Polk County news. [volume] (Benton, Tenn.) 191?-1983, 1920-02-12

/ y
ever really loved Irene Hardy. Be
cause If you loved Irene a week ago
you love her tonight"
Edith" he said, ''there is no way
Of explaining this. You can't under
stand. l know you have given your
self up to a life of service, and ]
honor you very much, and all that, but
there are some things you won't be
able to understand. You can't under
stand just how much 1 loved Irene.
Have you never known of love being
turned to hateY
mo. Other impulses may be, but
not love. Love can no more turn to
hate than sunlight can turn to dark
ness. Believe me, Dave, If you hate
Irene now you never loved her. Lis
ten: Love beareth all things, believ-
eth all things, hopeth all things, en-
dureth all things'r
"Not all things, Edith; not all
things"
at 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. l 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
sponsible thing which in the past he
had called life.
"In your case," she said, "the course
is simple. 1t is just a case of FOR
giving"
He gazed for a time into the street,
while thoughts Of Bitterness and re-
venge fought for domination of his
mind. Edith" he said, at length,
''must forgive"
II 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 positive spir-
itual expansion"
SIS that Christianity" he ventured.
at is one side of Christianity. The
other side is service. If yeu are will
ing to forgive and ready to serve l
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 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"
"That is what 1 had been thinking
Of" he said. "At least that part about
serving my country, although / 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
7
about Germany. But do know some
thing about our own people. / know
how selfish and individualistic and
sordid and money-grabbing we have
been; how slothful and incompetent
and self-satisfed we have been, and
I fear it will take long war and sac
rifices and tragedies altogether be-
yond our present imagination to make
us unselfish and public-spirited and
clean and generous. l 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
we shall deserve to
)e defeated.
"But rather think that neither OF
The alternatives will be the result.
,ather think that the test of war viii
show that there are elements in Ger
nan civilization which are better than
ours, and elements in our civilization
which are better than theirs, and that
lie good elements will survive anu
'orm the basis Of a new civilization
,etter than either"
"If that is So" Dave replied, "H
his war is but the working of immu-
able law which proposes to put all the
clements of civilization to the supreme
est and retain only those which are
ustitiable by that test. why should |
or anyone else--fght? And" he n
ldded, as an aftcrthought, "what \
bout that principle of forgiveness?" o
1--WE must fight" she answered, "be- d
ause 1t Is the law that we must fight;
because it is only by fighting that we =
an justify the principles for which we :,
Ight. If we hold our principles as be- n
Grh ft,r fat h, oi,s |