The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1919-02-14
.ere and Dhere
BY Mrs. Byrd Trego

The following message is melted
thru reading 1.-THE Trenches and the
Churches at Home" by Harry EN-
merson Fosdick in the January At
lantic.
The writer gives us much valuable
information, current news and a
rather unsatisfactory definition of
what the churches should plan for
in the way of service to the soldier
when he is fully restored to civilian
life. He touches all of these things
and more rather lengthily but dis
charges the paramount, monumental
fact that the soldier has been to
Calvary in a few words.
Yes, the soldiers have been to Cal
vary. A very few preachers have;
now and then teacher has. Christ
and Calvary are the very essence, the
true substance of all religions. About
the first bible teaching the child Of
christian parents is subjected to is
Jesus and the cross he bore. The
Jews teaching the "torah'' which is
specifically the Mosaic law, with the
belief that Jesus is still to come to
earth. So it isn't a long reach after
all from the belief that Christ has
passed thru Calvery to one that the
cross is perhaps before Him.
The person who has not been to
Calvary cannot tell the one who has
any thing about it, and If he could do
so, who wants to live over again and
again the torture of Calvery by lis
tening to rehearsal imagry pre-
sented with an attempted emotional
feeling, for that is all the best of
them could do, who have not been
to Calvary.
l do not discount the sufferings Of
our Lord when l say the Calvary
our soldiers endured overwhelmingly
browns all others including the new
testament one of Christ, who was
one man sacrificed for the human
family, who was trained and pre-
pared for the surrender of a divine
hand which certainly must have
softened the blow. But we are all
familiar with the calling and charge
and suffering of Christ.
The giving up, the yielding of one
prepared life with few hours suf-
fering surrounded by sympathic tho
helpless friends, was the price then,
with the body carefully wrapped by
loving hands and laid away tenderly
in sepulcher prepared for it. Our
boys were gathered by the million,
hurriedly thrown into the sacrifical
carnage of hell, while the gas suffer-
ing of one who lives perhaps thru
twenty-four hours of drowning agony
to yield to death at last. has out
weighed in bodily suffering all our
Savior did on the cross. The story
of Abraham offering Isaac pales into
insignificence doesn't it.
| will not contrast the careful
Of the body of Jesus with
the shell hole filled hurriedly with
our slaughtered bodies while the
tag is snatched and
preserved for record. 1t is too hor-
rible.
No. Mister Preacher, you can't
preach Calvary to the soldiers, but
I'll tell you what you can do if you
are an able man, a sympathetic stu
dent of human nature, and If you are
not you will never persuade the SOL
der who has been over the top and
stabebd his Hun. You can perhaps
create soldierly compaionship be-
tween Christ and our boys, but re-
peat you will have to be smart man
to do SO. And don't you ever repeat
TO them that familiar quotation so
often missapplied, Father forgive
Them for they know not what they
TO-" The Jews did not recognize |
Christ, but the Huns put special |
price upon the bodies of American !
boys.
You used to tell those boys not to
play ball or picnic or pleasure on
Sunday. Better think twice before
you repeat those teachings; better
cave those things a long, long way
behind until you are sure your men !
nave forgotten the way they have
been spending the holy days. And
1On't ever tell them some Stacking |
home stayers refused to buy tickets
because the Red Cross ball game was
held on Sunday.
I'll tell you what is your best way
>ut' ouoI AOoF6 SdLVdIy anu wal anu
suffering, because you don't under
stand it in the new modern sense
Ind preach American ideals all the
line. They are sacred things, there
ore make them so in your sermons.
Make your entire church work TEEN
With Americanism. Leave the bible
or bit; it is tried and true and will
lot suffer; take text from memory
n none at all, just hammer away
IN American ideals for the soldiers
lave had theirs shattered consider
IDLY during the conflict. When
'oung strip of a boy leaves high
chool to enlist and fight for his /,
ideals, goes over seas with
he first contingents, is placed in
he front trenches, wounded seri-
'usly, lies in one hospital after an
'ther and no letters from parents
n friends ever reach him, tho they
eceive his and know he lives, his
in his wonderful country
s shaken and when letters sent to
Tim faithfully by his parents and
riends are returned marked. mot
ound," they too have thoughts about