OUR SOLDIER BOY.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 3958, 25 January 1900, Page 3

OUR SOLDIER BOY.

A BIT OF LAND FOR MOTHER.

(By “ John-in-the-Busli.”)

“I am hero, how, mother, here among the bullets, here under the burning sun, and among the choking sand. Do the best you can, mother; I am on the outlook.” On the outlook for what, my boy ? “ For a piece of good land for mother. ' I think 1 will, get it further north, aud then I, wall send for you,” Good boy! What mother wouldn’t be proud of such a son? That trustful boy who goes forth to uphold the honour of dear New Zealand, his native land, and light the enemies of freedom arid the Empire; who goes with a light heart to run tho ’ gauntlet of the bullets and the shells, and the long marches on, the burning veldt, with but the' one thought of mother and a piece of good land for her when the war is over. Who dare say there is no reverence and filial love in cur New' Zealand boys after this? Is this the product of our Godless schools and secular education ? It seems so. Well, if it is, all we can say is long may it fiourish aud turn out many such samples. But what about the land ? Must such boys as these leave New Zealand’s shores to look for land for mother? Are her green hills and fertile valleys all riionopolisod, so that the boy cannot get an acre for his mother? Why, if tho mother who reared that boy would come along, I’d divide my little plot with her, acre for acre, since it seems to be all taken up elsewhere. New Zealand, nearly as large as England, with 750,000 people against 40,000,000, and yet cannot find a little spot for mother! We can tell how much it takes to keep a sheep, or a cow', or a horse, hut who will tell me how much it takes to keep a man ? I look around me and see bachelors with neither mother nor w'ife, only their bwm noble persons to feed and clothe—seme take 590 acres, some 1000, and others 10,000, and still they all think they would need a little more. Our Liberals have done much for the people, but bow little have they done yet to equalise the .possession of land. Any man may still with impunity depopulate a district, and add acre to acre until he can stand in the midst of his .wilderness and laugh to scorn tho laud law's of New Zealand. ; His creed is that sheep and cattle arc better than women and children, and .should the enemy come Jo his shores scud to England for machine guns. Yes, ye land .sharks,'but might ye. not think of that lonely mother in her little cottage, struggling oti with her bravo Jack’s little)brothers fgid sisters, waiting for the message to come; and tuen if that riiessage ~should her that her ‘‘ bonny boy ” had only succeeded in, getting six feet by two in a soldier’s trench ? And then you might think of that boy lying on the battlefield with In's red life ebbing out. and with his last breath murmuring ‘‘ Land for mother ■ ’ Think you not that your hearts, if you have any, would heat lighter if you had spared a few acres for mother ? . '