STORY OF A SOLDIER.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14984, 11 August 1919, Page 5

STORY OF A SOLDIER.

Another touching story was eloquently told by Staff-Captain Bladin .at Everybody's Theatre yesterday^ afternopn, when speaking of the religion of the soldier, . The speaker related how one evening a padre comrade was conducting a sing-song m the usual free and easy style, but for some unaccountable reason the boys were' unresponsive and refrained from joining m the accustomed manner. Having, exhausted all his resources the padre was about to give up m disgust, when 1 m staggered a. big tall "digger," who, demanded m half-drunken tones to know what was the matter. Staggering up on the platform, Charlie, as he was called, proffered his assistance, stating he would sing, recite, preach, or pray. Invited by the padre to provide a sdng^,Charlie did so, and went on singing until his stock of songs and recitations was-ex-hausted. The clapping, j meanwhile, had attracted a large audience, , the men 'filing m to see the fun. Then Charlie offered to pi-each a sermon, but- the padre reserved that right to himseif, and for Sundays. Not to be beaten, Charlie offered to. pray, but again the padre declined, the offer. Something m the man's manner caught his attention, and . Charlies : was allowed to proceed. Kneeling down the intoxicated man, who up to this stage had been rolling about the platform, opened m prayer. "Oh God, we are a lot of rotters," he said. Immediately there was a shout of derisive laughter. "God," declared Charlies with increased emphasiSj "we are rotters." Again the audience roared. "Now I'm stuck," remarked Charlie, to 'the renewed amusement of the crowd. • "No, my God, I'm not; I know-: a prayer," he added quickly, as he proceeded. "My mother taught me a prayer and it was this: 'Gentle Jesus, ' meek and mild, look • upon . • a little child." Tears rolled down Charlie's cheeke as he repeated the sprayer of his childhood days, and' v before he .hadreached the last line of that familiar verse there was scarcely a dry eye 'in the whole of the audience. Thanking the big soldier for his effort the padre, m kindly terms, urged Charlie to remember his mother's prayer and to cut out his drinking habits. Remarkable aa it may seem* that fellow rose to. his feet a sobered man, and .vowed his intention of living a new life. , Although he had commenced the prayer m a joke, he had ended ,up in '. dead earnest. .A fortnight later Charlie gripped, the hand of th.c padre m farewell, as he left- m the early morning to go up to the line, renewing his vow to live a Christian | life. A week or two. late? : news came back that Charlie had been killed m action, arid the boys frdrn the line wrote back to" tell of the bright testimony to the Master's, service the big soldier's life. in the trenches had been, of the . influence .'of hiis' example to his comrades/, and of how. he had died a noble 'death m the 1 service of his God and his country.