(1918) Conscientious Objector

The war ended and Oscar's time in seminary ended. He was now eligible for conscription into the army. He was more interested in avoiding this because he did not agree to shooting at people on Christian principles, and he was eager to return to China. Oscar applied for a passport, but was not able to get one to travel as his brother had done shortly before. The government officials were being more strict with issuing passports. So to avoid conscription for the time being Oscar went to a 'preacher's seminary' in Hamburg, Germany for a semester or two.1 Classes in Hamburg were, of course, all in German, a language which he did not learn very well and what he did know he eventually lost.

Oscar returned to Sweden, but was still not able to leave for China. Not being able to leave he was still eligible for conscription. He decided to get it over with and so registered for the army in the town that represented his area of the country Malmslätt. Soon they called him in.

Conscientious objector status did not excuse people from conscription in Sweden, but just from fighting. Once registered as a conscientious objector after entering the army which Oscar did. He would have to appear before a board to argue his case.

On Oscar's first night in the army he was ordered to take a rifle and go on duty. Being a conscientious objector, Oscar, of course, did not want to do this. And if he would have, he would weakened his stance as a conscientious objector before the authorities.

A farm boy was with Oscar at the time.

"Look here, they say that I should go on duty tonight, will you do it?" he said to the farm boy. "I'll give you five crowns to take my place."

"OK!" the farm boy said. Five crowns was not small change to a farm boy, and no doubt not small change for a missionary.

The officer who ordered him on guard duty was very nice about the whole thing later saying that he did not realize that Oscar was a conscientious objector. He would not have ordered him to guard duty if he had known.

Afterwards Oscar heard that one of the officers had phoned the minister, Jelin, in Linjöping. He asked Jelin, "This Rinell he is very radical. What do you say about it?"

"Oh he's fine," he says. "Nothing wrong with him."

Oscar appeared before the board. He did not base his case on specific Bible verses because the authorities were pretty good at arguing those, but rather on general Christian principles.

Oscar server for a time, working in the laundry with one fellow above him in rank, a very nice fellow. He later asked his superiors if he could leave to go to China and they agreed.

Margaret and Edith went to America with their parent (?). Erik stayed behind because he was not yet done with school. [Is this in Sweden?]

Siege of Tsingtao by Japanese

Japanese laid seige to Tsingtao against German groups. See Wilhelm Matzat's email and photos plus Japanese lithograph of evernt in Archivers 82.

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Footnotes