THE NEW ELIZABETHANS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3030, 17 March 1917, Page 8

THE NEW ELIZABETHANS

The publication of a remarkably interesting book entitled "Charles Lister: Letters and Befollections" reminds us that the war has made serious inroads upon the world's intellectual and spiritual wealth. Charles Lister was the son of Lord RibbleSdale, and has been described as one of the "great Balliol brotherhood of the fallen." Probably in no other war has there been such a clear-cut distinction between the forces.of good and evil, light and darkness, freedom and tyranny, as in tho present epic conflict between the materialistic "Kultur" of Germany and' the ideals of Christian civilisation—a conflict which the French philosopher Ber<3- ■ son has aptly .likened to a struggle between matter and spirit. Young men.of: the., type' of .Charles Lister responded to the Empire's call with wonderful enthusiasm. It appealed with irresistible force to their crusading spirit, their love of adventure, their instinct of generosity. They have fought greatly in a great cause, and those who have fallen would not have us weep for them. Their lives have not been thrown away. • They lived intensely, and they realised that intensity of life counts for' mora ■ than mere length of days.

We feel (6ays "The Times" reviewer) the greatness of the cause enhanced by the sacrifice it has called for, and, instead of blind calamity, we recognise a purpose willingly sought and wholly attained, a fruition not the less complete because it falls lone before tho normal harvest time. On all sides we sea arising a new race of Elizabethans—Elizabethans in splendour of gifts and'brave versatility of spirit. Three years ago we may have thought we lacked the type, but in reality we lacked, only the occasion. When the horizon broadened and the trumpets blew, the'great ages were reborn before our eyes; and no Raleigh, or Sydney, or Gilbert, ever went to death .with a lighter heart than thoso youiigmen of' ours upon whom the end of the world had come.

Lister was in the diplomatic service when the war began, but nothing could keep him out of the army. He served for a timo in the Middlesex Yeomanry, and subsequently in tho Royal Naval Division with a number of Eton and Oxford friends. In this congenial company he lived joyfully and dangerously till the end of his short but eventful career. During the fighting in Gallipoli he was wounded three times, the third wound proving fatal. He was mentioned in dispatches for "brilliant deeds of gallantry." The war has caused a sad thinning of the ranks of tho young men who seemed destined to be the future leaders of. the world's thought. Charles Lister, Raymond Asquith, the Grenfells, Rupert Brooke, Donald Hankey, and scores of others of tho same type ba-vo made the supreme sacrifice. _ Some of them were equally distinguished in athletics and in literature. In this war the combination of intollect with courage is what has enchanted the world, says the Spectator. "Think of Julian Grenfell, scholar, poet, steeplechase rider, polo player, _ and boxer, within a few days writing tho most memorable poem produced in the war— Into Battle— and knocking out a | professional prize-fighter who offered to take on all-comers." Think, too, of that scholarly and highminded Australian clergyman, Dr. Digges la Touche, who was so passionately convinced of the justice of the cause which brought Britain into tho conflict that ho forthwith laid aside all other duties and interests in order to play his part on the battlefield. Ho volunteered to act as a chaplain, but was too impatient to wait his turn, and entered tho Australian Army as a private. Ho soon rose to tho rank of lieutenant, but his iilo was cut short by a Turkish bullet at the commencement of the Gallipoli cauipaign. Tho Dean of Sydnov was shocked to soo the face of his friend in a row of fallen soidiors laid out for burial. Donald Hankey, who gained fame as the author of A Student in Arms, died in the samo gallant way, without regret and without repining It is of audi |as these that Robert Bridges : the j Poet Laureate, was thinking when ' he .wrote.:!

But ye, dear Youth, who lightly in the

day of fury Put on England's glory as a common

coat. And in your 6taturo of masting gTace' Stood forth warriors complete, No praise o'ershadowcth yours to-day, AValking out of the home of love, To match, the deeds of all tlie dead. The loss of these splendid young intellects is ono of tho most tragic phases of this terriblo war. But it would bo treachery to tho highest instincts of the human race to think that our fallen heroes have died in vain. Their bravery and self-sacri-fice have prepared the way for the victory which still remains to be achieved, and their lives and deaths have enriched tho spiritual inheritance of the nation. The war has a bright side as well as a dark side. In a recent address at Oxford, Dr.. Jacks, editor of tho Hibbert Journal, remarked that though nonecould say tho past year was a happy one, in view of the private sorrow and public anxiety; yet for multitudes of men and women it had been a good year; in which for the first timo they had really- begun to live-. Wo are too near to events to see the bigness and depth of tho now life, the great awakening from pettiness and selfishness. Tho long viow is tho true one. It is bright in the far future; England will appear to posterity as a nation that followed the light Dr. Jacks knows well that far too much pettiness and selfishness still exist among us, but the war has proved that tho •heart of the nation is sound. Never has tho British race been called upon to undertake such a colossal task as that with which it is now grappling, and nover has it answered a call more gallantly. We are now being "lessoned in tho school of war," and when we are in a pessimistic mood and feel doubtful about the future of tho Empire, the splendid way in which the men in tho trenches are battling for freedom and justice, and for the protection of the weak against the remorseless fury of unbridled strength, tho courage and self-sac-rifice and patient endurance of our mothers, and wives, and sisters, should inspire us with high hope for tho future.