at all events, yes, and in a deeper way, too, we know
that character is of more importance than material advancement.'

'Go a step further, sir. Supposing we could win this war at the
expense of the highest ideals of the nation; supposing we could crush
German militarism, and all the devilry which it has dragged at its
heels, by poisoning our own national life, and by binding ourselves by
the chains which we are trying to break in Germany; would it be a good
thing?'

'Very doubtful, at all events,' I replied; 'but why are you harping on
that?'

'Because I am bewildered, staggered. Don't mistake me; I have not the
slightest doubt about the righteousness of our cause. If ever there
was a call from Almighty God, there is a call now, and that call is
increasing in its intensity as the days go by. If Germany won, the
world would not be a fit place to live in; it would be crushed under
the iron heel of materialism and brutalism. All that we regard as
beautiful and holy, all that the best life of the world has been
struggling after, would be strangled, and the race of the nations would
be after material gain, material power, brute force. The more I think
of it, the more I realize this,--we are fighting for the liberty of the
world. But aren't our own men becoming enslaved while they are
fighting? Aren't we seeking to win this war of God at the price of our
own manhood?'

He was so earnest, so sincere, that I could not help being impressed.
Besides, there was truth, a tremendous amount of truth, in what he was
saying.

'Either this is God's war,' he went on, 'and we are fighting for God's
cause, or we are not. If it is simply a matter of meeting force by
force, devilry by devilry then there is not much to choose between us.
But if we as a nation,--the pioneer of nations, the greatest nation
under the sun,--are fighting for the advancement of the Kingdom of God,
then we should eschew the devil's weapons. We should see to it that no
victory is won at the cost of men's immortal souls. Besides, we gain
no real advantage; I am certain of that. I have been in this war long
enough to know that the stamina of our men, the quality of our men, is
not made better by this damnable thing. It is all the other way. Our
Army is a poorer army because of it, and we have lost more than we have
gained by the use of it. That is looking at it purely from the
physical standpoint. But surely, if a man believes in Almighty God, he