OUR RETURNED SOLDIERS.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 220, 23 August 1917, Page 4

OUR RETURNED SOLDIERS.

“Patriotism depends as much o mutual sufiirjug as on mutual su cess. —D ’lsraeli. 4b To the Editor. ” Sir, —Be it known at the outset am neither a member of the Patriot: Soeietynor was I on the Returned So diers’ Ball Committee, when I say thj was amazed to read in Tuesday night paper the unheralded and unimhellisl cd precis of what has been read at ,th last meeting of the Patriotic Societ of the business done since the pr< vious meeting. We are but huxnai liable at time to doubt those in whoi we have most trust; but if in th minds of any one of us there has lii gered a doubt as to the good wor that is being done by the local Patr otic Society, surely this modest stat< ment of facts dispels it once and fc all ! But every student of human ni tur e knows that the right word spoke at the psychological moment has helpful and subconscious influence i shaping our future reasoning and ou look, and it seems to me had' our Si cicty given us such details aflter eac meeting held the little frictapn an misunderstanding (no Ay happily se tied) over .recent events, would neve have happened. As ; the poet Macdonal puts it: * i.,. ~ -“The're comes a’mist and a blindin rain, And life is never-the same again, but there follows the blessed healin influence of sympathy in each other point of view.. Every. Ip.ver of art ever student of the ki ows the hold in charm and leavening influence ot coi trast, so that the very simplicity i the telling of this human doeumei that lies before mo makes ir stand m from the picture in spite of itsel There is pathos ?n, each came-) stor of the assistance given round which r volves a world of human experienc suffering and practical sympathy give —that sympathy that at moments c distress and loneliness is every wh as necessary as material aid. Ever student of life and history knows tt truth, alas, of the old Greek maxin “When the soldier returns from tl war he is forgotten;’’; and that the'hi ter truth of it must: be .older than tl glory that was Greece and the gra: deur that -was Rome. But it has take us many centuries of travail to tal the truism to heart, and wav-are bi beginning to understand its eanee. The soldier who has been to th modern war has had a glimpse of He more awful in its effect than the drea of Dante, and all the influence of a: cestry, home and, envirlament thj goes to build up character has bee brought into violent action. None wi return the same individual he left m the steadfast youth will come back more thoughtful and silent man; "bi let us admit the sad truth that mar will return —many , have returnedbroken in will and outlook. We mu be prepared for this, and take such hand with all the intelligence, knoA ledge and practical sympathy at 01 disposal. Our Patriotic Societies a; splendidly ’ trying to , grapple with tl problem, and we must aid and ab them. Let us take each other into 01 confidence and trust, in this noble t fort. It is-human to err and life at tl best of times, is so complex that noi can say that he sees the path ans lutely aright be he. never so prescier Drink, the greatest' > temptation thi has caught the soldier in all wars, wi have to be grappled wjth—nothing kil self-respect sooner when it is 'taken drown a conscious ror subconscio:

sense of wrong, sorrow, or < emotio Our responsibility does not qfcd with scrap of paper on which are the wor< “ Discharged—unfit, V. whether it he good discharge or u'. bad one. Franc the highest civilised .country and mo intellectual race in the world to-da quickly grasped this fact, and fro the start has with her well known loj cal method seen to ir the need of -teat ing trade or calling to its broken hero so as to fit them to grapple with t future with hope and courage; but tl must he apprehended before mistak hospitality and its aftermath poiso the mind and embitters the soul. H( this is to be accomplished I leave my betters. Our own Shakespeare—t greatest of practical thinkers h given us a hint when he coined th immortal truth into compelling wore “’Absence of occupation is not res A mind quite vacant is a mind d tressed. ’’ f Therein, my masters, lies the truth the problem to be faced. Help our turned soldiers to help themselves. I our material efforts be guided w: an understanding sympathy and warm by that enthusiasm that conquers things. Our soldiers, have a bond community of spirit that is theirs alo: Help them to secure a meeting pla not in which to waste their time a a place of actual cc panionship when visiting ~or passi through our town'Until this unsettl: war restlessness has,given place to common round, the daily task of blc

«d work that alone can help broken to recovery of mind, if not altogether of body. In conclusion, to the - returned soldier I would beg leave to earenstly and sincerely say: "Buck up ! be. still the man. Only in helping others to can you help youtAself. ’ ’ —l am, etc., ONLOOKEE. Taihape, 21st August, 1917. (To the Editor.) Sir,—Again, Mr. Editor, at the risk of tiring the public and of exhausting your patience by continuing this correspondence I must ask. for space m your columns to reply to Mr. James’s letter. Mr. James contends That the report of the meeting of the patriotic Committee which appeared in Tuesissue of your paper should be a convincing reply to my letter. I am of opinion that it is no reply whatever, considering that the business, of the meeting was transacted by all the members of the Committee and hot just by those who voted against grantting the request of the Eeturned Soldiers, and, considering also, that I mentioned particularly in my letter that there was no discussion on the general treatment of the Eeturned Soldie~s by the Patriotic Committee. Mr. James

has much to say with regard to the obfor which the money was applied, but I am quite sure all your readers can readily understand that, (leaving out of all consideration the wording of the request) had the grant been made the profits of the Ball, would have been increased to the extent of £lO and Mr. James would have felt much happier when speaking to the soldiers during the evening, aa • 'a member of the Patriotic Committee I would like to say that I quite agree with Mr. James when he states, that as the committee did not grant the money to the soldiers it is still part of the funds of the Society. In conclusion, sir, I would point out that I was under the impression that the 500 civilians who attended the ball paid for their own entertainment and that it was the thirty soldiers that the Ball treated as guests.—l am, etc.,

JAS. F. THURSTON, Taihape, August 22 1917.