The Raymer enterprise., 1918-11-14

tain Occupauones
~ for instance that
Of slaughtering
animals In the stock yards. are. not
permitted to serve On juries. It ia
reasoned that the constant sight Of
blood blunts their sensibilities so that
they would not be slow to doom a fel.
low man to death on slight evidence.
It must be admitted that the terri.
ble business Of warfare develops In
some men the spirit Of cruelty and
brutality.
II II claimed, also. that the life Of
the soldier cannot but result IN the
lowering Of his morals, and that It
will almost certainly utterly destroy
anything like religious principles.
Doubtless some will come back more
immoral than they went away, and
some who went away moral win come
back immoral. We believe. neverthe-
less, that there is no necessary peril
In the occupation Of q soldier. when
the issues Of the war In which his
country Is engaged are righteous and
Just. Indeed. we believe the contrary
result viii be far more likely.
Take Bible soldiers. those that be.
longed to Israel, Gods people. There
was Joshua. a redoubtable soldier. q
great commander-in-chief Of the mill.
tnry establishment Of Israel In the
Gays Of Moses. He was a great fight
er. but could say. "As for me and my
house. we will serve the Lord" eide
on did not disdain to fight manfully
against his enemy. and he was one
whose sword was welded as with the
sword Of the Lord There was David.
the greatest fighter of his day. fight.
ing from a mere boy to his old age.
yet David was a man after Gods own
heart, and wrote. The Lord IL my
Shepherd. I shall not want" "Who
have ! in heaven but thee, and there il
none on earth that I desire beside
thee"
Coming to New Testament times we
find several soldiers mentioned. an Of
the Roman or pagan army. Centuri-
ons gre mentioned several times. and
IN every case with commendation. One
centurion was a faithful friend Of
Paul on his journey to Rome. Anoth-
er went to Jesus and besought him to
come and save his child. he was .
nobleman, and had built a synagogue
for the Jews; and Jesus said his faith
was greater than any he had found
In Israel. Another centurion said Of
Christ on the cross. Truly this was
the Son Of God" Cornelius was 4 cen
turion, u Just man who feared God"
aud q man Of prayer. II II also NJ
corded that the had q servant q de,
voted soldier. probably an ignorant
barbarian, but one whom the Spirit
of God had touched. And 1t IL to BE-
remembered that In those days battles
were hand-to-hand and usually result.
ed In the death Of the defeated party.
All through the centuries many great
soldiers have been great Christians: !:
end unquestionably q large number Of
ofiicers and men In the present war
ore also decided Christians.
Never were soldiers Of any army 20
guarded - to morals and religion.
The Young Mems and Young Women's
Christian associations. the Salvation
Army, the church organizations. the
camp pastors and chaplains. with hun
creds Of ministers visiting the camps
are giving splendid service in this d..
rection.
The government Of the United States
has made provision for the protection
Of the camps at home and abroad
from immoral influences to a. extent
never before attempted, and never be-
tore were the prayers Of Christian peo-
pie 20 earnestly offered for the col.
diers a. now. Many men are being
prayed for who were never prayed for
before, and many are hearing the gos-
pei In the camps who never heard It
before.
With these considerations and 9TH
err that might be set forth. II b our
belief that men VIII return more chiv.
alrouA gentle. moral and religious
than when they went away. They win
come hack to Be leaders IN our
churches and IN an kinds Of religious
service Ike the soldiers who came
hack after the Civi1 war. both In the
North and In the South. b b Tie
leaders IN the churches.