THE FREE MAN.

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2711, 4 March 1916, Page 14

THE FREE MAN.

ADDRESS BY DR. WALLACE WILLIAMSON. Tho Edinburgh Volunteer Corps, under the command of Major Charles D. Murray, R.E. (T.), marched on .1 recent Sunday morning to St. Giles' Cathedral, Edinburgh, where they attended tho garrison service. There was a large muster. The Very Rev. I)r. Wallace Williamson preached from 1 Peter ii. 17, "Honour all men: tovo the brotherhood: fear God: honour tho King." It was a great pleasure, the doctor . said, to welcome to St. Giles' the men of Edinburgh's Volunteer Corps. They had come forward at this lime of crisis—not being; eligible for foreign service—offering themselves for the defence of the city., They could onlv rightly do so in tho spirit of our fathers, who chose for the motto of tliia city, "Nisi Dominus frustra." It was a. commonplace to say that we .were ill tho midst of the mightiest crisis in all human history, and unless we prevailed this world lias no placo for us or our children or our children's children. Hetter, far bettor, if it be God's will, that wo should die. Everything that made life worth living was absolutely at stake. Thank God, in our land the response had been marvellous. In spito of the numbers who had held back, it was still true of us as a nation that "the people offered themselves willingly." Dr. Williamson touched 011 the fallacy that had been to the words "Empire" and "conscription." Tho latter meant one thing in an absolute Empire,and quite another filing in an Empire like ours. . A freo people, rising in the ujiit.y of its strength to defend its homes, its women, and its children—who could call himself a freo man who could dare to claim freedom, and stand outside of that great responsibility? There was no such tiling as freedom to he free from our duty. Tinio and strength had been sadly wasted in discussing this great abstraction. Thank God, the nation had risen in its power, and we would now go forward as a united Empire, along with our Allies, who had put forward every man. Wa Also would put forward every man, and go forward in the great cause for God and for the right. CANADIAN LOYALTY. SPEECH BY ARCHBISHOP BBUOHESI. An explanation of the attitude of the Roman Catholic Church in Quebec in regard to the war was made by Archbishop 13ruchesi at Laval University at a meeting in aid of the military hospital of that institution. The Archbishop said:— r"As Canada is a part of the British Empire it is the sacred duty of .the Canadian people to assist Great Britain in her heroic defence of liberty. This position was taken up by the Epihcopacy of French Canada at the outbreak of the war, and this, attitude our Bishops still maintain and will con« tinue to maintain to tho very end. The obligations we owe to tho British,Orown are sacred obligations. It is the solemn duty of every Canadian citizen ,to tho utmost limit of his force to stand side by side with the Motherland in a heroic effort to crush the tyrant who wishes to trample small nations and States beneath his iron heel. What fate would be ours if the Germans obtained a foothold here? Wore Great Britain defeat-, ed Germany would dominate the St. Lau'rence. v French-Canadian countrymen, I,j for one, do not want to be a German citizen." BY WATERS OF BABYLON. The Bishop of Lahore has been visiting tho Mesopotamian Expeditionary Force. Of one service, 1 held on the Sunday evening before the big fight for Kut, the Bishop writes in the "CivTf and Military Ga:>ette":' '.'General Townshend had expressed his wish for a special service, and there, on the dusty aviation square, was gathered tho whole 'of the British force. And as v;e said together the old words, and sang the old hymns, and 1 noted the strained and eager attention with which they listened to the old message, I realised and thanked God for the deep hold that the old Faith had on' the officers and men of the British Army,"