WHO ARE OUR ENEMIES?
John Baker of Brazil, Indiana writes about his childhood in Reminisce magazine. He tells of the Decoration Day parades when the ten surviving Civil War veterans of the Grand Army of the Republic would ride in honor. Baker delivered newspapers and wondered why a customer–Mr. Smith–who was the same age as the Civil War vets was not riding in the car with the other vets. He asked his mother. She said, “Well, Mr. Smith was a Confederate . . . maybe your grandfather can explain it better than I can.” When he asked his grandfather why Smith did not ride in the parade, he replied: “Because he was a Johnny Reb–he was the enemy.” Baker questioned: “But he is our neighbor. And I like him. Is he still the enemy?” The grandfather stroked his beard for a long time. Then he said, “I guess he’s not the enemy anymore. That war ended a long time ago.” Smiling, he added, “I’ll…
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