THE SOUL OF A SOLDIER
NOBLE LANGUAGE. i A soldier of Canada-r-Trivale Bertram S,-Taylor, of the 27th Battalion—in a letter from the front, crystallises in noble language some of the thoughts and feelings of his fellow-soidiers face to face in France with the Great War. He is not bo_astful, nor does be sing chants of hate against the enemy. On the contrary, he reveals 'instead a brave and patient heart, deeply stirred by the awfulness of war, the horror and tragedy of it all and the terrible responsibility of those who have imposed it on the world. His experiences have for him a messagewhich will go straight to the heart of every lovei of the true aid the beautiful This is what he wrote to his father: "We are here fighting for an ideal We are not hero for glory. There is no glory in slaying a fellow-man—a fellow-crea-ture created in God's image We are not here for fun or our amusement. There is no fun or amusement in modev. warfare. We are here fighting for peace, for the fellowship of man' in its fullest meaning, for the equal rights of the weak, both for men and for nations. When I joined the Canadian army I .did so after a careful survey of the question, from all sides and angles. I will not mention now the cause} of the. war They are too well known to need repenting. Sufficient that Canada and the Allies are right, and my duty lays, as a Christian, and as a gentleman, to try and do what 1 could to bring tlie war to a successful conclusion. •'Revenge is an unworthy Impulse, and I will not cherish it for myself; but some guilty ones must some day be punished for the grievous wrongs the have dene and sins committed. There is a Higher Judge in whose.hands all this rests. My life is also in Ilia keeping, j Our only prayer in these days must be to teach us to say "Not ours but Hiy j will be done, 0 Lord."
"Thousands of Canadians have'already died, and probably many more.will die, and we will not grudge the., dying if we accomplish what we. set out to do. However, if party politics 'and corrupt ov weak officials at home oO'sct and lose For us what we have fought and died for out here, then dying will have still been worth while, for we will have done our best; but it will make us lose \r, a great extent the atisfaction of dying." | ' Private Bertram Taylor laid down hi" life during the fight for Conrceletve. To his father he said: ''And the big idea I want to impress on you is thai if it is my lot to die, lam satisfied." And this wish was gratified. His words will stimulate others to do their duty, and his example will live a more enduring monument than brass to tbU true gentleman and gallant hero.—Vancouver World. ! ,
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Taranaki Daily News, 12 January 1917, Page 7
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496THE SOUL OF A SOLDIER Taranaki Daily News, 12 January 1917, Page 7
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