Evening star., 1948-08-14
Day of Mourning
Readers Express Conflicting Views Regarding Attitude
of Ministers Opposing Conscription

Views Regarding Attitude
osins Conscription
difncult positions. They rescued and treated
their buddies and ofacers.
Every seventh-D Day Adventist church ofacial
urges young men to register for the draft. They
do not consider the draft . calamity. The
calamity would be If unpreparedness should
cause national crisis. and this church failed
to do its duty.
CHARLES ALLEN RENTrRo.
To the Editor Of The Star:
We respect the opinion Of your coumnist
Gould Lincoln, on most Of the matters with
which he deals. However, In discussing the
ministerial call for DAY Of Mourning" to
protest the draft. he got of on the wrong foot
He states that opposition to the draft is an
attempt to sabotage the defense Of the United
States. He completely oyerlooks the fact that
the persons who are arranging for the DAY
of Mourning" consider themselves to be fully
as patriotic As he. or as any one in the Penta-
gon. But they believe, with sound reason, that
the Draft Act itself Is . form of sabotase of
our defense.
Because the draft Is held to be unnecessary
school opinion. its passage is bound to be
divisive.
Because the draft is to be used to increase
the size of our armed forces by more than
so per cent, it adds additional strain to our
economic machinery and therefore veakens our
industrial productive capacity.
Because 1t invades the traditional concept
OF individual liberty in which this country has
AN
patriotism.
only be used as a weapon for Intervention and
a tool for provocation, it is inlammatory in its
effect on international relations.
II you consider 4 measure which weakens
US economically, conscripts us individually,
and divides us spiritually as an aid to defense
then Mr.. Gould is undoubtedly right and the
Day OF Mourning" is wrong. But If you are
one OF the growing number who know that, in
today's world. the notion ef military security
Is myth. and that the only real security lies
through international cooperation. then you
will agree with us that the DAY Of Mourning"
is highly appropriate observance.
JAMES FINUCANE,
Associate Secretary,
National Council for Prevention Of War.
To the Editor Of The Star: p
The Star OF Tuesday August 10, published
an editorial that certainly makes one stop and
think. I refer to the article Dangerous Ad-
vice" which deserves rereading by every mother
with young sons.
My son is just seven years old His father
was lieutenant in War I. His grandfather
was an ofncer in the Spanish American War
n IA ir Ia
Civi. War. A great-great-grandfathe was a
captain in the Revolutionary War. In fact
my son has at least seven ancestors who served
their country's colors. As far as know they
were all Godfearing men. Christians through
and through, fathers Of large and successful
families.
Did they become men Of this type through
listening to preachers telling them that they
were doing wrong by serving their country?
You can bet they never heard Of such thing
and . preacher who would have mentioned
such a subject as day Of mourning" would
not have lasted long In their patriotic COM
munities. ~sr-.e.-s
Now am wondering will my son be exposed
to such preachings as these from our modern
preachers? Do I want him exposed to such
teachings? Frankly am looking forward to
the day when my son will be old enough to
wear a uniform and I will do all in my power
to prevent his hearing about this so-called
day of of~mourning" will also send him to
church where such ideas are not mentioned
All mothers should think twice before allowing
children to listen to such sob stories.
I cannot grasp the reasoning Of these clergy
men who have taken up such an idea. But on
the whole I still have faith in our Christian
leaders and know that when the time comes
for them to advise their congregations about
service to our country, they will outnumber
the originators Of the day Of mourning" and
our boys will do as Americans have done for
generations-wear proudly uniforms that their
fathers have worn VIGOROUSLY would be
ashamed Of my son, II he did not carry on the
traditions Of our families.
Tell the mothers TO think, and then think .
little more and then speak out against these
weak-kneed men who plan to build up erro-
neous ideas in our youth.
TO the Editor Of The star:
have been distressed to see in The Star Of
August . 4 report that q group OF Protestant
clergymen has seen At to call peacetime con-
scription "a threat to the democratic way Of
life" It appears they have called for day OF
mourning" and repentance on August ~, stress
ing among other points, the following:
"The responsibility Of young men not to give
unquestioning obedience to secular authority,
As is demanded in totalitarian lands, but to de-
eide each for himself the course which he
should take with regard to conscription. rec
ognizing God as the sole Lord Of conscience.
". assurance to young men that the
churches win Loyalty support them in acting in
accordance with conscience and the will Of God
as they are given to understand it, Whatever
may be the course which they are conscien-
tiously impelled to follow
That we need to repent for our national sins
should be obvious without argument; but 1t