The Powder River County examiner and the Broadus independent. [volume] (Broadus, Mont.) 1919-1935, 1919-05-31

place that the theafer, the movie, the
parade and other similar siimu'Gots Of
emotion take in cities. That is one
reason why the camp meeting, with its
wild crowd emotionalism, is found In
all backwoods sections. 1t also prob"
ably explains in part the appeal of
such sccts as the Holiness church.
York's father was a Methodist, and
he was brought w Il 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 hurst upon the con-
Z. agaton, 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. 1t
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 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.
WIi;ca to Drill, Not XIII.
York and his mother went to s. Il.
Frogge, merchant and farmer liv-
ins 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. If he had been imprisoned,
haZed or miStreated, as other conscien-
tious DIRECTORS We're, he would almost
certainly have spent the period of the
wai I'm prison. But this captain was
a man of insight. He saw that York
had In him the making of fine sol
der. and he also saw that York was n
conscientious objector by sincere re.
ligious convictions.
This captain was something of a 81.
BILE student himself lie now refresh
cd himself on the Scriptures, called
York to him, and set out to convert
him to war by the good book. 1t 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 a battle. But when the pale dawr
came, one mountain man was con
WINGED that his God commanded him Il
go forth and Slay Germans.
BattIed for the Lord.
When he went home on Il furleugh
Corporal York, late conscientious oh
iect0r. was Il soldier through an(
through. \ hunter and marksman b,
training. he was fascinated by modetl
military arms. The machine gun Will
its deadly sweep and play, the vicious
army automatic. the military rifle Will
its wonderful range and fiat ira iectorv
now held his heart rs the creed O
holiness on earth had held it before.
There is nothing more to tell abOu
Corporal York, except that when h,
performed his wonderful feat of shoot
ing II Germans and capturing 132 o
them, he did not take the prisoner
back to his own battalion but to an
other. Nor did he report what he ha,
done. His exploit was discovered an,
verified by accident. He did not bat
tie for glory he battled for tha Lord