.nstian ocience and
TKeWorld War Tkeir Propaganda Among the Soldiers and Growing Control of Community Affairs. The Birth of The International Christian T ru th Society
B ÿ Rev. S T E P H E N B Y R O N D E X T E R
I w ant to tell you a story which has grown out of my trip to F ran ce w ith th e A. E. F. When I left Montreal, Canada, w ith some th ree hundred Y. M. C. A. Sec retaries, like most men going over, I was somewhat concerned about German subm arines as several tran sp o rts had been torpedoed and many lives lost among officers and soldiers going to th e fron t from th is side. As I jo u r neyed from Montreal my fear of subma rines did not dim inish b u t I became cognizant of o th er dangers which were more subtle. On th e first n igh t ou t I m et w ith a serious accident, falling over a hatch way I sprained my ankle. I sprained it so severely th a t on tak ing off my shoe la ter my sock stuck to th e swollen p a rt and to re th e flesh so th a t my foot became very much inflamed and blood poisoning set in. It became very pain ful. I called a man among th e Y. men who was supposed to be a physician and he gave me little atten tion , he rubbed my foot twice b u t refused to apply any medicine whatsoever. I found upon talk ing w ith him th a t he had been a Scientist and was still tain ted w ith C hristian Science. He told me th a t much of my trouble was in my m ind. I knew b etter th a n anybody else th a t my trouble was in my foot. My foot grew gradually worse un til on th e sixth day my pulse w ent up to 110 and a swelling appeared in my
groin. I was now in such pain th a t I could h ard ly re st my foot on th e floor. I called for th e doctor all day b u t he did not p u t in an appearance, th en something took place w ithin my breast. I determ ined th a t I would doctor my self so I dism issed my physician, pro cured peroxide and iodine and w ent to work. I stayed th e blood poison and managed to get around du ring th e bal ance of th e journey to Liverpool, it ta k ing sixteen days in all to complete th e trip. When I arriv ed a t my hotel, upon consultation w ith a physician, he in formed me th a t it would tak e me weeks to recover since th e blood poison had worked all th rough my system. Being determ ined to reach my destination, however, I w ent on to P aris, w here in course of tim e I recovered, b u t my experience had opened my eyes to something, and th a t something is w hat I w an t to bring home to th e read er of th is tract. I had uncovered a subtle and pernicious teaching. I had given my services to my coun try to help th e boys over there. My h e a rt was as much in th e service to win th e w ar as th e h e a rt of th e man who on the b attle fron t was shouldering a gun, I had gone over to cheer th e depressed, to help th e suffering and, if called upon to do so, to care for th e dying to th e extent of giving my life. I m et Red Cross nurses and Salvation Army w orkers as well as Y. M. C. A.
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