512 



quickly as possible, but not so quickly as to save a 

 rush at me. 



Chinese thieves expect no quarter, and usually 

 give none When I retired I had mechanically laid 

 a knife — big, sharp, and heavy — under my cot, with- 

 in reach of my hand. It flashed over me: "Better 

 not use that knife." And instantly I made a flying 

 football dive for the foremost man, who was coming 

 straight at me. I caught him in what is technically 

 called " sure," just above the knees. The momen- 

 tum of my weight toppled him backward like a log. 

 He struck his head violently on the hard earthen 

 floor, and one thief was temporarily out of business. 

 I, of course, went down with him, and the other 

 fellow was immediately on my back and brandishing 

 a wicked corn-cutter. He lost it in the scuffle, and 

 I was able to rise up with him clinging and shake 

 his grip down to my waist. That Vv'as a poor hold 

 to impede an opponent, as any football player knows. 



Whirling hard, I broke his grip, faced him, and 

 with a swift twist of his neck, tripped and jammed 

 him down to the ground, knee on his chest, and 

 fingers digging into his throat. The family heard 

 the fracas and were soon on the scene, and in short 

 order the rascals were bound hand and foot. 



I had not time nor inclination to make a long 

 journej- to the county-seat and accuse the robbers 

 before the magistrate. So I turned them over to 

 the indignant villagers, who, under the village eld- 

 ers, gave them such a paddling as rascals rarely get 

 outside the yamens'. After some rough handling 

 they were loosed, with the admonition that in the 

 future, when out on their forays, thoy st€er clear of 

 that village. 



Please note that this good missionary 

 would probably have lost his life had he 

 not in former years been a member of an 

 athletic club. He was also an expert, as 

 we take it, in football, and he says he re- 

 membered hurriedly to thank God for it all 

 — that is, his first prayer was to thank the 

 Lord for the skill he had acquired in athlet- 

 ics and football games. Now, here is one 

 thing I admire him for. In contemplation 

 of sudden attack he had placed a "big sharp 

 heavy knife" within reach." He says it 

 flashed through his mind, " Better not use 

 the knife." I think it w-as the Holy Spirit 

 that prompted this decision. He not only 

 saved his own life, but he avoided taking 

 life. In every emergency like this our 

 constant prayer should be that we might 

 avoid the necessity of taking life. In fact, 

 I am not sure that we are ever excusable in 

 taking life merely to save property. Just 

 at this crisis in human history, it is right 

 and proper that eveiy follower of the Lord 

 Jesus Christ should be considering and 

 praying over this matter of war. My good 

 friend W. A. Selser, of Philadelphia, who 

 has no doubt been impressed with the Billy 

 Sunday sermons, has just paid us a visit. 

 He takes the ground, as I understand it, 

 with the writer at tlie head of this article, 

 that if Belgium liad permitted the German 

 troops to i^ass through their territory un- 

 hindered, and had turned " the other cheek 

 also," as we have it in our text, this whole 

 gi-eat war might have been averted. 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Permit me, in closing, to give an extract 

 from a sermon by our pastor. Rev. H. Sam- 

 uel Fritsch, given to the remaining G. A. 

 R. veterans on the second Sunday preced- 

 ing Memorial day. May 23 : 



We need to remind ourselves that, just as God 

 gives to different individuals different tasks, some 

 one thing and some another, so also God gives to 

 different generations different duties. 



We need to remind ourselves of this truth, espe- 

 cially and particularly and emphatically in these 

 days when half the world is war-crazy, and there is 

 iiiiDiediate danger of the other half of the world 

 catching the disease! 



There is a real and immediate danger that Amer- 

 ica, in the exciting and irritating atmosphere of the 

 European war, lose her head. There are some peo- 

 ple who feel that the only real patriotism is the 

 patriotism that fights and kills. We need to remind 

 ourselves to-day in unambiguous and unequivocal 

 language that there are two kinds of war — necessary 

 war which is patriotic and divine; unnecessary war 

 which is treason and devilish. 



You and your sleeping comrades served your 

 country by the war method. You fought for a prin- 

 ciple, for the perpetuation of the government, for 

 the freedom of humanity. War was the task that 

 your generation laid upon you, and we honor and 

 commend you becau.se you served your own genera- 

 tion in that generation's own and only way. 



But it does not follow that therefore the task of 

 this generation must also be war. I believe that, in 

 spite of the irritating and iniquitous situation aris- 

 ing out of the European war, our President is right 

 in his attitude of watchful waiting; and that to-day, 

 from a mistaken motive of defending the national 

 honor, to start a war and sacrifice the flower of 

 America's young manhood upon the altar of jingois- 

 tic pride would be nothing short of damnable trea- 

 son 1 



I believe that such men as Woodrow Wilson, 

 William Howard Taft, and William Jennings Bryan 

 are absolutely right when they assure us that Amer- 

 ica's task in this world-wide and world-wild holo- 

 caust and cataclysm is something other than war. 

 And if the present generation in America is opposed 

 to war and preaches against war, it is not that we 

 denounce or discount the method and the task of the 

 past generation ; it is simply that we recognize the 

 fact that the method and the task of the present 

 generation is different from that of the past. And 

 the only way in which we can serve our generation 

 is to serve it according to the method and needs of 

 our generation. 



In regard to the scripture quotation from 

 the good brother whose letter heads this 

 Home paper, my understanding is that these 

 passages in our texts refer mainly to neigh- 

 borhood differences. It is a strong injunc- 

 tion to put up with injustice and abuse 

 rather tlian to tight and go to law; but I do 

 not think it applies to the midnight assassin. 

 Under the influence of drink, or perhaps the 

 modern doj^e, eases come up every few daj's 

 where some wretch murders a whole family. 

 Xow, are we to undeistand that the father 

 and protector of this family should do noth- 

 ing at all to protect liiinself or the loved 

 ones? Shall he not fight, and be ready to 

 take life in order to save life, when no other 

 course is left open to him? Will our good 

 friend J'oister answer this? 



