SIDELIGHTS ON THE WAR

New Zealand Tablet, 10 June 1915, Page 17

SIDELIGHTS ON THE WAR

' -GENERAL. According to the Matin (Paris), the battle front held by the French is 543 miles long, while the British front is 31, and the Belgian 17. " This, better than anything else, affords a comprehensive idea of the respective numerical strength of the Allies in the west, and the tremendous task imposed upon France. MAJOR E. J. O'NEILL,-D.S.O. Major Eugene Joseph O'Neill, who lias been awarded the Distinguished Service Order for gallantry and devotion to duty at the Dardanelles, is a son of the late Sergeant O'Neill, of-Dunedin, and brother of Rev. Fathers P. J. O'Neill (Riversdale), and D. O'Neill

(Invercargill). lie was born in Dunedin in 1875, and received his primary education, at the local Christian Brothers’ School, where he was dux. He graduated M.B. and Ch.B., at the University of Otago. During 1899-1900 he was house surgeon at the Dunedin Hospital, and in 1902 he went to South Africa as surgeoncaptain with the Sixth New Zealand Contingent, and was mentioned in despatches for gallant conduct in attending to wounded under fire. At the close of the war he went Home to continue his studies in the London Hospital, and in August, 1903—after holding several important medical appointments and obtaining his diplomas as M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P., London, F.R.C.S., Edin.—-he returned to his native city. He joined the medical staff of the First New Zealand Expeditionary Force, and proceeded with it to Egypt, and from there to the Dardanelles. Those who arc personally acquainted with Major O’Neill will not be in the least surprised to hear of his winning distinction for gallantry. He is a born fighter, absolutely without fear: and valuable as is the medical and surgical service which he is rendering, it is just a question whether his energy, determination, and resourcefulness would not find

greater,scope and an even more congenial sphere in the lighting line itself. In whatever capacity he serves, Major O'Neill can he relied upon, to bring credit to himself and to his city. The following particulars of Major O'Neill's service are taken from the Army List:—South African war, 1901-2. Operations in. the Transvaal, March to July, 1901, and October, 1901, to March, 1902. Operations in the Orange River Colony July, 1901, and August to October, 1901. Operations in Cape Colony—July and August, 1901. Mentioned in despatches, London Gazette, August 20, 1901. Queen's medal with five clasps. Major O'Neill has the added honor of having been recommended for the D.S.O. for his gallantry during the Boer war. A LETTER FROM EGYPT. The following letter (writes our Auckland correspondent) was read by the Rev. Father Cahill at the meeting last week of the confraternity of the Holy Family. The writer is Corporal P. Ashton Warner, of the Howitzer Battery, and the letter, which was written at Zeitoun, Cairq, on March 9, was addressed to the Rev. Dr. Ormond : —'Just a few lines from a member of the Holy Family Confraternity of Auckland. I am writing these because I think it my duty towards my brother members, and am enclosing two post-cards, which show the picture of the sycamore tree and the church, which is built on the exact spot where it is said the Holy Family rested. I daresay you have seen these pictures before, but I would like the other members to sec them. I entered the church and offered a prayer for all the members of the confraternity, .and, as this is the night of the meeting, my mind carries me back to those beautiful meetings which I always enjoyed, and will never forget. We have Mass every Sunday morning at the magnificent church at Heliopolis. Rev. Father Richards generally officiates. I hope you will excuse me writing with a pencil, as I think myself lucky to have even that, as we are camped right in the desert, seven miles from Cairo, and this is all the paper I can get. lam glad to say that all the boys are keeping well, and are as happy as can be expected. Will you kindly ask the members of the Holy Family Confraternity to say a prayer or two for us. I can assure you you are never forgotten by us.' i A TRIBUTE TO CATHOLIC PRIESTS. The Rev. Richard Hall, a Wesleyan minister, who had acted as chaplain to the Expeditionary Forces since the beginning of the war, was for ten weeks associated with Father Bradley, S.I. 'I never met a more unselfish man than Father Bradley,' said Mr. Hall, in a public address at Derry; ' I remember one night we were sleeping by a river, and I thought I felt a cold coming upon hie. Father Bradley wanted me to take his blankets. Of course I would not consent to that, but when I wakened up the next morning I found Father Bradley had taken his own blankets and placed them on me. Another name I would like to mention is that of Father Strickland. I saw how unselfishly he performed his work and when he heard that I was coming to England be made a journey of twenty-five miles for the purpose of bidding me good-bye. These two men, when they met a member of the Wesleyan Church and thought he had need of the ministrations of a chaplain, went out of their way to let me know.' i CONFIDENCE IN GENERAL JOFFRE. In a remarkable, article, the well-known patriot, deputy, writer, and Academician, M. Maurice Barres, expresses a fact that dominates the mental attitude of the French people with regard to the war; their absolute confidence in the talent and conscience of General Joffre. ' Joffre the Silent,' as he is often called, has gained their confidence, not by high-flown phrases or theatrical demonstrations (indeed the reticence of his

official ' communiques' has often been a trial at crucial moments). It is what we know of his acts_that makes us trust him as one can trust a single-hearted, determined, conscientious leader. We know that his whole mind is bent on achieving the one object that he has in view, and that he is absolutely impervious to secondary considerations and to personal motives. When, at the outset of the. war, the Germans' rapid advance and the consequent retreat of the Allies made his personality one of supreme importance, Joffre, says M. Maurice Barres, proved that he was worthy of his tremendous responsibility. Putting aside all his private sympathies, he quietly set to work to renovate the military hierarchy, and the intense strain and fatigue of the war acting upon generals of a certain age, made him decide to replace them by younger men. These changes, that have gradually modified the aspect of the French army, have been made with a decision and calmness, good sense and disinterestedness that command respect, even from those who suffered from them. The result is that at the present moment there are very few. generals over sixty years of age at the front, and many men between forty and fifty are invested ■ with important commands. From another standpoint, General Joffre deserves the sympathy of Catholics. It is no secret that, although he was always a man of high character, whose public and private life was above reproach, he was not, before the war, a practical Catholic. His views in this respect, say those who are best qualified to know, have' undergone a change. It is a blessing in the present and a happy omen for the future to possess a leader whose fearless pursuit of the highest duty is backed by the finest qualities of heart and mind, and who is helped by the illumination of religious faith. General de Castelnau, one of General Joffre's bestknown colleagues, is a fervent Catholic ; of his five soldier sons, two have been killed since the beginning of the war, and the superhuman courage, born of Christian submission, with which their father received the news, without interrupting for one moment his arduous task, will never be forgotten by his comrades. THE CAPITAL OF TURKEY. Constantinople, the capital of the Turkish Empire, which was founded as long ago as 330 A.I), by Constantino the Great —hence its name—consists of two distinct parts : Constantinople proper, and what might be called Christian Constantinople, because it is there that the Christian colonies chiefly congregate. The two are separated by the Golden Horn, a creek about five miles long and half a mile wide at the entrance, so called probably from its famous fisheries, a veritable land of plenty to "the ancient inhabitants. In the present day it is a safe harbor, capable of accommodating 1200 sail, and so deep that the largest ironclads of the Turkish navy, which may be seen there during a great part of the year, find enough water for their draught quite close to the shore Christian Constantinople, on the north.side of the Golden Horn, is divided into three distinct sections— Top-hane, which is so named from its cannon-foundry, and is chiefly famous for its market, its"Circassian slave dealers, its caique building, and its beautiful marble fountain. The two other sections are Galata, the merchant quarter, the seat ot Customs, and the steam companies'

agencies; and Pera, the aristocratic quarter, where all the embassies, legations, and consulate's are situated.iv . The Bosphorus, which leads to:' the Black] Sea, and the entrance to which Constantinople and Scutari command, is about seventeen.miles long, with" a breadth of from little more than a third of a mile to two .miles IMMUNITY OF THE CRUCIFIX. U - Time and again we have seen it noted in reports, both official and private, from the front that, amidst the destruction of towns and villages and churches, when all else was . reduced yJ to ruins, the Crucifix, and sometimes an Image, alone remained unscathed. '.As you know, all over France there are shrines and crucifixes, and in no case have I seen them damaged by shells or fire. I think this has been noted more than once in English newspapers.' So writes one of the staff of an English Church paper in the firing line. A writer in the Times, describing the action at Neuve Chapelle, bears the same witness as follows : ' To see Neuve Chapelle by daylight is to know the power of modern artillery fire. Unless fallen bricks may be called a village there is no village left, with the exception of half a dozen houses which were hit several times. After knocking the buildings to pieces British shells kneaded and pulverised the remains. Yet two objects stood practically unharmed amidst the low skyline of ruin. They were two huge crucifixes of the type familiar to travellers in France. Eight-inch shells had excavated enormous holes on either side of the base of one, and while trees in the town had been cut in two and- splintered and gashed, four small evergreen shrubs around the other Christ was undisturbed. Many soldiers remarked the curious phenomenon ; and, indeed, talked much of it.'