The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1920-02-26

ed those words ! knew you had SOME
thing that I have not. I knew II, not
by words but by the way you sald
them. You made me know that In
your own life, II you loved, you would
be ready TO endure all things. Tell
me, Edith, how may this thing be
doneT
She trembled with delight at the
new tone In his voice. for she knew
that for him life would never again
be the empty. flppant, selfish. ire
sponsible thing which In the past he
had called life.
"In your case" she said, "the course
Is simple. II Is just case OF for-
giving"
He gazed for n time into the street,
while thoughts Of bitterness and re-
venge fought for domination Of his
mind Edith" he said, at length,
"must I-forglver
81 do not say you must" she an
swercd 81 merely say II you are wise
you will Nothing, II seems to me- IL
so much misunderstood as forgiveness.
| The one who Is forgiven may merely
escape punishment. but the one who
fcrgives experiences positive spir-
/ itual expansion"
as that Christianity" he ventured.
cit is one side Of Christianity. The
other side II service. II you are VIII
ing TO forgive and ready to serve
don't think you need worry much over
the details Of your creed. Creeds'
after all. are not expressed In words
but in lives. When you know how a
man lives you know what he believes
always"
Suppose forgive-what Them
"Service. You are needed right
now, Dave-forgive my frankness-
your country needs you right now. You
must dismiss this grievance from your
mind. ut least dismiss your resent
ment over II, and then place yourself
at the disposal Of your country"
THAT is what I had been thinking
Of" he said AT least that part about
serving my country. although ! don''
think my motives were as high as you
would make them. But the war cant
last. II is unbelievable"
"rm not so sure" she answered
gravely. "Of course I know nothing
about Germany. But I do know some
thing about our own people. i know
how selfish and individualistic and
sordId and money-grabbing we have
been; how slothful and incompetent
and self-satlsfied we have been; anc
I fear II will take a long war and sac
rifices and tragedies altogether be
yond our present Imagination to make
us unselfish and public-splrited and
clean and generous. / am not wor
rying about the defeat of Germany
II our civilization is better than tina
Of Germany we shall win, ultimately
and IL our civilization is worse thar
that Of Germany we shall be defeated
ultimately-and we shall deserve Il
be defeated.
"But / rather think that neither Of
the alternatives will be the result.
rather think that the test OF war vii
show that there are elements in Ger
man civilization which are better thar
ours. and elements in our civilization
which are better than theirs. and tha
the good elements will survive anC
form the basis Of new civilization
better than either"
"If that is So" Dave replied. "it
this war Is hut the working Of immu
table law which proposes to put all thu
elements Of civilization to the supreme
test and retain only those which are
Unsuitable by that test, why should
I-or anyone else-tghtf And, hi
added. as an afterthought. "wha
about that principle Of forgivenessT
Eve must fight" she answered, BE
cause IL is the law that we must fight
because II is only by fighting that We
can Justify the principles for which We
fight. IL we hold our principles Is be
ing not worth fighting for the new civil
lization will throw those principles II
; the discard. And that. too, covers thu
question OF forgiveness. Forgiveness
In fact. does not enter into the con
sideration at all.
1--WE must fight not because we hate
Germany but because we love certain
principles which Germany is endeav
oring to overthrow. The impulse mus
be love, not hate"
She had turned and faced him while
she spoke. and he felt himself strange
ly carried away by the earnestness o.
her argument What wonderful
woman she was And as he looked
at her he again thought of Irene, anC
suddenly he felt himself engulfed II
great tenderness, and he knew tina
even yet
"what am l to dor" he said. "Wha
am l to dor"
In the darkness OF her own shadow
she set her teeth for that answer. i
was to be the browning act Of self
remuneration and II strained ever,
fiber of her resolution.
"You had better go overseas ant
enlist in England" she told him calm
ly. although her nails were biting hel
palms. "You will get quicker actor
that way. And when you come bacl
you must see Irene. and you mus
learn from your own heart whethe
you really loved her or not. And