South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-01-03

Inc letmlnB SupSOli OF humanity
has been so deeply ploughed by the
great war that a host OF ideas and
fancies released from the depths
now hovers over the fields OF
thought. to be. perhaps. transform
ed for future generations into
legends as grandiOse as the events
that brought them forth.
Some OF these inklings and
glimmerings out OF the unknown
and the unfamiliar are of the ma
ture OF pOrtents; others hint at vast
expansion OF human knowledge IN
directions that have hitherto seem
ed definitely barred.
Amosg the portents are battle
visions. matching that which Con-
stantine beheld in the sky. and
which transformed the standard.
and with II the faith, Of imperial
Rome: or recalling the sanity
phantasms by which, 500 years ago.
the Crusad ers were squire 20
supereminent valor and sacrifice on
the march 20 Jerusalem.
One OF the most notable things
about these modern visions is the
preliminary fact that they should
have appeared. or have been be-
lieved 10 appear. in this scientific
age at all How strange to read.
Of clear-headed soldiers and Off
GERS from up-to-date schools and
surroundings, armed with revolvers,
machine guns, and all the intensely
materialiStic and scientific apparatus
of modern warfare. seeing St.
George. st. Michael. or Joan of Arc
leading and encouraging the ex-
hausted English and French during
the terrible struggle hat stopped
the first mighty rush OF the German
hordes toward Paris!
The historian who leaves these
things out of his narrative OF the
great war will do wrong-wrong
even 70 science-for. however de-
ceptive the apparitions may have
been. il is the business Of the cult.
vators Of science TO explain the de-
ception. to show why il occurs and
how and why the eve and the mind
are misled. Unless you do that
you can never dissuade anybody
from believing that he has seen a
ghost
Moreover. these modern instances
Of apparent supernaturalism. COM
ing at a time when societies for
psychical research flourish and when
such phenomena as telepathy are
knocking at the door and claiming
the right to enter and be seriously
investigated will not be thrown aside
and forgotten. We shall see them
reappearing in various departments
Of literature, as pegs on which u
speculation.
A striking. but not inexplicable,
fact is that so many simultane.
ously recognized the same appa-
ritions For instance, take a royal
artllleryman's naive relation TO ar
English nurse. Miss Campbell II
was in n field hospital. after the
English had held up the Germans
I'm one of the flercest struggles be-
fore the first battle OF the Marine.
Another wounded British soldier
who had been a Wesleyan minister
had sent for the nurse because he
/ hoped that she might have an Eng
| lish coin or medal bearing the figure
Of St George, which he wished ID
| compare with what he had seen in
the battle. AS he told his story
the nurse betrayed incredulity
whereupon the artilleryman on ar
adjoining cot broke in:
Its true, Sister; we all saw il
First. there was a sort OF yellow
mist risin' before the Germans as
they come on to the top of the hill
come on like a solid wall, they did
no end TO 'em. Il just give up. Nc
more fightin' the whole German race
| thinks I. The next minute come:
this funny cloud OF light. and wher
il clears off, there's a tall man witt
| yellow hair. in golden armor. on q
white horse. holdin' up his sword
and his mouth open like as if n
was sayin': Come on, boys. I'll put
the kybosh on the devils'-sort OF
this is my picnic expression. Then
before you could say knife tbs
Germans had turned, and we after
'em, lighting like ninety
OF course, plain common sense
/ would begin nv ipor1iriup xybatb or