The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1919-05-23

place that the theater, the movie, the
parade and other similar stimulants OF
emotion take In cities. That Is one
reason why the camp meeting, with Its
wild crowd e~motionalism, Is found In
all backwoods' sections. 1t also prob
ably explains In part the appeal OF
such sects as the Holiness church.
York's father was a Methodist, and
he was brought up a Methodist, but
he and his mother and sisters became
converts to the Holiness church. The
belief Of this church seems to be that
IL n mortal neither does wrong nor
thinks wrong. he Is already, In effect,
an angel, and may taste on earth ON
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 burst upon the con-
g~regation, all at once. These alternate
periods OF silent meditation and fren-
zied rejoicing often exrrnd fur into tho
night. and throw the congregation into
q oluit Va it'iStouS NNSth's'
York took his new faith seriously. It
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 he
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 a
fellow who had never as an individual
done him any harm.
Willing to Drill, Not XIII.
York and his mother went to S. r..
Frogge, a merchant and farmer lfv-
ing near them. who was their repre-
sentative I'm the state legislature, and
begged that Frogge try to obtain an
exemption for York. TIE 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 IA 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. II he had been imprisoned.
hazed or mistreated, as other conscien-
tiOus DIRECTORS were, he would almost
certainly have spent the period of the
war In prison. But this captain was
a man Of insight. He saw that York
had In him the making Of a fine SOL
der, and he also saw that York was q
conscientious objector by sincere re-
ligiOus convictions.
This captain was something Of a BIZ
BILE student himself. He now refresh
ed himself on the Scriptures, called
York to him, and set out to convert
him to war by the good book. It Is
said that the argument lasted far into
the night, that 1t was audible at quite
a distance, and that Biblical quotations
Numbered back and forth like big guns
in a battle. But when the pale dawn
ShLuc, Out Huouutdlu udu was cOn-
vinced that his God commanded him to
go forth and STAY Germans.
Battied for the Lord.
When he went home on a furlough,
Corporal York, late conscientious OBJ
%jector, was q soldier through and
through. A hunter and marksman by
training. he was fascinated by modern
military arms. The machine gun, with
Its deadly sweep and play. the vicious
army automatic, the military rifle with
It's wonderful range and fiat trajectory.
now held his heart as the creed Of
holiness on earth had held II before.
There is nothing more to tell about
Corporal York, except that when Re
performed his wonderful feat Of shoot
ing "a Germans and capturing 1872 Of
them. he did not take the prisoners
back to his W battalion. but to an
Other. Nor did he report what he had