SIDELIGHTS ON THE WAR

New Zealand Tablet, 4 March 1915, Page 11

SIDELIGHTS ON THE WAR

STUDENTS FROM JESUIT COLLEGES * AND THE WAR. Father Bernard Vaughan in a Christmas message to Answers says he is prouder than ever of being a Catholic, for from England alone a far larger average of Catholics had gone to the front than of members belonging to any other denomination. And never was he so proud of being a Jesuit as when he learnt that 'from Stonyhurst and Beaumont —two out of seven Jesuit colleges in England— hundred lads had rallied to the colors and many more were in training. THE IRISH OF TORONTO. Canada is sending another Irish regiment to the “fighting line. It is being organised by the Irish Rifle Club of Toronto, and is to comprise 800 members who ■ will purchase their own uniform, accoutrements, and arms. Creed, religion, and politics are to be ignored, Irish birth or extraction, together with the ability to shoot, being the only essential qualifications. OBNOXIOUS FRENCH RULE. We (/ risk Catholic) have reason to know that the French Government has withdrawn the obnoxious notification which sick or wounded soldiers of the Expeditionary Force were required to sign on admission to hospital if they desired the attendance of a priest or Christian burial in the event of their death. It will be remembered that the resolutions adopted by oui bishops at their recent meeting at Maynooth contained a strong protest against this monstrously restrictive document, which, being in French, was practically unintelligible to most of the British and Irish soldiers received in the French military hospitals. IRISH-AMERICAN DOCTOR’S WORK. The correspondent of The. Times in Belgrade says that no account of the recovery of that city by the Servians would be complete without reference to the splendid part played by Dr. Ryan, director of the American Red Cross, during the occupation. Having volunteered to stay when the Serbs left, he preserved order for the 48 hours preceding the Austrian entry and protected all the Serbian wounded and fed them. It is due to his fearless and determined intervention that the city was not destroyed and that a greater number of women and children were not carried off into captivity. To him also must be allowed the credit of the attention received by the Austrian wounded. HOLLAND’S WATER DEFENCES. If the Germans were interfering with Holland a resolute defence would be offered—the troops would quickly fall back on the famous Water Line. Mr. J . W. Robertson-Scott, in the new edition of Ins book about the Dutch which he now entitles War 'lime and Peace in Holland, gives an interesting account of tins old plan of defence. The Water Line is roughly <0 miles long, and from seven to eight miles wide. The flooding is carefully restricted in area. This is done by means of specially built sluices and dykes, and a most carefully worked out system of running on the water The object is to obtain a uniform depth of 18m. But the country lies at all sorts of levels. So the flooding V Trust be done in well-planned sections. The only way in which the inundation can be coped with is by tinning off the water before the flooding is complete, or by force of artillery and high explosives later on when it is complete. Formerly the flooding took a fortnight. It can be done now in two days. The water is drawn from the Rhine, but in an emergency recourse would also be had to the Zuider Zee. It is undesirable to use Zuider Zee water if it can be avoided for item salt, and would inflict damage on the flooded iand from ■which it would-take years to recover. The Amsterdam

Water Line has been supposed to make of 'that city one of the strongest military positions in the ; world. ; »Ip - ■ - '■ f■-’y. V '■ Kf|£T'; FATHER BERNARD VAUGHAN AND STRICKEN ' BELGIUM. * The Commission for Relief in Belgium, have published in 150 American newspapers an open letter to American citizens written by Father Bernard Vaughan, S.J., at their request, appealing for aid in the effort to send food to the starving Belgians. In the course of his letter. Father Vaughan says;—‘Experts calculate that to avert the extinction of Belgians through starvation 60,000 tons of wheat, 15,000 of corn, with 5000 tons of peas or beans, together with other foodstuffs, must be passed into the country monthly. If this supply is kept up every starving citizen may feel sure of getting each day about one-half a soldier’s ration— ounces. If this supply is to be maintained there must flow into the relief fund more than a million dollars a week, practically five million dollars a month.’ It is a work for which America would seem to have been specially deputed by God, says Father Vaughan, and already a generous beginning has been made. Thirty-eight steamers are carrying on the high seas 128,000 tons of relief supplies, valued at over eight million dollars. A HARD NUT TO CRACK. This utterance from the Rev. K. A. Bray, pastor of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Geneva, N.Y., is well worthy of space in a Catholic publication (remarks the Sacred Heart Review'). ‘To those who are forever harping on the power of the Pope, meaning thereby not his spiritual but his temporal power, the problem set by this war must be a hard nut to crack. Here Catholic .fights his brother, each owing allegiance to the same spiritual head, yet each with his life protesting allegiance to different and opposing temporal rulers. Austria, one of Rome’s most faithful children, neglecting the pressure of Rome, along with Germany so largely independent of Rome, fighting France still very largely Catholic; England dominantly Anglican, aided by Ireland, herself divided as by a line into Catholic and non-Catholic camps. If to be a Catholic means loyalty to the Pope in antagonism to loyalty to one’s country, what is the answer to the present situation ?’ BRILLIANT RECORD OF IRISH GUARDS. The Times, in announcing the appointment of Lord Kitchener as Colonel of the Irish Guards in succession to the late Lord Roberts, says; The Brigadier-General, Lord Cavan, commanding the 4th (Guards) Brigade, has paid the following fine tribute to the work of the Irish Guards in a letter received by the officer commanding the Ist Battalion, Colonel Proby : —‘l want you to convey to every man in the battalion that I consider that the safety of the right flank of the British spetion depended entirely on their staunchness after the, disastrous day, November 1. Those of them that were left have made, history, and I can never thank them enough for the way in which they recovered themselves, and showed the enemy that Irish Guards must be reckoned with, however hard hit.’ The Irish Guards, the youngest regiment of his Majesty’s Foot Guards, were formed in 1902, after the 'South African War, as a mark of Queen Victoria’s appreciation of the services rendered by the various Irish regiments of the line. . They went out under the command of Brigadier-General Scott-Kerr, who was wounded early in September, and was succeeded by Lord Cavan. Their Commanding Officer, Lieut.-Col. Morris, and the second in command were killed quite early in the campaign during the retreat from Mons. The battalion was then under the command of Major IT. Herbert-Stepney, who has since been killed. His place was filled by Lieut.-Col. Lord Ardee, who was attached to the Irish Guards from the Grenadiers owing to the dearth of senior officers. Lord Ardee was himself wounded shortly afterwards, and the battalion ills now under the command of Major the Hon. J. F. Trefusis.. ' ’ r ' ” ' • ' “ ___

PRUSSIAN - POLES AND FRANCE. w-•.**■•**«, aw? *.* ■ A conversation with a priest, who filled the delicate mission of chaplain to‘the wounded German soldiers, threw some curious sidelights on the latter’s state of■ mind (says a Paris correspondent). Those who came to Paris, and with whom our friend had -to deal/ were chiefly Prussian Poles' and good Catholics. Our Abbe •was struck by their conviction that France being a thoroughly godless and persecuting .country, it was a righteous act to exterminate her sons. * He astonished them when he told them of the crowded churches, the prayerful soldiers, the strong current of faith which has existed for some years past, but to which the war has added force. To convince foreigners that the French Government does not represent the real soul of. the nation is always a thankless task, and our Abbe, a distinguished Sulpician, had some difficulty in persuading these Poles that all Frenchmen are not atheists. The Emperor of Russia’s liberation of Poland made no impression on them, and they were as incredulous regarding his promises to their country as they had been with regard to the religion of the French soldiers. The anti-clerical Government of France has much to answer for, not only within the country, but also beyond its frontiers. We know from a certain source that the sympathies of many Italian, Spanish, and American Catholics are withheld from the French people because of the attitude of their Government, even at the present time, when it refuses to associate itself with the public prayers that are being recited all over the country. BELGIAN REFUGEES. In an article on the Belgian refugees in the London Evening Sties of November 27, the Countess of Limerick writes :—Among the refugees a few days ago was a party of twelve or fourteen nuns, with their Mother Superior and an old gardener. Their hollow cheeks told a tale of starvation. They were of an Order which saw little of the outside world, and the shock when their convent was bombarded left the Mother Superior, a woman of sixty-five, paralysed. She could not move a muscle of her body, and had to be carried everywhere. We tried to get her into a private motor car, but she was terrified until the owner of the car ran it up and down the roadway adjoining the platform. Then she smiled, and said, ‘ Oh, dearie, dearies, it’s a train without an engine.’ By the way, one of those nuns asked me if I could telephone to her uncle to let him know that she was safe. Her uncle was Mr. John Redmond. I cannot speak too highly of the magnificent bravery of the poor human derelicts that I sec nightly on the platform of Victoria Station. They have heroically sacrificed home and country in an effort to stem the tide of Germans running into France ; by so doing they have played probably the greatest part in this horrible war; yet, though ■ hungry, homeless, and penniless, they express fervent gratitude for the smallest kindness from the hands of those whom they have saved. BRAVERY REWARDED. In his latest despatch General French commends the Second Coldstreanis and Irish Guards for their indomitable pluck in storming two sets of barricades, capturing three trenches, and killing and making prisoner many of the enemy on the Ist of February at Givenchy. Among those whose names appear in the latest list of recipients of the Victoria Cross is that of LanceCorporal Cleary, or O’Leary, of the Irish Guards, who, when leading a storming party, killed five Germans holding a barricade at Givenchy and then rushed on to the second barricade and took prisoners five Germans who were attempting to man a machine gun. He practically captured the position alone. Another recipient of the Victoria Cross is a drummer of the Gordon Highlanders, who rejoices in the suggestive name of Kenny. He fearlessly rescued five wounded men on October 23 at Ypres, and had previously twice saved and carried machine guns out of action.

'' ''— CATHOLIC SOLDIER HERO. * Probably the most important— the most popular— in Oldham, Lancs, at the present time is i Sergeant John Hogan, \of | the 2nd Battalion Manchester Regiment, who was married in. St. Mary’s Church on January 2 (says the London Universe ). A. few days before his marriage, Sergeant Hogan, who had been invalided home, received an intimation that he had been awarded the Victoria Cross for conspicuous bravery near Festubert on October 29. The announcement in the borough of Hogan’s distinction led to a gieat public demonstration, including a civic reception, and the modest hero was feted in a way that would have delighted a king, but which was very embarrassing to the young soldier. On Saturday last, the occasion of his wedding. Sergeant Hogan, V.C., was again feted in the most striking fashion. The marriage took place in St. Mary’s Church, and was celebrated by the rector, Father Godric Kean, in the presence of a crowded congregation. How Hogan won the Victoria Cross is told in the following lines: From October 11 his regiment had had some severe fighting a few miles to the north-east of Bethune, and suffered heavy casualties. All day on the 28th German shells fell thick among the trenches, and continued all night, to be redoubled in intensity at dawn on the 29th. I hen, about 7.15 a.in., about 250 Germans charged from their trenches fifty yards away. They carried one of the forward trenches and occupied it, driving out the defenders, and rushed on to the supporting trenches before they were stopped, with great loss. About 3 p.rn. Sergeant Hogan volunteered to accompany Second Lieutenant Leach to regain the trench, and the two crept up to and into it. Then a desperate fight' ensued inside the narrow trench, the lieutenant and sergeant fighting from traverse to traverse until the Germans were driven to one end. Here they threw up their arms, and sixteen surrendered. When the two emerged they were deaf from the close rifle fire, which was conducted at less than ten yards’ range. Curiously, neither was wounded, although the lieutenant’s cap was knocked to pieces by bullets and the scarf he had wound round his neck was torn to ribbons.