The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1920-03-04

Irene now you never loved her Lis
ten: Love beareth all things. believ-
eth all things, hopeth all things, en-
dureth all things 70
Not all things. Edith; not all
things"
att says all things"
Dave was silent for some time
When he spoke again she caught diff
ferent sound In his voice-a tone as
though his soul in those few moments
had gone through a lifetime Of expe-
rience.
Edith" he said. when you repeat
ed those words knew you had some
thing that have not. 1 knew it, not
by words but by the way you said
them. You made me know that in
your own life, if you loved. you would
be ready to endure all things. Tell
me, Edith. how may this thing be
dOne?"
She trembled with delight at the
new tone In his voice, for she knew
that for him life would never again
be the empty, flippant, selfish, ire
sponsibIe thing which in the past he
had called life.
''In your case" she said. ''the course
is simple. 1t is just a case Of :or-
giving"
He gazed for a time into the street,
while thoughts of bitterness and re
renge fought for domination of his
mind. Edith" he said, at length
must I-forgive?"
81 do not say you must" she an
Swered. 81 merely say if you are wise
you will. Nothing, it seems to me, Is
so much misunderstood as forgiveness
The one who is forgiven may merely
escape punishment, but the one who
forgives experiences a positive spir-
ituaI expansion"
rs that Christianity" he ventured.
'It is one side of Christianity. The
other side is service. If you are will
ing to forgive and ready to serve I
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
man lives you know what he believes
always"
Suppose 1 forgiye-what then?
Service You are needed right
now, Dave-forgive my frankness-
your country needs you right now. You
must dismiss this grievance from your
mind, at least dismiss your resent
ment over it, and then place yourself
at the disposal of your country"
'sThat is what had been thinking
off, ne said. cat least that part about
serving my country, although 1 don't
think my motives were as high as you
would make them. But the war can't
last. 1t is unbelievable"
"Pm not so sure" she answered
gravely. ''Of course I know nothing
about Germany. But do know some
thing about our own people. 1 know
how selfish and individualistic and
sordid and money-grabbing we have
been; how SIOthful and incompetent
and self-satisfied we have been; and
fear it will take long war and sac
riffces and tragedies altogether be-
yond our present imagination TO make
Us unselfish and public-spirited and
clean and generous. 1 am not wOr-
rying about the defeat of Germany.
If our civilization is better than that
of Germany we shall win. ultimately,
and if our civilization is worse than
that of Germany we shall be defeated
ultimately-and we shall deserve to
be defeated.
"But- I rather think that neither OF
the alternatives will be the result. L
rather think that the test of war will
show that there are elements in Ger
man civilization which are better than
ours, and elements in our civilization
which are better than theirs, and that
the good elements will survive and
form the basis of a new civilization
better than either"
eff that is So Dave replied. elf
this war is but the working of immu-
table law which proposes to put all the
elements of civilization to the supreme
test and retain only those which are
justifiable by that test. why should
Tor anyone else-fght2 And" ne
added, as an afterthOught, what
about that principle of forgiveness"
''We must fight" she answered, 'sbe-
cause it is the law that we must fight;
because it is only by fighting that we
can justify the principles for which we
fight. If we hold our principles as be-
ing not worth fighting for the new civil
lization viii throw those principles In
question of forgiveness Forgiveness,
in fact, does not enter into the con-
sideratiOn at all
eve must fight. not because we hate
Germany but because we love certain
principles which Germany is endeav-
oring to overthrow. The impulse must
be love, not hate"
She had turned and faced him while
she spoke. and he felt himself strange
Iy carried away by the earnestness of
her argument. What a wonderful
woman she was! And as he looked
at her he again thought of Irene. and
Suddenly he felt himself engulfed in
great tenderness. and he knew that
even yet
what am I TO do?' he said. ''What
am l to dog"
In the darkness of her own shadow
she set her teeth for that answer. II
was to be the crown1ng act OF self
remuneration and it strained every
fiber OF her resolution.
"You had better go overseas and