Norwich bulletin., 1918-07-23
Views of the vigilantes
THE BODY OR THE SOUL
By Marion couthouy Smith of The Nigilantes

Of The NlgllanteS
 Perhaps there was never a time in the history of Christendom when the saying of Christ, What shall it profit man if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul?" came oftener to the minds of men than it does to- day. For truly this is a time for the sitting of hearts. Very early in the war Owen Mister said, in his "Pente- cost of Calamity" T want no better photograph Of any individual than his opinion Of this war. If he has none, that is a photograph of hiTn!'
 Any one to-day who can fail to see the significance of this conflict is blind to the things of the spirit, Any one who can wish himself, or even his or her-dearest, free from the dangers and responsibilities of it, is q traitor to his own best self and to the eternal truths upon which all life is built.
 For in very high sense this is not a war at all. We instinetively think of a wal as a fair contest between armies for something which to each contestant seems just and right. In most eases right has been on one side or another; but even the mistaken
 
 certain regard for deceney. and q certain spoftsmanlike respect for the enemy, and acceptance of defeat, il defeat must come. At least this is true of most modern wars, Even un- due ambition has stopped short O. deviltfy to gain it's ends. But thf present slaughter has little about i that we have latterlY called war When one man falls upon anothe faully, to deprive him of his property or his life, without reason, we d. not call it f1ght-We call it mur l der.
 So this conflict is on the one sidt an unspeakably base aggression, ant 1 on the other a great and brave defense | "a defense of the helpless, and { defense of all truth and right on' of the Memorial Day preachers sait more and more that this is a war o preservation; the preservation of al that men have fought and died for il 1 the past, and all that will make Tiff worth living in the future. There fore, if it goes on for generations we must fight it through"
 l Yet 'there was never in all histor, such carnage and such world wid agony as the world has been goinl 1 through in the past four years. An' here we come to the direct issue be :! tween the body and the soul. In tn | case of all martyrs that choice ha had to be made without compromise
 And every country that has stood u to the present embodiment of evil an defied it--from noble little Belgium t our own country in this, the elevent hour-has made that tremendous, tha decisive choice, that only free soul
 can make. On the other hand, we hay
 the delusion of peace and materia
 safety and prosperity; on the othel
 We have sacrifice and struggle to tn
 utmost, with a spiritual gain beyon
 our power to measure, and an estab
 lishment of ideals and principles tha
 We recognize as a large part of tn goal of our eternal life. It is thi
 recognition that has brought abou
 such an immense revival of faith
 God and in immortality, through a the horrors of the struggle. We SC
 so clearly now, in the atmosphere {
 great thought and great sacrific . what the life of the soul means, ths
 Ne go smiling to the depths of tn
 body, or the loss of the joy of tn , worlds life. In the following of gres Ideals, we reach the mountain height
 of the spirit, And the hour will con
 in which we shall realize that it wa
 know the meaning of another sayin et the Master of souls: When } . shall see these things come to pas then look up and lift up your head Tor your redemption draweth night