Here is a true story of
Western bank robbery. In a bank in
small Minnesota town the president of the
institution sat reading the morning paper
while his only cashier was preparing to
open for the day. Look here, Jim he
called, what do you think of this?'
And then he read the story of bold
robbery in an adjoining town. 1t seemed
that the robbers had quietly ridden up 20
the bank at high noon, when the little
burg was sleepily spending it's noon hour.
Two men sat on horses outside the bank.
While two others entered and flashing
guns at the cashier demanded that the
safes be opened In a panic The cashier
did as he was told with the result that
the robbers hastily put the money into
sacks and easily made q good getaway.
Nothing had been heard from them since.
The posse, slowly organized, had failed to
get q clue.
Turning to his cashier the president
said, Jim, what would you do in case
like that?'
Il don't really know, sir, was the hon
est reply
The resilient went away and thought
al. more about it. but Jim while receY-
ing the small de- osits of the hard-Work
ing men and women of the little town,
made up his mind (What an expression
that is, TO make up your mind'O Weeks
went drowsily by in the frontier village
and even Jim had forgotten ." 2hout his
conversation with the owner bank,
when suddenly one noOntim - light
ming out Of a blue sky, the robbers
in the same way entered his bank and
thrust their revolVers through the cash
ier's window at him. demanding instantly,
upon the penalty of his life, the opening
of the vaults with their treasures. There
was no time to think. jim did, in the
crisis what he had once made up his
mind he would do. He fatty refused.
The robbers did not argue they shot and
Jim fell to the floor, apparently dead.
But the shots alarmed the town and
there was only time to grab coin on the
counter and hastily ride away amid a hail
of bullets fired by the towns people. The
vaults weer unmolested; the slowly ac-
, cumulated fortunes of the poor people
were safe That Jim recovered is no es-
sential part of his real story, save that
one likes to have the hero come off well;
the point of the narrative is that Jim did
in a crisis precisely what he had MADE
/ up his mind he would do
You have said to y2%rself regarding
some temptation, Just wait until ! get a
good Chance-then watch me-or rather
doS't watch me" 1t may be regarding
any temptation to which you are sub
iect-gambIng, laziness, drinking, lust or
any other temptation-you Will do when
all of a sudde nthe temptation presents
In this way you may foreteil your future
action.
In that splendid little book entitled,
Friend or Enemy by DIR. EXner, the
great sex expert is a striking story con-
firming the position of this article. An
engineer upon q fast passenger train
suddenly swept around q curve to see
that d freight had buckled throwing two
cars over on his track. There seemed to
be no time to think-to stop was impos
sibIe-What did he do? There We're ten
coaches behind him filled with men, wo
men and children-all of those lives hung
fireman to duck low, While he pulled the
throttle wide open The engine leaped
ahead-Smashed the two freight cars into
Splinters-daShed the obstacles aside
stopped fun half mile beyond-all on
board were safe and sound. When asked
afterward how he decided so quickly and
so accurately what to do he replied, -
made up my mind on that ten years ago"
This camp is full of young men being
carefully trained to go overseas and figa
the Germans Every care is being taken
to prepare them for every emergency.
They are being taught how to use bay
onets; how to throw hand bombs how to
dig trenches. how to protect themselves
in every way. Would it not be the part
of wisdom TO teach these same choice
and valuable young men, upon whom
America and the world depends, how to
protect themselves from the vicious temp
their arrival abroad? This is the value
of hitching your wagon to a star, of
having high ideals, of committing chat is
the world of committing yourself to Gods
way. This is the point at which religion