New-York tribune., 1919-05-17
Edith Cavell

What is mortal of Edith Cavell, after
traversng mourning land, now rests
within the soil of her native town.
shrine of holiness has been set up which
is destined to inspire countless men and
se women to obey heavenly commands.
The frail body, with bullet holes each
telling a grisly tale, has due sepulchre
as sacred relic. But the spirit, finding
.,san ampler habitation, has Joined the
choir invisible of sceptred souls which
rule US from their tonlbs.
Truly life victorious. Its serene
drama is Greek tragedy minus the bit
$40 terness and pessimism of Greek tragedy.
= Collision had come between divine law
and German law, as in the case of the
Greek sister who defed Creon to give
~ burial to brother. But no agony was
in the heart of the victim of Germany
as she waited for her murderers, and no
pitying chorus has need to chant. She
~ was beyond personal sorrow. She could
" not have done otherwise. No regrets
stirred her intrepidity. Like Paul in his
prison at Rome, like Joan amid the fires
of Rouen, she sang within the song of
death triumphant. She had kept the
faith; she had not faltered; she had
C. been blessed more than others with op-
portunity to bear witness. No firing
squad could slay these things. So, in
seher last minutes, as her testament, she
wrote a moving message to cheer her
fellow workers.
The heroism was simple, natural,
s;r.spontaneous. Dedicated both by her
profession and by her sex to the noble
duty of conserving life, fugitive men had
knocked at her door asking shelter
against ruthless pursuers. She opened
to all, looking never to the color of the
coat The refuge was for gray-green as
we'll as brown or blue. ~ am in need
=, and in peril''-these were entry words.
~-@The refuge was refuge, not a JAIL and
when the German commandant demanded
- that it be false to itself there was firm
I refusal. The abbess of an institution of
a. mercy would not betray her charges
~eosWhen the ministry Of relief was done
and the refugee came to depart, whittier
ne went was of no concern. The only
duty was to speed him on
For this Edith Cavell was done to
odeath. Uuabashed she stood before her
Judges and with the shamelessness of
, conscious innocence avouched her full
,saconduct. She a spy, when she had re-
. fused to be such. She, who professed no
allegiance to Germany, traitor On
the fimsy pretext that German military
law forbade conducting soldiers to the
enemy" clause obviously referring to
guides to organized forces and not at all
merely to refugees, a verdict that was as
bad in law as in morals was supported.
T The outrageous lies by which the Ger
man officials concealed their crime until
1t was too late to appeal showed con-
e,scious guilt. The Kaiser, who was near
ssat hand, did not want the world to know
sshe knew. And later the German FOREIGN
seoffice, when the world rang with denun-
Iseiation, tried to soften condemnation bv
slander of the dead.
Not in pity but with pride does the
world remember this sanity woman.
she Is possession Of the race, reveals
the heights to which human nature NAV
- attain. Her story and the effects II
brought not only declare what comes Tn
{ @aoers OF evil, but refute those who propa-
;, gate the doctrine that man is an an;r.,
's'~hose material appetites always control
ms acts--ls creature always economic
., ana never in truth moral and spiritual
preachers Of materalism, explain # w,
can Edith Cavell. Was bread ber on1r
food? Why did she refuse to sava har
self! What inner compulsion repealed
- and set aside the claims of the body?
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