THE HEART OF HARRY LAUDER.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLII, Issue 1010, 13 November 1917, Page 3

THE HEART OF HARRY LAUDER.

HIS SERVICES TO THE SOLDIERS. A touching: account. A most touching and intimate nc- J >,oiuu of Harry Lauder, the groat, j Scotch entertainer, has recently been ] vritten by Dr. George Adam, a Stall Jflicer of the British .Minister of Muni- ( Moris, who has spent rnueh time at (tone- j •al 1 loatiquarlcrs and on TOO miles of ,he front. He says a light heart- and a icrious mind are not incompatible. This , [ learned when 1 met Harry Lander. . Ml tin' experience, of many years of I .riemlship has not dulled, but rather mightened, my first impressions._ _ _ , '{'ho rich resonant voice, the inimitable laugh, the quick grotesque move- ; nonts. the simple unstrained human Tin, make such a quaint and rare com>ination as to give Harry Lauder the ilaee which he holds without challenge. Believe me. this is not all the real ' Harry Lauder by a long, long way. tin is more ami ’letter. His serious.mndedness marks him to me as a man n a million. I am not ’prepared to ittcmpt a psychological analysis; the personality of the. man is too profound for that. My intention is merely to speak of some few incidents in rny intimate association with my friend that will cn able many of his admirers to know him better and to Jove him more. You remember how the world wept with him when his only child died upon the hold of honour and loft him childless. The Sunday after the announcement of that tragedy 1 happened to be preaching in the City Temple, London, and Mr and Mrs Lauder were in the congregation. Alter the service they came, into the vestry to see. me. My heart went- out to them both, but the courage of their hearing conquered much that was sympathetic 1 tele like saying. Words ol admiration rose to my lips instead. "Harry, wo are all proud of the- wonderful way in which you have borne this heavy blow.” The answer came quickly: “When a man has been hit, as 1 have been, there are only three ways to him—drink, despair, or God; and I am looking to God 1 for the consolation and the courage ! , now need." Surely an epic utterance. "Would wo I could get it on Hi,, gramophones of the world—it would mean much to man-1 kind. You may feel that this is one of those liash.es of inspiration that-conic | to a man once in a lifetime, but it is not so. It is simply characteristic ol the man and bus attitude to life. Let me tell yon more. Interest in England is in her soldier and sailor sons exclusively these days, not only because s<, many have their own among them, hut rather that all realise that these are the men who alone stand between them and invasion, and even worse. The great instrument ol the expression of this interest is toe Young Men’s Christian Association without a doubt. Ibis is obvious to anyone who knows how the Association’s war work is supported by influence- and aided by money. All the leading personalities in the Churches have enlisted for service under the sign of the I’ed Triangle. Business men oi every kmd have now been striving for years to give the maximum of final;-,-ial support. Ladies ol every social grade from the Queen 1o Hu* cottagers are co-operating in this mighty enterprise; public entertainers vie with one another in offering help and arranging concert parties, and the Noting Men’s Christian Association provide the facilities for reaching the men. Among the others Mr Lauder nas done and is doing his “hit’’ in this direction. On a recent Sunday, although not working at full pressure during the week in the play, “three Cheers,” at the Shaftesbury Theatre, he gave up his rest gladly to go down to two of the Canadian camps with me. During a visit to France, and in conversation with one in high command in tin* army, talk turned to the high place Lauder had in the affections oi his countrymen, for we wore both Scots. A strong desire was expressed that he should he got out among the soldiers in the- battle, line, just to give them the (cheer ho knows so well how to impart. 1 promised to endeavour to arrange it, with trepidation, you may lie sure, for you know what is so olten said of Lauder and his money. However, with courage in both hands, 1 asked him io give up the week that meant so many thousands oi dollars to go out to tin* boys. The request seemed to stagger him, ami for a. minute 1 felt 1 was to fail, hut it was the good fortune to receive such a request that took Ids breath away. "Give me a week’s notice, and 1 will go with you, and glad to go. 1 replied, “1 give you notice now.” “Tom. 1 quit in a week,” and lie did, and oil to the war zone he went. My pen is unequal to the task of describing that | wonder fill lour void the amazing results of it. The men went,.wild with enthusiasm and joy wherever hi* went. Him I great meeting was apparently seen Lev ‘’some German airman, who communi- | rated the entormui ion to one ol their |batteries of artillery. In the middle :ol a. ..long -whizz, bang!—went a big , shell very close at hand —so close, m i iael, I hat pieces struck hut a loot or I two from where we both slood. There was a scatter ami a scamper for cover, (and for tlove-quarters of an hour the ' Huns hammered the ivosition with 280 I big ones. When the bombardment | ended, Lauder, of the. big-hearted Scotj tisli courage, must needs finish his eon--1 cert. ‘ Do you know anything about a spirit Mike that? One other incident and I j haye shown t he heart of Harry Lauder as it lias been revealed to me. | One day during our visit 1 was taking to Harry to see the grave of his | only child. Captain John Lauder, of 1 the Argyle and Sutherland Highlanders, las fine a lad as ever wore a kilt, and as good and brave a son as ever father (loved. As we wore motoring swiftly ‘along we turned into the town of Albert, and the first sharp glance at- the .Cathedral showed the falling Madonna l and child. It is a startling and arrestting sight, and we got out to have a 1 good look. The building is crowned by a statue of Alary holding out the child Jesus to the world ; a German shell had struck its base, and it foil over, not to , the ground, however, but at an acute angle over the street-. 1 While we lingered a bunch of soldiers came marching through dusty and tired. Lauder asked the officer to halt his men lor a rest, and lie would sing to them. I) could see that they were loath to bc- ' lieve it was the real Lauder until lie , began to sing. | Then the doubts vanished, and they abandoned themselves to the lull enjoyment of this very unexpected pleasure.. When the sing-song began the audience would number about E00; at the finish of it easily more than 2000 soldiers cheered him on Jiis way. It was a strange send-off on the way that led to a grave—-the- grave of a ; father’s loudest hopes—but it was so. . j A little way up the Bapanme road the i car slopped, and we clambered over the j embankment and away over the shell,,l torn field of Goureeletie. Here and j there we passed a little, cross which y 'marked tin* grave oi some unknown B'hero; all that was written was “A British soldier.” He spoke in a low voice of Hie. hopehungry hearts behind all those at.mime. Now we climbed a little ridgy, and here a cemetery, and in the. first row facing the. battlefield the cross on Lander’s I hov’s resting place. j The father leaned over the <>rave to

road what was written there. Ho knelt j down, indeed lie lay upon the prove and clutched it, the while his body, .shook with the grid he lolt. I When the storm had spent itself he rose and prayed: “0 Clod, that 1 could have but out; request. it would bo that 1 could embrace my laddie .just this,once, and thank him for what he has done for his country and humanity. That was all. ot a word of bitterness or complaint. On the way down the hill 1 suggested gently that the stress of such an horn: made further song that day impossible. But Lauder’;, heart was big and British. Turning to me with a flash in his eye, lie said, ‘’George, 1 must be brave; my boy is watching, and r.i! the other boys are waiting. ! will sing to them this afternoon though my heart break!” Off we went again to another division of Scottish troops. There within the hour he sang again the sweet old songs of love and home and country, bringing all very nearj and helping the men to realise the deeper what victory for the enemy would mean. Grim and determined men they were that went back to their (logouts and trenches, heartened for the task of war for human freedom by Harry Lauder. Harry’s little kilted figure came and went Irani the. war zone, but his influence remains the influence of a heroic heart.