LORD WOLSELEY ON A SOLDIER'S LIFE

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2185, 29 July 1889, Page 2

LORD WOLSELEY ON A SOLDIER'S LIFE

Yes, the eoldler's life la worth living. But to bollove m this you must expel from Is supreme place among the nognlied objoots of existence that greed of Rain whiob seems now to have f.«s pnad, like a OHDOarous sire, upon moat of the professl >ns and raUiogs of men outside the Army, th» Navy, nnd the 0 -urch. This mad and rentiers lontrloB; for wealth at any price, and, for the luxury wealth oatf pu - chase, la eating away the manly heart of the English nation. It Lai become a religion, with Its apostles and Its writers, ay, even with Its poets. A fpecloiu rhetorlo teles to bled men to <he ofhmln%o? is teaching engenders bat seeks to h : de It derides the le3»on, which t c history of the rise and fail of the gr, nations of antiquity oonveya Its o gre»t oomm^nd Is, " Be rlo»" As yot there are hnppily thoas^o yes, hnadreda of 'hiusaods, m tl. Islands who have no* bent the kne)

this modern and moat I jatheoroe of Bi. .

Tn order that mm should l«arn to dfv.,ofse " the miuly art of self defence," a dow idol has btion created ( ;r thla modern philosophy, the Idol of homan life. Every P'aot oe that oju m nny w.*y tend to endanger life or limb rauit be oondemaed. Those who do not hesitate 10 imma.e (n unhealthy factir'ps hmdrels of men. women, and children, ia Order that they, the epeouUtivo empl yirs, m»y become rloh and leave large (orcunea behind them, complain of the brutality of football, and past Uwb to stop pr'ze-nghtlng. This mandiln philosophy Btrlkea at the foundations upon which great nations are built, and from whloh springs the mainly streogth and oouraga of their none. The world without active p*trlotlemand devotion to duty, would be a world without poetry, without beany, but If want leg In that sturdy valour which both causes and enables Its possessor to fi»ht for his country, the world would Indeed bo bat " blank chaos come again," Patriot am Is In my opinion the mother of all the vlrtaos. All that Is bant and noblest In mm ii cradled In the lovo of home an 1 oountry. From It springs that martial glory, wi hout whloh no nation oan be great or last In. g. But, for this glory, whloh Ike the forcsc tree takes root and spreads, the nation must pay In blood, the blood of hor bravest sons, Happy the country which baa de voted soldiers and sailors always ready to die for her, and thrloe happy those who fallftghtltg m hulr country's oausa. Man's brief spell of Ufo here Is soon over. For eaoh of ns the day approaches qulokiy when the nplrlt must leave this frail body 11 of orumbllng bones and wlrdy dust " When the end comes the soldier who oan truthfully say that he baa striven with oil his mind and strength to do his du'y to his Queen and oonntty with honrßt, humble loyalty, will I believe realise that he has truly served his G id, and that too life be oonseorated to the service of HJng(and wbb certainly worth living. — "Fortnightly Review."