The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1919-06-28
Rounds

| place that the tneater, the movie, tUC
parade and other similar stimulantS OF
| emotion take in cities. That is one
reason why the camp meeting, with It's
wild crowd emotionalism, is found in
all backwoods sections. 1t also prob
ably explains in part the appeal or
such sects as the Holiness church.
York's father was Methodist, and
he was brought up Methodist, but
he and his mother and sisters became
converts to the Holiness church. The
belief of this church seems to be that
If mortal neither does wrong nor
thinks wrong, he is already, in effect.
an angel, and may taste on earth some
thing Of the bliss of heaven. At Its
meetings there are brief readings from
the Scripture. then periods OF silent
meditation, then shouting of great joy.
as the full glory Of their triumph over
sin and trouble burst upon the con-
gregation, all at once. These alternate
periods Of silent meditation and fren-
zied rejoicing often extend far into the
night, and throw the congregation into
state Of religious ecstasy.
York took his new faith seriously. It
satisfied some cravings of his nature
! He still carried arms. He was still
prepared to fight when need arose.
But when he heard of the war and the
draft law he realized that he faced
great crisis. He believed in fighting
for the right, but he did not see how
as an angel on earth, he could kill
fellow who had never as an individual
done him any harm.
Willing to Drill. Net Kin.
York and his mother went to s. E.
Frogge. a merchant and farmer hv-
ing near them. who was their repre-
sentative in the state legislature. and
begged that Frogge try to obtain an
exemption for York. The young man
said that he could never kill in war.
Frogge, Of course, could do nothing. A
few days later York left for the first
time In his life the little clearing and
the cabin and the wild woodlands
which had heretofore been all the
world to him. He took his convic-
tons against war with him mistaken
AS soon as he reached camp he said
that he was willing to drill. but not to
fight. He made his position perfectly
clear to the captain Of his company.
In having this captain. York was for
tunate. II he had been imprisoned.
hazed or mistreated. as other conscien-
tious directors were, he would almost
certainly have spent the period Of the
war in prison. But this captain was
man Of insight. He saw that York
! had in him the making Of fine SOL
der, and he also saw that York was a
conscientious Objector by sincere re-
ligious convictions.
This captain was something Of a BIZ
BILE student himself. He now refresh
ed himself on the Scriptures, called
York to him, and set out to convert
him to war by the good book. It Is
said that the argument lasted far into
the night, that it was audible at quite
a distance, and that Biblical quotations
Numbered back and forth like big guns
in battle But when the pale dawn
came, one mountain man was con-
| vince0 tndL his JOu CDLHIffdUueu ulIu I'D
20 forth and STAY Germans.
Battled for the Lord.
| When he went home on a furlough.
Corporal York, late conscientious or
,ector, was soldier through ana
| through. hunter and marksman BIZ
training, he was fascinated by modern
military arms. The machine gun, with
| its deadly sweep and play, the vicious
army automatic. the military rifle with
it's wonderful range and fiat trajectory.
now held his heart as the creed of
holiness on earth had held it before.
There is nothing more to tell about
Corporal York, except that when he
performed his wonderful feat of shoot
ing "a Germans and capturing 132 Of
them, he did not take the prisoners
back to his own battalion. but to an
other. Nor did he report what he had
done. His exploit was discovered and
verified by accident. He did not bat
tle for glory, he ba:tled for the Lord