Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-12-26
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Christmas DdU

InlS Is CHRISTMAS Day, and 1t IS
the most wonderful Christmas Day
any of us will ever know. The near
at-hand yesterday, and the wonder
full tomorrow have been meeting
everywhere. righteousness has tri-
umphed, and soon the boys who
fought the great war to a wonderful
victory are to be home.
Naturally, in our joys we find our
selves thinking of those who will
look in vain for familiar faces when
the regiments return. Their service
stars have turned to gold because
those they sent away have paid the
supreme sacrifice. But even for
them we feel that there is COM
pensating faith which makes this
day of wonderful cheer and prophecy
of a sustaining grace when all have
returned save their own.
have been thinking of a num-
Der of soldiers and others who will
come back strong and well and
triumphant, but who will come back
to broken family circles. When
they come back they will find that
things have changed. No reference,
so far as l have seen, has even been
made to this waiting trial. Maybe
they know now about the changes
at home; but it will be when they
get back that they will realize to
the full how much they have lost. a
glance down the record of funerals
that 1, just one pastor, have had
since the middle of September, not
to go any farther back, brings out
such facts as these: There is a
father who went out in the hour of
his country's need. He left a wlfe,
and three little girls. When he comes
home there will be one little girl
missing. Another case is that OF a
young soldier who went with the
Rainbow Division. He fought
through all the battles with only
slight wound. One letter he wrote
home was to his kid brother" He
told him about many of his expert
ences. That is, he tried to. The
day before the mailman delivered his
letter the Angel of Death summoned
the soul of the kid brother INTO
q land more beautiful than fair
France. There is an officer VINO
served in q great hospital III Eng
land, taking care OF our wounded
ones, who will come back to q little
family group from which his only
brother went away forever one uay'
One night at our prayer meeting
splendid young soldier VINO had
been sent back home with a num-
Der of invalid men, entered with ms
beautiful sister. They were poth IN
the best of health. Before he reach-
ed France again this dear sister,
with whom he walked to the mouse
of God, had entered the mouse not
made with hands eternal IN lhe
heavens. Another time on the same
day l stood by the caskets or hrsC
the brother of young man VINO
had fought through the whole cam
paign of the 2Sth Division, and sec
ond the mother of q young man
who had gone nnscathed through
the terrible fighting of the Argohhe
forest. Neither of the men over there
know yet what will be told them py
and by. Another young man VINO
went over to be one OF the ponlp-
ing flyers who hoped to reacn Der
lin may know ere this, that MS ohly
brother has gone beyond the stars.
| see the name ofa mother VINO saw
her two sons, all she had, go away.
Letters from them came regularly
several weeks after the mother hau
zone beyond the reach OF spoheh
or written word OF love. Then theI1
10 n man somewhere IN frahce
narbaps. Near to him is major
Who will be affected by the same
deaths. Also his two sons are IN
tbe service. To this man VINO Is
minister of the gospel of Jesus Chrlst
Tho word went first that his beloved
daughter had gone to be with GOD;
and then. later, the news was capled
hin, that his m(ther had passed
ayav Mother died with his name
on her Inns. Her ears were listening
for his footsteps en- the stairs. lie
viii need all the. grace he has so
often rninistered to others to sustain
bi,o the day he walks from one OF
these graves to the other.
THESE arc a fewof the cases which
s+,n ont from one minister's rec
ord of three months. IL the story
U5os gathered up from the hundreds
oF nestors who have ministered IN
thosa last months how many ap-
cent soldiers, like these, would we
80 stonning from the ranks or the
return retu[niis, a,ona Mtny of these men
have seen comrates Lait ~ ..tais
or die IN hospitals, pue She on,'ao oo
wntch S,,asa broken family circles,
paTK 70 .ta hardea of all. May they
WIN pgtbened pe un when they come
home' sincerely,
9. =. HALVES,