Jonas Smucker Hartzler

“ Second, while the Bible is the greatest defense that any one could have at such a time, it should be remembered that this same Bible teaches that, "all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer per secution." It costs something to live the Christ life. ”

“ According to good authority one of the largest Protestant denom inations lost more than sixty-nine thousand members in 1919 in the United States. The war has taught many lessons and none more forcibly than the fact that it has a very damaging effect on the morals of mankind and that Paul stated a very significant fact in Galatians 6:7 "Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." The world is reaping, but if the Church does not put forth her earnest efforts to stem the tide her own existence will be in danger. ”

“ When thought in general was along lines of hatred, murder, and destruction; when the newspapers were full of everything that was bad about the enemy; and when deeds were represented as good or bad according to who did them rather than on the merits or demerits of the act, it was indeed needful that the Christ-life should shine out very clearly. Thus every act would not only point to a better life but would also be a rebuke to sin which seemed to reign unchecked. ”

“ Militarism has a few points in its favor, but it has charges enough against it, has proven a curse to humanity at large, has ruined lives enough for time and eternity to cast it into oblivion, never more to be resurrected. ”

“ She is a hated, bank rupt nation, and her children yet unborn will not live long- enough to see the nation fully recovered from the effects of the war.
That military training has proven a blessing to a comparatively small percentage of young men can not be denied, neither can it be denied that a much larger per cent have been injured very much morally and spiritually by the society of the army camp. ”

“ True Preparedness True preparedness is not in armies, does not lie in a large body of men well trained in military tac tics and fully equipped navies, but in trust and obedience to the living God. If the United States had been right with Him, Germany could never have touched us to our hurt. The same is true of the other countries engaged against her. Notice Israel ; the Lord fought her battles so long as she truly served Him. At such times there were no records of thousands of fatalities as there were in the late war. ”

“ War Has Taught Conservation War has taught lessons on conservation along many lines. We can live on bread that is made from a combination of grains; it need not be pure, spring wheat. A person can get along with two pounds of sugar per month. We got along without using the automobile on Sunday. It is both convenient and economical to "Use the back of the letter for the carbon copy of the answer." Man can work hard and get along with very little meat. ”

“ True preparedness is in Jesus Christ, and in Him only.
God's Overruling for Good Manufacturers of war materials and money kings were more interested in filling their pockets than in obeying the living God. Men thought more of the honor of their country than they did of following the lowly Nazarene and waiting to see the salvation which the Lord would bring. With this condition in this country and war in Europe, it is not at all surprising that the United States was drawn into the conflict also. ”

“ The Church has more to do at her own door than she had before the war, and if she fails to gather in more of this outside element and raise it to the standard of a life in Christ, she must herself expert spiritual and numerical loss. ”

“ Two Lessons in these Incidents First, while it is true that many of our brethren "knew their Bibles" on the points in question after they had been in camp for some time, it is also true that some of them would have fared better from the beginning if they had been more familiar with what the Bible taught before they went to camp. A good Bible knowledge is a valuable asset at all times. One of the most formidable obstacles in "getting the C. O. across" was a "Thus saith the Lord," on the tongue of the objector. ”

“ Value of Right Living With conditions as enumerated, one can readily understand that normal thinking was hardly to be expected. Hence at such times, above all others, right living is highly essential. Regular food, not too great a variety, very plain, not excessive in amount but enough, seemed to agree with the young men in camp, and the majority of them were com paratively healthy. The "conserving" campaign in the homes proved a blessing rather than a curse. These are lessons which should be retained. ”

“ Officers in many cases tried to bring Scriptures to justify war, only to be surprised to see how quickly these young men, much younger and supposed to be ignorant, could take every argument away from them. ”

“ Notwithstand ing that claims have been made that we are on the verge of a great revival in religion, it is an acknowl edged fact that profanity increased very rapidly in the camps and the soldier having returned to his home has not left his camp conversation behind him. There is a greater disregard for God and the deeper things of the Christian life than there was before the war. ”

“ The Teacher Teaching implies that there is a teacher and one or more pupils; that the majority of those taught, whether they like the teacher or not, will try to work out the lessons while the teacher simply guides the minds of the pupils. The latter form their own conclusions. It need not imply that the lessons taught are pleasant, nor that the pupil will want to live in the elements embodied in the lessons. Some lessons are very practical and are intended for im mediate use; others simply teach how to avoid cer tain results, and keep from things which lead to sad experiences. ”

“ The fact that she has been largely rural has helped her to conserve her man-power to the Church. Let her keep all these things in mind and conserve them for the kingdom of God; the young men and women, the accumulat ing wealth, the thought power that had been devoted to the war ”