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Northern Advocate, 15 August 1919, Page 1

"It is due to the heroism and dangers and suffering endured by you returned men that we have been saved from a fate almost worse than death,'* said Mr L. M. Isitt,,M.P., at the thanksgiving service at Christchurch, when speaking particularly to returned men. "I wish to express our gratitude and our deep sense of thankfulness to you for what you have done for the Empire. But I also want you to look on the other side of the question and consider your responsibilities to yourself, to the past, to your comrades who will never return, and to New Zealand, her people, and her future. You returned soldiers have established a permanent hold in our regard and affections such as could not be established in any other way than' by what you have done for us. - The question now is, what are you going to do in the future? To an enorm.oug extent the returned soldiers, hold the future of th.c country In their hands, and they can mould it to a high and wonderful achievement or mould it along* lin;s which can only bring corrow and despair to our land, The returned soldier is the hero of the boy of the present, and all eyes are upon you, 'He must either establish a false or true conception of manhood In «he country. He will set a standard for the youth of the country to follow, and not only will they adopt has mannerisms, but they will also adopt his morals. Some men think a life of drunkenness and freedom from restraint is one of the prerogatives of past heroism. If the returned soldiers set a low standard, there will be thousands willing to apßlaud, and they will accomplish not only their own ruin, bu,t the ruin of thousands of others who are following their example,"