Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1919-01-20
NO MANS LAND"
VANISHED WHEN
YANKS ARRIVED

You were told in your local paper
this morning that 1 would talk to you
here at this hour about my experiences
at The front in France and in mo
Mans Land I will say to you that
thare has been no such place as No
Mans Land since Uncle Sans boys
gUt over there"
That was the dramatic opening to a
remarkable sermon preached yester-
day morning at the Lee Street Metho-
dist church by Rev. P II. Holloway, of
Eilayille, who came back from six
anUnths at the front in France, where
ha was a chaplain among our dough-
boys, his body wracked from she'll
shock and his lungs cruelty suffering
from German poison gas. 1t was his
FIRST sermon since returning. He did
nUt tell much of his experiences in
F'Fance.
TO go into the details of my expe-
Rignces over there is contrary to the
advice of physicians who treated me
i'm France and over here since I have
s0gne home. They tell me to forget
the terrible scenes 1 have witnessed
and have been through" he said. Ct
cant help but talk of them at times,
though, but every time l do I suffer
for it. But today l do not want to
talk of those things. I want to preach.
l want to follow the Spirit. I want
10 bring to you message of the prin-
eiples for which our boys fought and
bfRd and died over there"
And with that introduction, he
taunched into as eloquent and as
touching sermon as probably ever
has been preached in Americas. His
speech was faltering from the paral-
ysis of shell-shock, but, although it re-
Qufred supreme effort on his part, his
spirit met the occasion and his voice
Bos8 to a pitch of enthusiasm and
power seldom witnessed.
He took for his text the words of
Paul in his letter to the CoIossions,
Christ in you, the hope of glory"
Germany, with her system of kul-
eur, eliminated this central principle
of Christianity" he declared. Ger
many found no place for Christ in the
human heart, and the 100000 dead in
this great war are the direct result"
AT another place in his sermon he
paid a great tribute to the fortitude of
the doughboy.
There was no skepticism, no heresy,
IN the front line and as our boys met
death in the fear of God. am so glad
I have had my experiences over there.
Many times 1 have lifted a poor
aonghboy's head up on my arm and
poured water from my own canteen
onto his parched lips and told him
that his hour was at hand: and he
has left the world Christian and a
Soidier-wtihout a murmur."
Bat the most dramatic tribute to
the doughboy came in these words
from the lips Of the returned chaplain:
Il have heard the French soldier
yell as he felt the cold steel pressed
home by the enemy; 1 have heard the
German yell as he felt the point of a
hayonet-a death yell like that of an
animal when some vital spot was
struck; but l have yet to hear ever a
mRrmur from one of our own men
who went out to meet the enemy"
He spoke good word for the Y. NJ
C. A. work among our troops. "The
\. III. c. A. has been an angel of
mercy, father, mother and church to
our boys over there. The boys will
be home soon. Ask them what they
think of the Y. M c. A. and the crit
icisms we hear here and there at
home. am willing to leave the YER
dict with them"