The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1919-06-06
Rounds
of
artillery

place that the theater, the movie. the
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 hackwoods sections. Ii also prob
ably explains in part the appeal of
such sects as the Holiness church.
| York's father was n 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 n 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-
gregatlon, all at once. These alternate
! periods of silent meditation and fren-
zied rejoicing often extend far into the
night, and throw the congregation into
| a 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 a
great crisis. He believed I'm 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, Not XIII.
York and his mother went to s, f.
Frogge, a merchant and farmer liv-
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 i'm 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. lie made his position perfectly
clear to the captain Of his company.
In having this captain York was for
tpnate. II he had been imprisoned.
hazed or mlsireated, rs other conscien-
tious directors were. he would almost
certainly have spent the period of the
war In prison. But this captain was
q man of insight. He saw that York
had In him the making Of a fine sol
der. and he also saw that York was a
conscientious obJector by sincere re-
ligious convictions.
This captain was something Of III |
Bile student himself He now refresh. !
ed himself on the Scriptures. called /
York 10 him. and set out to convert |
him TO war by the good book. 1t IL /
said that the argument lasted far into |
the night. that II 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
WINGED that his God commanded him TO /
go forth and STAY Germans.
6attied for the Lord.
When he went home on a furlourh.
Corporal York, late conscientious oh
jector. was soldier through and /
through. A 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, wonderful range and fiat trajectory.
now held his heart as the creed OF
holiness on earth had held IL before.
There is nothing more to ten about
Corporal York, except that when h.
performed his wonderful feat ~ shoot,
Ing "A Germans and capturing i32 Of
them. he did not take the prisoners
back 20 his own battalion. hat To an
other. Nor id be report what he had
done. His exploit was discovered and
verified by accident He did not hot- 1