THE CHURCH AND THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2525, 28 July 1915, Page 2

THE CHURCH AND THE WAR

« — BRITISH SOLDIERS'' RELIGION A SURPRISE FOR THE CENSORS Tho following interesting letter by the' Bishop of London is published in "The Times":— I am glad to accept an invitation to write on this subject, as I should like to say something in honour of the men whom I have learnt to love and respect more than ever during the last fortnight. 1 have held during that time 50 or 60 short services all along tho front of tho battle-line and at all tho bases, and have visited, ward by ward, 22 of the hospitals in France, and have therefore had a unique opportunity of seeing that side of the British soldier's character ■which is often left out in people's estimate of him. We. hear a grc-at deal of his wit and humour his grit, and his splendid courage and endurance'; but little is said of that simple faith which he has imbibed in some quiet home or learnt ill his Sunday school, and which, to a large extent, ;s tho spring and ■ source of his other qualities. As one of the leading . Generals said .to me, "People often ignore tile sentimental side of the British soldier's character." It is to this spiritual side, of course, to -which I went out principally to appeal, and I chose Holy Week and Easter as the most appropriate, time at which to do so. ■ What has encouraged me so much lias been the overwhelming response of the whole Army. A lew of the services wero of the nature of Church parades, but the great majority were purely voluntary. o.n 110 occasion did we have fewer-than 1000 men, and often 4000 j about half tho services were in tho open air, others in cinema theatres, large baths, and (at the bases)the -liugo warehouses where goods are stacked for. the front.

The Easter Communion. The most touching service to myself was early on Easter Day, when, after giving the Holy Communion to 200 officers and men within a mile of tho German lines in a schoolroom the roof of which had been taken off by a shell, I was told at tho end that 150 more men and officers were outside from other regiments asking for their Easter Communion ; and of course I held at once another service for them. Before each service I gave a message from all 'at home, saying that they must imagine that their wives and mothers and children, or sweethearts, had sent them all their love through me, and that the whole nation was thinking and praying for them day and night. When tho ser-' vice began the religious note was struck, at once, and the point I want to emphasise is the immediate response . to the deepest spiritual note. Few tilings will live in'my memory so vividly as the sight, from the wligon or extern-, porised platform which was always arranged tor me, of these thousands of upturned faces singing "When I Survey tho Wondrous Cross," with'a depth anil earnestness about which there could be lio.mistake. At the services just before and on Good Friday I toolc the Words from the Cross, and as the Generals and' officers who attended in largo numbers-, witli tho men often remarked, .."the men' seemed to drink in every word!" The guns booming hard by, and tho' British aeroplanes circling like guardian angels over the service to guard the attractive target of 4000 men and officers with a Bishop in the middle, made the scene yery impressive. Time being always strictly limited, we had sometimes three, • but more often two, hymns, some prayers translated from the Russian Liturgy of a simple character,- of which 1 had taken out 2000 copies, and which were greatly appreci-at-edj and an address of about a quarter of an hour, the whole lasting half au hour. A "Souvenir." , At the end of each service my chaplains, among whom I must specially mention Mr. Macpherson, sonior' chaplain of the Church of England chap-lains,-who gave up a whole fortnight to arrange my tour, give out w'hat the soldiers called u Tiie Bishop's Souvenir" souvenir being one of the French words which tho British soldier ha 3 enthusiastically adopted. Everything is a "souvenir," from a German helmet to a button off a Bishop's' cassock. These particular souvenirs were pictures of our Lord on tho Cross and of His resurrection on Eastor Day, with somo meditations and prayers l"had-written myself. -I had only room to take 10,000, and these made two enormous packages, and they were almost fought for, ° as they began to run short towards the end.

_ livery one spoke of the splendid work of the chaplains of all denominations. I shall take another opportunity of saying what I.saw of them; hut the point which bear's upon flip subject l iii hand is that officers and men seem to look upon them "as guides, philosophers, and friends." ■' 1

• The truth of the matter is that the realities of war have molted away tho surface shyness of men about religion; they feel they are "up against" questions of life and death; and I have heard of more than one censor who has for the first time realised tho part religion bears ill a soldier's life by censoring the innumerable letters home in which _ tho writers ask for the prayers of their relations or express their trust ill God.

The visit of a Bishop was more than justified by the one fact alone' tliat, although such short notice had been given of my visit, 200. were waiting to be confirmed, some with the mud of tlio trenches still wet on their putties.

In the Hospitals. It was, however, perhaps most of all in tlio hospitals that the religious character of the British soldier came out. The lines «nd lines of wounded men and boys in those 22 hospitals, admirably looked after by a devoted band of doctors ami nurses, form the most pathetic note of war, while the patienqe and courage with which those terriblo wounds are borne is its highest inspiration. • I only hoped that instead of the brief word which was all that was possible to each 'I had had time for the long and confidential talk for which I could sco by their faces they would liavo been ready.

Sometimes it was possible to do more. Olio young man, little , more tli.au a boy,"just carried in from the trenches, diot through the shoulder, ,at a clearing hospital at the front, held out his arms towards mo with a radiant smile. I thought for a moment ho was in

delirium, but lie was an Enst-end lad, a communicant at an East-end cliurcli, who saw the Bishop lio know so well passing his bed. I .need not' say that 1 tried my best to help him in that hour of pain and trial. But the incident was in itself a parable; in his hour of need the soldier turns . instinctively to tho religion of his childhood; and in tho men ami boys who aro fighting our country's battles wo have more than brave heroes—wo have potential saints.

CENERAL FRENCH AND HIS MEN. A,NOBLE TRIBUTE. Dr. Wallace Williamson delivered a great address on the war at the recent General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. To. fill a church on Sunday that is usually empty is a great enough tributo to the preacher's power (writes the Rev. A. W. Fergusson in the'"British Weekly"), but to fill the General Assembly on a Saturday forenoon, when it is invariably empty, is a tribute greater still. And that was Dr. Wallace Williamson's triumph, for it had gone abroad that lie was to tell of his experiences at the front, from which ho had just returned the day the Assembly opened. ' Dr. AVilliamson never had a 'subject that suited him better. Ho is the orator of our Church par excollencc; one wonders if tho Empire itself has a greater. We have ourselves heard many of tho greatest orators. It is certain that, in our calmest judgment, we have heard none to equal him.. 'Here are some of his most telling sentences: •

"He had met Sir John French in days of peace; he had stood beside him at the opening of a little church hall when they were singing together from the Scottish paraphrases; he met the little quiet man 'some months later in tho middle of a political crisis, when ho said ho had had the worst twenty-four hours of his life" (Ca'lander and the Ourragh). "Since then many twentyfour hours had passed, and tho man lie saw that day of his interview was the same quiet man, but transfigured, bright, clean, confident, the perfect picture of the 'happy warrior.' He stood for the core and the brain of the British Army, and tho core and the brain were sound."

"He had addressed a thousand men ready to go straight to battle, men of their Scottish regiments. 'May the blessing of God be with you at it was with your fathers. I bless you in the name of the Lord.' And as they marched off there was a lull for a moment, and a quiet man in khaki standing by said, with a clear ring in his voice, 'Remember Belgium.' It was the most eloquent speech lie had-ever heard."

"The British soldier was the most wonderful nian on earth at this moment. In peace ho was the most cheerful of souls, in suffering uncomplaining, in death brave and simple and calm.'' • ■ •

■ "At Ypres four shells had been dropped on the party—threo ordinary ones, said an officer, for the soldiers, and 1 a.high explosive one for tho Scots Moderator."

"His-impressions might bo summed up in this—the most intense.. admiration for' tho .bravery of their soldiers, the most intense .admiration for the devotion .of the nurses aild doctors and chaplains, and great thankfulness for the quiet confidence of their leaders. Give John French men and munitions, and John French will give you victory and peace." (L'oud cheers.) J'He ventured to give to a great gathering of soldiers which he had attended the mossage to remember that there was only one way to pence. It was through the bloodstained path of war. They were the peacemakers, and the Master had said, 'Blessed are the peacemakers.' H6; shed His blood for the peace of the world. These soldiers were also giving their- lives, and tliey had a humble right to claim their share in that pro-, mise," CARDINAL BOURNE'S WAR IMPRESSIONS. ~~ YPRES AND THE GERMAN EMPEROR, Cardinal Bourne was present , when tht- Westminster Cathedral Choir gave a concert in tho Cathedral Hall in aid of tho Altar Society's funds. He delivered an address on his impressions and. experiences at the front. . British people, ho said, must malco up theuminds for a long and resolute fight if the issuo was to bo what they hoped it would be. We should need everj rosourco in men, money, and munitions which the British Empire could possibly place at the disposal of t-lio authorities. Ho was groatly impressed at tho front by the marvellous organisation of tho British Army, for although great numbers of men and vast quantities of stores had been taken across the Channel not a single man or ton of stores, as far as he was nwnro, had beon lost, notwithstanding the recent activity of the enemy submarines. He was also impressed with the great care taken of the men, their'health,- and their feeding. Tho cheerfulness of 'the men was most extraordinary, even when seriously .wounded, and they were most reluctant to accept anything in tho nature of sympathy. When lie was at Ypres he was told an interesting as tho German excuse for the destructive bombardment of the fine old town. It was that the Kaiser had made up 3iis mind to be in Ypres on a- certarn date to proclaim tho annexation of Belgium, and as lio was unable to carry out 3iis programme he spitefully ordered the town to be shelled and destroyed.