JUNE 15. 1915 



511 



A. I. Root 



OUE HOME 



Editor 



I'litd liim that smiteth thee on the one clieek offer 

 also the other. — LuKE 6:29. 



Why lodge ye about the wall! If ye do so agaiu, 

 I will lay hands on you. — Nehkmiah 13:21. 



RehoUI, I create new heavens and a new earth ; 

 and the former shall not be remembered, nor come 

 into mind. — ISAlAii 65:17. 



Mr. A. I. Root: — I have often thought of telling 

 you how I have enjoyed your Home department in 

 GLKANixas; but I notice a change in sentiment in 

 the issue for May 15. It doesn't sound like A. I. 

 Root — set-nis as if he were gone and somebody else 

 had taken his place. I certainly feel that there were 

 a lot of astonished readers when they read your 

 answers to those two letters and noted your attitude 

 in restard to the taking of human life. Right now 

 the major portion of the world is in a great conflict 

 — all struggling for the mastery. Right now when 

 the subject is before the people, and the awfulness 

 of war is in evidence on every hand, is our oppor- 

 tune time as never before to teach against it. That 

 old theory of preserving peace by preparing for war 

 has been proven defective, as the experience of the 

 nations will testify. In your article you mention a 

 few in.stances where a quick shot was effective in 

 saving human life; but how would you like to be 

 the one who fired the shot? Should we provide a 

 six-shooter for our ministers, so they may have them 

 in easy reach to use on some dear brother or sister 

 in case of sudden violent insanity in the congrega- 

 tion? Are we not told to be wise as serpents and 

 harmless as doves? Please don't hide behind George 

 Washington. I do not think we should use him for 

 an argument in favor of war. We have the Bible for 

 our griide, and no one can read the teachings of 

 Jesus Christ and believe them, and at the same time 

 believe in war. 



The chances are that there will always be war as 

 long as this present dispensation lasts; but should 

 the Christian people sit idly by and say nothing? or, 

 worse, should they even say a few words in its 

 favor t 



You mention the man with " foolish religious prin- 

 ciples." His principles are outlined in Matt. 5:38- 

 45; also Luke 6:28, 29. 



All the above is said with the utmost respect, and 

 in a spirit of love. It seems to me we cannot be too 

 careful about our influence. You are a man who 

 has a lot of influence ; and you are preaching to a 

 large audience, and you will no doubt be held re- 

 sponsible for the position you take on this question. 

 Let us not be wishy-washy. Let us take a stand on 

 the side with the Master, for that is sure ground. 

 I wish you would pray over this again; and, if the 

 Spirit directs you, tell your readers about it. 



John says we are to try the spirits to see if they 

 are of God. See if they line up with the teachings 

 of the word. I for one am not satisfied with your 

 position, and I don't think the Master is either. 



Morrill, Kan., May 27. F. E. Poister. 



Please accept my thanks, my good friend, 

 for your kind letter above, although it is 

 ver>- plain and square-footed. Yes, you are 

 riglit — my conscience did trouble me some- 

 what in regard to that Home paper, for it 

 was, as you state it, a new departure; and 

 yet God knows we need laws and law en- 

 forcement — yes, better law enforcement than 

 we have had in times past. Permit me, dear 

 brother, once more, to picture the circum- 

 stances under which I would use a revolver, 



if I had one, or anything else I could get 

 hold of. Supi:»ose a fiend in human form 

 was trying to kidnap a young girl — say 

 your daughter or mine, or it ought not to 

 make anj' difference whose daughter she 

 was. Suppose this fiend in human shape, 

 as 1 have said, was carrying this girl away 

 by force to bring her up to a life of shame. 

 This has been done, and is being done just 

 now, as our daily papers bear record. Now, 

 if this imp of Satan could not be stopped 

 in any other way, I would take a revolver 

 or anything else I could get hold of, and 

 fight; and if I succeeded in killing him I 

 do not think my conscience would trouble 

 me. The laws of our land, and the people, 

 and the law of God would hold me guiltless. 

 There are other places where all or at 

 least most of us are liable to be where, in 

 order to save innocent, unoffending life, we 

 must saerifiee a bad life. A clipping from 

 the Sunday School Times, telling of how a 

 missionary fought to save his life, brings 

 out many important points. 



Going to all sorts of places day and night as I 

 did, in no case was I harmed. 



Perhaps only once was I in personal danger ; but 

 the occasion was so interesting that there was no 

 time to think of the danger. 



I had arrived late at night at the home of a Chris- 

 tian. The country thereabout was infested with rob- 

 bers, smugglers, thieves, disbanded soldiers, and 

 destitutes and thugs — all tough to the nth degree. 

 The people spoke bitterly of the inability and un- 

 willingness of the magistrates to restrain them. 



It was cold winter weather. The prophet's cham- 

 bei' I occupied had once been a stable, and, as a 

 granary and general catch-aU, had not yet lost its 

 pristine flavor. So, as was my custom when not 

 necessary to share quarters with my barrow man 

 and others, I had stripped from the small window 

 all the ragged paper that was pasted on the slats 

 serving for a window frame, and had fastened the 

 door wide open, and placed my folding-cot near it. 

 Cold night air, deliciously fresh, filled the room. My 

 room abutted on the narrow alley. In front of its 

 door was a small yard whose streetward wall was 

 about seven feet high. 



During the night a slight noise in my room awak- 

 ened me. By the light of a full moon, pouring 

 through open door and window, I saw two men 

 standing before one of my boxes, the one I had 

 purposely placed in the corner of the room furthest 

 from the door. It contained my personal effects, 

 also payments for evangelists and schoolteachers — 

 men who, for their part in the re-making of New 

 China, receive the munificent salaries of twenty 

 dollars a vear. 



The cover was up, leaning against the wall, and 

 they were taking out the contents. To get out of 

 the room they had to pass my bed — for which I was 

 thankful. As a member of the University of Penn- 

 sylvania athletic squad I had been lucky enough to 

 get on the police force of Philadelphia ". for some 

 inside experiences." In that work we had learned 

 a few things that admirably supplemented some foot- 

 ball tricks. I remember hurriedly thanking the 

 Lord for it all. I got from the bed as cautiously and 



