"A FORTUNE TO THE MAN WHO SAVES MY LIFE."

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2740, 7 April 1916, Page 6

"A FORTUNE TO THE MAN WHO SAVES MY LIFE."

Sir,—Those were the List words of a man who stood face to face with death'. He had made money and had plenty, but when the ill-fated New Zealand passenger vessel was about to ' go to the bottom, _ he offered a fortune to the man who saved fiis life. But at that very' moment, no man who was on that boat was loolting for a fortune, and all the money he had made was no, use to him. The angry waves had no respect or, mercy, and the man who offered a. fortune to have ! his life saved was counted amongst the dead. | History repeats itself, and as I read the. accounts of the war, and as I road between the linos, as I watch the different reinforcements march through the streets on their way to the front, as I read Hie names of the men who'are volunteering for tho front, and seo the thousands that are looking on, quito unconcernod, and'see, and feel, the action's of the men who should be up aiid doing, the words of that man on the sinking ship ring louder and loudet inmy ears. But instead of it being one man offering a fortune to have his life saved, I can see thousands offering.all that they have in this world to bo allowed to live. But again history repeats itself, and the waves not of tho ocean but of the enemies of our country rnsh in upon them, and too late these miserable and unfortunate wrotches find that tho amount of gold they have to offer will have no bearing on the. case; that their lives will bo taken, and the wealth they possess will only make the taking of their life all the sweeter to a bloodthirsty enemy. We are at sea as a nation. Our ship is steaming against a terrible storm, and every man, evon every woman and child, will have to do their littlo bit to land us safely on tho calm waters of peace, with our enemies wol] beaten. J regret to say that there aro many who are not alive to the fact, and ] would like to awako in th'em a sense of duty that to me seems dead. If a great many who .have turned M;ho blind eyo oni this war and the demand formed and money, will only picture themselves in the samo position as that man on the sinking steamer—only think of tho steamer as their country, and tho angry waves as the Germans —I feel confident that there will be no need for conscription. The powers that be aro too half-hearted about any action they take. There seems to bo a tendency to feel their way. They seem to be afraid to do anything that would make their position less securo when the next election comes round. If they are forced to go in for conscription thoy will only do it in a half-hearted way. And ail the time we are losing ground, till even when wo do win, we will bo a broken nation. The cream of our race aro going down, soiling their lives to break through the enemy's lines, and tho reinforcements that should be there to make good tho ground they gain aro missing. If wo wait till thoso that control the affairs at Homo have the courage to make every mother's son fall into Hue, we will be too late to

stop the enemy from endangering the lives of our dear ones at Home, and 100 lato to even have a struggle for our own. Mr. Editor'; I hope you will excuse my feoble attempt to awake the sleepers, to stir in the souls of those that have not fallen into line, a sense of duty to their country, if not to themselves, and that you will assist me by finding room for this letter in your daily paper —Thanking you in anticipation, I am, etc., W. FORBES.