CONCENTRATIONbut the methods of the evangels of the new cult were full of
fire and emotionalism. They denounced the sinner, the vile
character and the man who took advantage of his neighbor.
They pointed to the religion of the Master as an example
that all should follow.
Alvin Gets Religion
Alvin Cullom York startled his neighbors one night by
flinging himself down at the mourners' bench. Old men
stirred in their seats and women craned their necks, as York
wrestled with his sins in the shadows of the Tennessee
mountains.
York became an ardent apostle of the new religion. He
became an exhorter, a leader in the religious life of the com-
munity, and, although his marksmanship was as deadly as ever,
no one feared him who walked in the path of righteousness.
When the news of the war reached that remote section
of Tennessee, and the mountaineers were told that they were
going to be "conscripted," York grew sullen and disagreeable.
He didn't believe in killing human beings, even in war. His
Bible taught him, "Thou shalt not kilL" To his mind this was
literal and final. He was branded as a "conscientious objector."
The draft officers anticipated trouble. They knew that his
mind was made up, and they would have to reach him in some
manner other than by threats of punishment.
War in a Holy Cause
They went to York with a Bible and showed him that
the war was in a holy cause-the cause of liberty and human
freedom. They pointed out that men like himself were called
upon by the Higher Powers to make the world free; to protect
innocent women and children from violation; to make life
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