CHURCH AND WAR

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2836, 29 July 1916, Page 6

CHURCH AND WAR

• ( LORD KITCHENER'S RELIGION INTERESTING STATEMENTS. Lord Kitchener was a reticent .man, aud little is known, of his private life or of his attitudo towards religion, but the Dean of St. PauL's tells us that lie was a man of prayer, though he seldom spoke of his religion'. Tho "Guardian" says he was for many years a member of tho English Clmrch "Union, and was a inombor to the end of that Guild of the Holy Standard whioh performs so admirable a work among soldiors and their families. Its rula of life is to set a good oxamplo by leading sober, upright, chasto, and godly lives; to ninke a .habit of private prayer; to be regular communicants and churchgoers, and to assist the chaplains. Distinguished commanders have nenrly always been men of religion, and Lord Kitcheners faith took, a conorote and practical form, and his old interest in Biblical aTcha&ology, as evidenced by his work for tho Palestine Exploration Fiuvd, may yory well have attuned his thoughts to.'tho deeper verities that were first revealed amid the'famous, scenes with .which he was once so pecu-' liarly fainiliaiv The "Guardian" publishes the following interesting article, by the Rov. j. H, Mo'lesworth, late incumbent of All Saints', Cairo:—

In tlie passing of Lord Kitchener there has gone from us a great personality—one of tho greatest cf the age. He abovo anyone else, it has been said, was the popular idol. Throughout the land it is his picture, along, with those of the King and Queen, that we find most frequently adorning cottage walls. Among soldiers, and sailors, aud statesmen that have caught the public fancy (if we except Lord.-Roberts), he occupied indisputably tho iirst place. 'And.-yet he was. reserved and taciturn, devoid of all the arts that usually win the applause of the masses, scorning self-advertisement aud . hating He had, too, no gift of'speech. It is difficult to appraise a ckarnoter like this. We know the.type of Englishman to which lie belongs—the type which refuses to carry its heart ujon its sleeve, which dislikes emotionalism and Sentimentality, and prefers actions to words. We call it the .robust type, and it is essentially English. But it is a type that does not ordinarily win popularity. Readers of "The, Guardian' will ask what wero 'the religious convictions of this great Englishman? What wero.his guiding principles? What was his attitudo towards the faith of the Church? These aro questions to which for the reasons just stated it is not possible to give a precise answer. When the question was put io Lord Beaconsfield, "What is the Telijion of sensible men?" he promptly replied, "Sensible men pever tell." What he meant was that upon questions of this saored character there might be a legitimate Tcservo—a reserve born of a profound reverenco for the things oC God. This great reworence towards~~thc mysteries of life Lord Kitchener undoubtedly possessed. ' No-one could be. long in his company • without realising that ho was a man who viowed life seriously. I may illustrato this from the effect lie produced on -society in. Cairo, when he went to take up up his position as British Consul-General. Cosmopolitan places, like the capital .of Egypt, which are largely the haunts of pleasure are often given over ..to frivolity, whioh is not seen-in cities of commerce and business. There is frequently a relaxing'of inorals beyond what is witnessed elsewhere, and a general air of undiscipline, and it. goes without saying that in such places Sunday and Sunday worirtlp are at a discount. It would be, to assert that Cairo was free from those vices. : But tho coming of Lord Kitchener instantaneously wrought a change, He was known to bo a man of unswerving devotion to duty, of disciplined life, of, rcsolute 'purnose. Instinctively we all bracgtl ourselves up, and it was as though a tonic'find Jieen administered to the place. So far as'his work permitted, Lord Kitchener was regulnr and punctual in his church attendance, and this at one® told beneficially upon tho Sunday habits of tho community. ,He was President of ;AU Saints' C'hurcli Committee, and . I viievor remember - his omitting to take the 'oliair, even when, hard-pressed..by State' business. During the years I served under him as my Chief.l often had to seo him in private Interviews, • but I cannot recall u single occasion on which he exhibited brusqueness' or patience. ■ I never doubted that beneath that stem exterior beat a true and warm heart. Witness his relations with the poor peasantry of Egypt which were toucningly boautiful. ■ The affection was reciprocal. Earl Kitchener was indeed a type of that simple, manly, straightforward Christianity which wo associate with the;best English laity, which doea not trouble itself indeed about subtlo questions and controversies, but "rests .011 tho. broijd facts of revelation, and in simplicity practices its' tenets. It has often been asked, What is the faith of the writer of "In MemoriW? Perhaps Tennyson and Kitohe'ner, different mean as they were, stood in their attitude, towards the myoteries of religion not so far apart. A- MOTHER. OF MEN.' Facts like the follovvfiig about a mother and her three sons do.%uch to explain tho heroic resistance to tho enemy. 'J'ho Comtosse de la Forest-Divonne has continued 'to inhabit tho cellar of her house in Arras, in spito of the'bombardment and her bereavements, working with tho ambulances and helping to savo mothers from the. loss whioh has fallen npon hi-r. Tho following mentions in dispatches have been accorded to her and her three' sons:'— Madame la Gomtesso do la Forest--Divorme: Has remained in Arras since the beginning of 'the war, under an almost,incessant bombardment, lavisliing with' admirable, devotedness her care on ' the many wounded in the various ambulance sections in the City. The Abbe de la ForestDivonne, chaplain of tho Old Men's Homo in Arras: Remained alono during the bombardment in the hospital, whioh was gutted by shell-fire; with the help of two diggers'carried out _ tho burial of the inmates of tho home who had fallen victims to tho bombardment. In tho disorganisation of tho institution, gave' proof of a wonderful coolness and of..a 1 personal courage which aljo've all praise. Lieutonant Robert do la ForestDivonne: A soldier, fearless,, bravo to rashness, who fell with a fractured thigh whilst leading hia section with remarkable courage undor very violent: fire; -could not be brought in; and died, after a martyrdom of thirty h'ojirs of pain and anguish. , > , Captain 'Gilbert do la Forest-Divonne: Havm, in tho assault of June 21, cleared the first line trench of the Turks at "the head of his company, fell mortally wounded' on reaching tho second line trench. . I , A NEST OF COBRAS, Tho Rov. Richard Roberts, formerly of Crouch Hill Presbyterian Church, London, has .been giving addresses on the war in America. He made ono speech to the Presbyterian ministers at Philadelphia. When he had oudod, the secretary of the Presbyterian Ministers' As-, sociation, tho Rov. H. C. Stanton, sprang to his feet, and said: "If tho eagle is tho emblem of tho United States, and the lion is 'England'*, then Germany should be emblazoned by tho hyena." Dr. Robert? has spoken of tho coulondinz ambitions of'. Germany and England to further their \ civilisations. Gerniiany sliould not bo.given such consideration. It. is a war of nations against air outlaw. Tho German nation has violated international law, every law or humanity, and the law of God." "Germany cannot bo regarded aB having a civilisation," he continued. "I look on the Kaiser and his counsellors as'Ti,'riest of cobras. I pray every day that tho Teutonic powers may bo crushed. Germany is in tho way of civilisation. It 6ceks to prevent the realisation of the ideals of other nations towards advancing humanity." ' Dr. Stanton's speech mot with apparently unanimous approval. -.