The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1919-05-23
Rounds

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 IFS
wild crowd emOtionaliSm, is found in
all backwoods sections. 1t also prob
ably explains in part the appeal of
such sectS as the Holiness church.
York's father was a Methodist. and
he was brought up a 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-
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
a state of religious ecstasy.
York took his new faith seriously. II
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 XIII.
York and his mother went to S. E
Frogge, q 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 in his life the little clearing and
the cabin and the ~ild woodlands
which had heretofore been all to
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 tC
fight. He made his position perfectly
clear to the captain of his company
In having this captain. York was for
tunate. If 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 cav that York
had in him the making of a fine sol.
der, and he also saw that York was
conscientious director by sincere re
ligiOuS convictions.
This captain was something of a Bi- !
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
III a battle. But when the pale dawn |
came, one mountain man was con /
vinced that his God commanded him tc |
go forth and Stay Germans.
Battled for the Lord.
When he went home on d furlough |
Corporal York. late conscientious OBJ I
jector. was soldier through an6 |
through. A hunter and markSman by /
training he was fascinated by modern /
arms. The machine gun, with |
its deadly sweep and play, the vicious
army automatic, the military rife with |
its wonderful range and fat 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 hac
done. His exploit was discovered ano
verified by accident He did not bat
tie Dor glory, he battled for the Lord.