ARCHBISHOP REDWOOD RETURNS

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2492, 21 June 1915, Page 6

ARCHBISHOP REDWOOD RETURNS

IMPRESSIONS ABROAD SIDELIGHTS ON THE WAR His Grace Archbishop Redwood, who returned to Wellington yesterday after a lengthy sojourn abroad, whs, as previously reported, in France at the outbreak'of tho great European war, and was much impressed by what he saw when the Army was being mobilised. The generals, officers, and men with whom His Grace carno into contact all exhibited a. spirit and quiet determination more British than French, every man being resclved to do his duty. "I said to myself," commented His Grace, " 'these men mean to conquer.' " The officers all declared they had a good army, and, though not quite prepared, they were nevertheless going to give tho Germans more than the latter would bargain for or expect. The soldiers on their part expressed the utmost confidence in their officers and the conviction that France was going to win this time. It was a wonderful spirit, pervading tho whole army, the idea of defeat not entering into the calculations. Visits to Spain and Italy. Finding it impossible to change bis money in Franco at that period, Archbishop Redwood crossed the border into Spain, and spent two or three months there traversing the country from north to south and visiting all the principal cities. Afterwards he travelled from Barcelona, by steamer to Genoa, and on to Milan and Home. His business detained him eiglity days in Italy, and throughout his stay there was scarcely a fine day—certainly not three fine days together. When the river Tiber rose 50ft., His Grace was in Home, and also felt the terrific earthquake which wrought such desolation at Avezzano in January. Great statues were knocked down by the 'quake in the ancient city, but fortunately it ceased before doing worse damage. To those who wero near him at the time, His Grace remarked that something terrible was happening in some other parti of Italy, and every hour brought news which confirmed his fears. No fewer than fifteen thousand of tho injured were sent to Rome. Altered Plans, The sad intelligence of the death of Bishop Grimes reached His Grace at Genoa just as he was about to depart from Italy, and he immediately telegraphed his sympathy to the head of the Order at Lyons. _ The German methods of warfare, which by this time had been shown to include tho torpedoing of passenger boats, altered His Grace's intention of visiting England, where he had no special business, lie took passage from Genoa to' New York direct, landed there in Holy Week, and spent over a month in the States. In that brief period real extremes of weather were experienced. Easter Sunday was an awful day. A blizzard descended upon New York, the streets were covered with two feet of snow in a few hours, and the fall was driven by a furious gale. When in Washington a- fortnight later, His Grace saw little of spring, and in Chicago later in tho month the temperature reached "ninety in the shade,',' this being the hottest April day ever known. Strangely enough May was a cold month. Destruction of the Lusitania. Questioned as to how tho Americans viewed the war, the Archbishop stated unhesitatingly that they were entirely for the Allies, Public opinion anil newspaper opinion were absolutely in . our favour. This applied to the whole population, excepting a few Germans. The destruction of the Lusitania had opened the eyes of the Americans, who now believed the stories of tho atrocities committed by the Germans, and they (the Americans) were prepared to back up the stiff Noto sent to Germany. The submarine'put-rages, said His Grace, while not piracy, because ordered by a State, constituted something even worse than piracy. The crime had been correctly designated by the Irish verdict of "Wilful Murder" at the Lusitania inquest.