The north Mississippi herald. (Water Valley, Yalobusha Co., Miss.) 1888-1929, 1919-03-07

omened morning. He was captured
and taken back to the factory. There
he was flogged and lacerated before
his trembling comrades as an example
Of German discipline and humanity.
Thence he was hurried to q prison
cell, dark, filthy and stanch, where he
remained three months.
His term of Imprisonment complet-
ed, he was sent to the coal mines,
where he found two other prisoners
of war, Canadian and an Ameri-
can. Here they received most brutal
treatment indeed. They were often
kicked until they could not walk or
work, and then their rations, which
were abominable at the best, were
cut to half till they resumed their
tasks again. They felt the sting of
the lash almost daily, and a thump
from a spade or shovel was not un-
common.
But Two Are Returned
They bore it all as best they could,
but upon the first opportunity made
their escape. With great pretaution
and stealth they had reached the Ger
man frontier, as they Thought, but
were suddenly confronted by two
German officers who attempted their
arrest. The American escaped into
Switzerland, but the other two were
returned to German brutality or per-
haps to an unspeakable death.
Since the pastor of Reformation
Square learned of these events
through a communication from his
sons American friend last August,
he has been a different man. His
step has lost its spring, his manner
is buoyancy. He has become thought
full and at times absent-minded. His
people have questioned among them
selves the advisability of giving him
a rest. But not until New Years
morning were they able to fathom the
depths of his thoughts and then only
as he poured out to them the burden
If his soul in the following words:
'Since / have learned these incl
dents of my younger boy and have
heard the war tales of the elder,
have seenea great need of change
IN the present-day churches. In the
irst place, our boys who are permit
ted to return home are going to de-
mand purer and simpler church
regime. One that will embrace all
classes and all nationalities and fell
-lowship all men as brothers. They
have learned the significance of unity
n an effort to uphold the honor of
their country. they will demand
unity in an effort to uphold the hon
or Of their God. Methinks they will
demand one church, one creed, one
leader and one test of ae.sborship.
For that alone is church democracy.
Yes, I repeat it, democracy, that for
which our noble sons have so brave
ly shed their blood. Shall we then
ieny them that for which they
fought, bed and died? God forbid.
Huns Religion Lost.
"In the second place, our enemy in
The heart of Europe has lost his re-
igion and humanity and must be re-
Christianized; but is our polygamous
religion fit for the task? Polygamous,
say, for does not Christ claim the
church as. his bride? Then He must
have as many brides as churches. We
must have a pure, simple religion,
shorn of higher criticism and theory,
with nothing added to or taken away
from that which is found between the
,wo covers of the Bible. That is the
fellRlOn WHICH GcTndAy hCGOS tooays
ssIn the third place, why do so
many heather rage and know not
God? Because the funds and men
are exhausted at home to keep up the
appearances of the several denomina-
tions which ought to go to spread the
glad tidings to the heathen. Be-
:ause this polygamous religion of ours
5 so perplexing to the heather that
he becomes discouraged and turns
again to the god of his fathers.
brethren, it is plain to me that
if we are going to honor the rights
of democracy, if we are going to of
fer Germany an undefiled religion,
f we are going to Christianize the
aeathen,. we must set our own house
in order first. That is what / have
begun to do, and | have not only
burned my creed, but / have devised
systematized organization which in
,orporates all the old, but in sim
plified unity. 1t is the democratic
.hurch for the democracy, and shall
endeavor to unfold its principles to
you from Sabbath to Sabbath"
Next Lords Day we shall discuss
together the development of the pres
snt church conditions.