The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1918-04-23
THE PACIFIST AS A WAR WORKER
By Minnie Boyer Davis of the
Vigilantes.

Some were pacifsts before the war.
Some of these have changed while
others-weu, for instance, my friend
or rather my former friend, Miss r.
She never did believe in war. When
Belgium was invaded, and the Hun
ferociously bayoneted babies and vio-
lated little girls she still refused to
believe in war. To some of us war
seemed the most horribly apparent
fact in the world but still she did not
believe in it. She was pacifist; and
a pacifist, as near as / can tell, seems
to be one who has resolved to ignore
war as long as the war does not hurt
them She had been for years, and
is still, State employee, and at times
she has been social worker, one of
those well-meaning persons who be-
lieve that one part of society is quail
flied to reach down and lead by the
hand certain more unlucky parts of
society to show them the way they
should go.
Up to the last minute of the last
hour before the war vote was taken
my former friend maintained that we
bad no cause for war and there was
no possibility that we would ever be
in the war. Just what went on in her
mind when we took up our stern task
of checking the advance of the Hun
cannot guess and she has never told.
wondered if she would stick to her
principles and fight for them. J no
ticed that she bought bonds and sub
scribed to the Red Cross. She may
have been one of those who would
give to the Red Cross because in do
ling so she was not helping the war
Other pacifists have said as much, but
even their tainted" money will help
Later I learned that my former friend
had gone to Washington, spending her
vacation as a clerical helper ir Red
Cross headquarters. Then ! believed
that she had been regenerated and
was no longer a pacifst We had been
Pretty still about the time war was
declared owing to our different views
but | now felt free to write and tel!
her to find place for me to work
also. Her reply amazed me- She
wrote that Washington was toe
crowded a place to live and that she
was quite tired of it. It really took
hours to get anywhere Living was
too high to save any money She had
written all the expert stenographere
who had applied to her for advice
that they should keep their jobs in
Nebraska. That, indeed, the most pa.
triotic thing that Nebraskans could dc
Twas to stay in Nebraska even though
the government was "just crying for
stenographers" She was coming bach
to raise garden and a pig and that
was the best thing for all of us to do
And at this time the entire country
was placarded with advertisements
begging women who were competent
to apply at once to the civil service
commission and urging others to be-
gin to study as the clerical force OF
the country was not sufficient to at.
tend to war work,
| thought of the 10000 men already
enlisted from Nebraska and of the
many more who would go and | wrote
to Miss B. and demonstrated with hei
for throwing wrench in the ma
chinery. | made Investigations as tC
the cost of living and conditions and
found nothing to deter workers who
were willing to put up with some in
convenience for the sake of necessity
In reply l received such torrent OF
abuse and accusation that caused me
to understand that a pacifist will fight
and fight in a mighty nasty way il
crossed in anything. My pacifst &C.
lQuaintance has now returned to hel
Estate job. Her war service consisted
in keeping a number of very efficient
workers away from Washington, AM
they in turn no doubt kept Others
laway. The council of Of
fense"-she applied to me. merely
Convinces me that pacifist in wal
work needs watching or he NAV hell
the enemy instead of his own country
BIG SHOE SALE AT