THE WEEK.

Otago Witness, Issue 3216, 3 November 1915, Page 67

THE WEEK.

It will be a long time before Dunedin forgets the excitement of last week, with its two welcomes to the heroes of the Dardanelles. A royal welcome we gave them, surprising even ourselves by the fervour and sincerity of our demonstra tion. Notwithstanding the early hour on Wednesday, one of the most enthusiastic crowds Dunedin has ever seen turned out to cheer the men on their way to the Drill Hall for the civic reception, and even our much-abused climate put on a smiling face for the occasion, and greeted them" with glowing sunshine as they landed, both then and on the Sunday. The town and its surroundings looked their very best just then, and the green slopes of the Peninsula, from all one hears, are a very pleasant sight to those back from the heat of Gallipoli and the desert sands of Egypt. The warmth of welcome outside was repeated inside the Drill Hall, for you might go far before von would find a more cheerfully hospitable-looking place than that great' barn was converted into on Sunday morning. Flags hung from the room and the gallery, and greenery decorated the front of the stage, while the lower end of the hall was filled with long tables, on which was set out the luncheon provided for the' men and their relatives. Attending on these tables, which were gay with flowers and wellfilled dishes, were a hundred or so whitefrocked and white-capped girls, anxious to do all they could for the khaki-clad heroes and their friends. It was a picturesque scene, and the excellent organisation of it all, and the air of cheerful friendliness that prevailed, evoked from an Auckland visitor, who had journeyed down to meet a . wounded brother, ‘ the spontaneous tribute: “Mv word, this whole thing does Duned 1 n cred it!”

The friendliness of these gatherings is easy to understand. Not only are we all eager to welcome the men again, and so m some small way thank them for what they have been doing for ns, hut everyr! ir v ho llas an yb° f fv still loft at Gallipoli takes a special interest in them, and they are kept busy answering ouestions as to the welfare of Private So-and-so, or whether they were with Captain This or Lieutenant That. Very often, of course, the anxious questioner draws, a blank, but sometimes a man is found who was wounded by the same shell as the captain, or was in hospital alongside Private So-and-so, and a bond of union is effected at once. The cheerful-

ness may seem somewhat of a mystery to you unless you have been at one of these functions and spoken with tire returned men. Then you will find that in spite of the sight of slings and bandages and occasionally very thin cheeks, you have been cheered and uplifted in the most wonderful manner. Whether it is a natural gladness at returning to their own land, or whether it is that those who have been doing active service have in some sort an easier task than we who stay at home and try to possess our souls in patience, I cannot tell you ; but the fact remains that their courage and cheerfulness are at once an inspiration and a reproach to those who have allowed themselves to become fainthearted and depressed. We have pei’haps had some cause for depression lately. The unhappy bickerings at Home in press and Parliament, the difficulty of the conscription question, the apparent failure of our diplomacy in the Balkans, and the disquieting statements about the Dardanelles campaign—all these seemed to come one on top of another until, as I don’t mind confessing, the outlook for the future seemed to mo a week or two ago to be one of rayless gloom. You will all know as well as I do these times when, do what you can, the blue devil of depression gets hold of your soul, and it takes all your moral courage to fight him off. But please remember that you must fight him off, and do your best to carry on, for it depends on you whether the nation •will be able to carry on. We must school ourselves to remember that mistakes and difficulties are bound to occur in any

undertaking such as this, and that the enemy is just as much beset by them as we are—more so, probably, if we only knew. And Ave must look higher still, as well, for sources of comfort. Listen to this fragment from an officer’s letter Avhich I saw quoted in an English paper : “At the front many of us have been forced to a certainty that there is something stronger than material force. We, Avho baA’e survived, can testify that in the spiritual valour, the scorn of death, that has characterised so many of onr fallen comrades, avo have had irresistible proof of invisible poAver.” And he makes a direct charge against us at home. “Lack of faith and spiritual insight, is, to my mind, the key to the present pessimism.” Then there are some pregnant Avords from a writer in the Woman at Home on the part that Avomen may play in the war. She, too, quotes from a young officer, Avho said how greatly he had been helped by his mother’s high heart and courage and faith, and used these Avords-; “It is angels like you at home who are our Spiritual Army Service Corps.” “It is for us to supply reinforcements and munitions of Avar,” the Avriter goes on to say, “not merely to one soldier, or the few AA-e know and love, in our letters and our gifts. The A.S.C. supplies the \\diole army. So must avc. . . . We must strive dailv and hourly to live un to the highest. We must put aside all thoughts of fear and discouragement, all speech of foreboding, fixing our minds upon the one thing that stands firm in the apparent chaos. Righteousness, right, must prevail. Any doubt as to the ultimate issue of the present European Avar includes doubt as to the ultimate issue of the age-long conflict between Right and Wrong. Force and Might cannot prevail over Right.” It is not an irresponsible optimism that is wanted in this Spiritual Army Service Corps. It is a realisation of the difficulties and dangers with, at the same time, a determination to OA'ercomc them with all the force of which we are capable, remembering that “every prayer, every high thought, every victory over self, strengthens the Armies of Righteousness. Discouragement, slackness, selfish fears

throw our influence upon the side of the enemy.” I-.LIZA.BETH.