Detroit evening times., 1945-09-27

al care.
lie staggered back TO his cell
at II o'clock, and a couple of
hours later he was dead.
On Dec. 3 the guards marched
us individually into Meder's cell
Tor faSt look al him.
The'body was in a rough box,
and a few chrysanthemums were
on Bob'S breast.
Each Of us said a silent prayer.
but there were no religious
services.
The guards cremated the
body that day and returned
Bob's ashes in a little Jar TO the
room where the rest Of our be-
longlngs were kept, 1t was
there wien We left Nanking.
For several days after that,
the guards would shout out
Bob's number cit was -, when
they passed his cell.
They'd wait for an answer,
which couldn't come, of course,
and then they'd laugh.
WE WERE terribly low after
w Meder's death.
We all were more or less sick
most of the time, and we began
to think a lot about death.
We kept telling each other
how wonderful il would be if we
had something to read-any-
thing.
Finally we got permission
from the guards 10 write a note
10 the commandant.
In our note we pointed out
that our condition was pretty
bad, we were cold and hungry
all the time, and we asked him
10 show a little mercy and give
US something to read
He sent us four books. They
were The Son of Cod by Karl
Adams; The Spirit Of Cotholi-
cisD,, by Adams; The UnknoiUn
God, by Alfred Moves, and The
Hand of God, by Scott.
Those books were an enor-
nous inspiration to US.
We passed them back and
forth and virtually memorized
them.
And out Of that concentrated
reading we developed our prison
philosophy.
WE DECIDED that we had no
w hatred for our guards, vi
cious as they were.
They were ignorant and
mean, but perhaps-we thought
there was some good in them.
The officers were different.
They were educated men.
They gave the orders for pun
iShment.
They must be punished in re-
turn. But the retrlbution should
be just. They should not be
beaten as we were.
They should be tried in a
court of justice and disciplined
as we discipline our own Grim
inalS
We began, after our reading,
to realize in a dim sort Of way
what it meant 10 be free men,
TO value the heritage of the
United States.
We knew that our soldiers
wouldn't beat prisoners as we
had been beaten, even upon
orders from officers.
Our soldiers have minds of
their own.
The basic decision at which
ws arrived Wus that love. not
hate, is the road TO peace among
men.
That is why we decided that
religion Is so important in the
iiUss Of men because it teaches
IoUe.
(Thee parroiire al this point
IS taken up by Sgt. De Shaser)
THAT is why l decided 10 be-
Il come a japanese missionary
when / am released from the
army.
l believe firmly that l re-
ceIved a call from God.
| know / was sick and weak.
and maybe a little out of my
head but one day in my cell /
felt the call as clearly as though
voice were speaking to me.
! don't mean ! heard n voice.
1t was more like a flash of
truth
So I'm going to missionary
school for training. and then
I'm going 10 return 20 Japan
and spend the rest Of my life
there. teaching the Importance
Of love among men
4 Nd here's something else. II
Il may sound strange. too. but
there was also the realization
WhIlc | was in my cell that /
-y-.l.-G..o- -, -Fe+iyo. o.-----a-------.-
In fact I'm sorry that I
fought back with my guards as
much as ] did.
As ! stepped out he hit me.
] was so angry ! kicked him.
N lie drew his sword and began
-ln -MnaL mo with -thn CO. nArn-