Conscience
Subtitle: two soldiers, two pacifists, one family : a test of will and faith in World War I
By: Louisa Thomas
Publisher: Penguin Press
Published: 2011
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 320
ISBN-13: 9781594202940
Subjects: World War, 1914-1918; Moral and ethical aspects; Brothers; Soldiers; Conscientious objectors; Biography
Description: Norman Thomas and his brothers' upbringing prepared them for a life of service--but their calls to conscience threatened to tear them apart. Conscience is Louisa Thomas's account of the remarkable Thomas brothers in a time of trial, exploring the difficult decisions the four brothers faced with the advent of World War I. Sons of a Presbyterian minister and grandsons of missionaries, they shared a rigorous moral upbringing, a Princeton education, and a faith in the era's spirit of hope. Ralph enlisted right away, heeding President Wilson's call. Arthur, the youngest, was less certain about the righteousness of the cause but sensitive to his obligation as a citizen. Evan became a conscientious objector; when the truce was signed in 1918, he was in solitary confinement. Norman left his ministry in the tenements of East Harlem, New York, and began the course he would follow for the rest of his life, fighting for civil liberties and social justice, and against violence as a method of change.--From publisher description.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [301]-306) and index.
Table of contents: title: Fervent wrestling prayers; title: Preacher of the word; title: The world's honors; title: The fate of the universe; title: Sympathy for the unmarried; title: A land of brotherhood and justice; title: The promise of American life; title: Long wars will occur; title: Which way shall it be?; title: Courage of the highest type; title: Muddle headed; title: What then shall America do?; title: Let every man be faithful; title: A caged and cautious liberalism; title: A democratic right; title: Courage of convictions; title: Into the fracas; title: Treason's twilight zone; title: Mean what you say; title: The sandiest of foundations; title: To carry your watch.