ANGELS AT MONS

Evening Star, Issue 15892, 26 August 1915, Page 8

ANGELS AT MONS

WAS IT A VISION? The Rev. W. Maitland Woods, M.A., of St. Marks, Ardlethan, New South Wales, wrote to the ‘ Southern Cross ’:— I enclose a letter received by me from mv sister in London. It will answer the query in your columns “.Was it a Vision?’’ The following is an extract from the letter referred to; “ The men are brought wonderfully near to God out there facing the reality of things. The Bishop of London says wonderful things have happened, and are happening. The men have seen things as they have never seen ..them before. A lady in London devoted to good works was visiting the Tommies in a London hospital a few weeks back. She said to one wounded man, ‘Do you believe in God?’ ‘Yes, miss; I do, since the war.’ Why do you sav, “since the war ”?’ ‘ Well, we don’t 'talk about it here, because nobody will believe us they only laugh. But in the great retreat some of us were cut off, and the Germans were coming on, and we knew there was absolutely no chance for us whatever. We saw a pit; we got into it well knowing there really was no chance. When we were in it we heard the Germans combi- and we looked up. All around the edge of the pit we saw angels on white horses guarding us! The Germans’ horses refused to come on, they stampeded, and we were saved!’ The next time the lady went to the hospital, she asked the man how many of them saw the wonderful vision. He told her they all did, including several officers, hut said: ‘We don’t like talking about it; people don’t understand. I believe the Bishop, of London has heard of many such wonderful things since he has been out with the men.” ° TO THB EDITOR. Sir,—Referring to item in Saturday’s ‘ Star ’ under the above heading and to subsequent letter from a correspondent, I enclose a reference to,the incident taken from the ‘ London Christian World ’ of 24th June last which may be worth reproducing. It is as follows : 1 “A quite instructive illustration of the way in which legend grows is given by a journalist who, when the record of the heroic retreat from Mons was published, was moved to invent a story. He conceived one of the hard-pressed British soldiers invoking England’s champion, St. George. Then St. George brings up the spirits of the Agincourt bowmen and the German host is annihiliated by their ghostly arrows. He published the story in a London evening paper simply as a story, and found that all kinds of people began to insist that it was true. ‘ The clergy_ said so. The army said so. The occultists said so.’ And all sorts of vamie authorities—' an officer/ ‘ a soldier,’ °‘ a correspondent ’—were quoted to show that the incident of spiritual intervention had actually happened. So the story at last seemed to gain a certain credibility, and found currency among religious people as a record of well-authenticated fact. It was no doubt in some such subtle way as this that many a mediaeval and even 1 later legend became established. To the devout such happenings have always seemed the most natural and fitting things in the world. But while no one may reasonably and rightly limit the power of God to come to the succor of men anywhere or at any time ip their extremity, yet we may and should hesitate to accept such stories until the evidence has been thoroughly sifted. Otherwise, confusion of mind ensues, and the truth suffers rather than gains.”—l am, etc.. Interested. August 25. TO THB EOITOE. Sir, —In answer to a letter in your issue of Tuesday signed “Sceptical,” I may say that as long as he remains sceptical he will not make much progress in his understanding of what happened at Mons, for admitting the vision was seen as recorded, it is only one instance of many, gomg to show how closely the spiritualworld interblends with our material world. I could give scores of similar visions having been seen. I content myself with one taken from the _ grand old Book, the Bible, see 2nd Kings, chapter 6, verse 17. I regret I am not in a position to “ give a resume of what actually took place,” only one who actually saw the vision for himself could do this. For the benefit of “Sceptical” I may, however, say that it is not in any way difficult for mo to accept the fact for the simple reason that I have seen just as wonderful things myself. Ifc is here perhaps where I might be able to assist “ Sceptical ” ■ and other thoughtful readers like him. From running into almost rank materialism at one time, I have been brought to accept the! Master’s lovely sentence, “Knock, and it shall bo opened unto you,” in the fullness of its meaning, and now I am sceptical no more. Unfortunately I cannot give this knowledge, which I have earned, to any other soul. , That soul must himself “knock and find” as I have done. Firstly he must give up his “scepticism,” remembering the other words which stand against the above quotation, “He could do no works there on account of their unbelief,” and diligently seek- the spiritual understanding of things spiritual, and he will surely find.' I am delighted to hear one of our Ministers has “ declared his belief in the occurrence.” The great pity is that many more cannot see their way to do likewise.. Our churches are void of “vision” to-day, and fail utterly to realise that “ Where there is no vision the people perish.” This has been true all down the ages, and is true now. As long as the churches continue to intellectually : study the Holy Book instead of studying _ it spiritually—forgetting that The Christ was a humble carpenter and not an M.A. or a D.D.—I fear more assistance cannot be looked for at their hands. Let us hope “ visions ” .such as the one recorded may have the desired effect. —I am, etc., Christian. . August 25,. . :•.-, ...