CHURCH AND WAR.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11806, 18 September 1916, Page 2

CHURCH AND WAR.

! THE PADRE. | MTN !ST!IV" rp THE T" KXf VtfW ZFaLANT* ; L'lxrriUfKvrLs Thr- P/cr W. R1« :r«r fMWivnticv < !?:« f-ha plains' (.Vmn.b. •.<•>» t ; :: i tr.riau A* i«n.h!v; my- , " inrmimoi)," !v.'iv(><l :> vci> 'nwr,■.•, j I'.'tVr Fn.'-jii W. ' I']. ~. of ibo tiiiii- ehiip!.' l j,, th* Vf;;it hv N;-w l*rj\-.byi««wn Church. Mr u <r.i&i>hic description ol 111»; i.-i ;fu- linof, with special j'ci'oraitv: u ;i;r u-.rk or j tho ''iutjiliuni vbf " rriiiv'i'.ry 01 <!to j vre.uch«H." ! THE SOMSiE B.ViTLE.' Much historj- (writwi Air M'Lsr.n) h»a been made since last I wrote to ! you. The gr«at» na»"«l battlo has bcrn 1 ought and won. Curiously enough, we rei'.&iv*d the <irst information <4 {hit action from a placard exhibit?.'.! in. tiifl German trenche* scverd days before tho news appeared ia tin? Jiali Press, Then followed the tr-gio death of Lord Kitchener. And too Franco-British advance on tho Somtno. When fu'Pt vrn came Ui .his part of tho lino it. wew regarded jis being; comparatively quiet. For certain hours during tho day arid night then. seemed to be an informal true?. "li you don't iiro at us we will not iir:< at you," was tho sort of tacit understanding. Tho story fcoes that a Boche used to. come out from his trench :tt nino o'clock every morning to draw water from a well in No .Ni an'b Land, aud was allowed to return immok&ted. If over tliat happened, certainly nothing like that happens now. " lan''•> that a German ovox theref" one ot cfur advance party is reported to have {vsked a Tommy belongiiijg: to tho rogi.inant we ware relieving. ''Yes." "Then why don't you shoot him}" " I'll have to oak tho corporal first." This may be nothing; more than a trench ''yam," hut undoubtedly the atmosphere of tho trenches has changed and iii now in&tinct with lifo and activity. ARTILLERY DUELS. When you read in ydur newspaper that tierce artillery duels have been fought, don't imagine for one moment that anything so prosaic has taken place. Certainly the opposing artillery seeks to find tho other out, but what mostly happens ii> this: Our artillery opens lire on tho enemy's front trenones and tho Hun retaliate* by shelling our trenches. It is tho infantrymen in tho treiiohee who pay the price. " This is too much of a gentleman's war," said a blase young artillery officer to in© recently. ( "You sit down to your gun ailft pull tho trigger, but you can't get any retaliation." If only he would spend a week or two in the front trenches he would revise hifl views .about retaliation. Trench "bombardment always means much labour. Parapets are knocked down, trenches battered, dugouts blown m. In the shortest poosible time all has to be put in order, only to be hlown into disorder, again. Or, when you have improved your trenchea And build better dug-outs other troops march in and reap the fruit of your labours. So often had this sort of thing happened to certain troopa that one of them put over a disused trench a sign-board bearing tho words: " IDocies. 11., 18, 19." The reference is, "Yea, I hated all my labour which I had taken under the sun; because 1 fihouid leave it to thu mail thnt shall be after me. And who knowofch whether ho shall be a wise man or a fool? Y~?t shall he have rule over my labour wherein I have showed myself wise under the sun. This is also vanity." Not quite! And wo are deeply indebted .to our artillery. Their work has b6en excellent. DARING AIRMEN.

Our aircraft also have been very busy. You never tiro of watching them or of praising our intrepid airmen. There is not tho slightest doubt that they are much more (taring than the German. They fly at a much lower altitude, and stick to their work until their observations arp completed. One night I watched one of them hov - ering over the German lines. Shells were bursting all around him, but cs often as ho was driven off he circled back again. At least 450 ahells were fired at him without taking effect. Of course, our airmen do not always escape the enemy's fir®. On another evening three of our airmen performed a fine pfcsce of work. Three esusagolike kilo balloons wore up behind the German lines l'or observation purposes, svhen three of our airmen appeared on the scene. One hovered about and attracted the enemy's fir© while the other two suddenly swooped down from Dohind a bank <£ cloud, and within two minutes had tho thrw) balloons p.blaz'?, and were speeding back to safety. The Kaiser is a hydra-headed monster, isn't he? We l !, he had three eyes put out that time. On another occasion I saw a fleet of twentv-four aeroplanes leaving on an expedition which was snoew-fi'lly carried out. It wax. a splendid sight. A GAS A LA TIM. The cablegrams vvill iiy v«> informed you that gas - has beon used on. the British front. Thanh God. we were not the first to use it, hut once the Huns had used it we ooukl not ask our men to stand tip it without employing something similar, not in retaliation, but in their defence. The other day I looked through a periscope over ''No Alan's Land," and saw tho effect of our gas upon the vegetation. Tho tall grass had a light, dry appearance, with a pinkish tinge, white tho thistles and otbsr things were blackened cu> if frostbitten. "What its eft'ect on the Gorman fi was I do not know. Soino nights spent here I• can never forgot. The horror of a gnu alarm! Bells ringing and horun honking in the front trench, and then to right and left, and frora front to back, Until you hear the alarm all about you Gas helmets are wretched things to wear. Fortunately i- o hava had no 'loest'K from uas. " WHIZZ-BANGS '• AND " MINNIES/' Wo are living a fairly strenuous life here, ivhat with bullet*. recreation rooms, cor res pondcinc©, trenches, iiospitalp. ceineterii.'rt; aud w« do not live under ideal conditio;}.-. True, some have a measure of comfort, hut shells and bullet* axe always ilyxng about, and one day one may c-o-ue with your mime on it. You never become used to fiouio thing,v To hear a higji explosive or a f-hrapnd shell pluieking death always give* me » curious feeling in the " innards/" Shocks to i-he nerveis, due, to exploding shells common. nucl i-he heart; oiien' heats pit-a-pat. It is not a pleasant experience to ieel m your tVe the blast of hot air from an exploding shell, or to have fragments falling around you or debris thrown over vou. " Whizz-hangH aro brutes. They *«re shrapnel shells of rery high velocity. You no sooner hear the "whizz" than tho "bang" is upon you, hence tho nick-name. "Minxes'" (" Miimenwerforfi,'' ,or trench mortars) are profoundly disliked. They weigh 1801b, most of that high explofcivre. But they h&vo a redeeming feature ; they somersault leisurely through the »ir, singing " I've got you," " I've got you," i 4 I've got you," and, being it bio to .«<>< them bwauso of their size, you ean got out of their way so that when tho tinn! cr-r-t 17 MP conies you girt* »bfa to *ay, ".Jioj, yiM

haven't." But. tromondous. report make*.? you jump, willy-nilly, and the trembling ground and great, crater compel you to think. The u pir>g'_' and " zipp " of the bullets are inft'gfi'' ficartt in wmparipoji, and vet not quite that, etpßCially when you have to bend yourself doable (iv sprint along a. piece of trench upon whiclx a sniper is playing. Tha whole thing gets upon, your nerves, and the almost riiphtly bombardments, mostly with all guns going, ivnd rendering sleep impossible, do not; improve matters. On the whole Fri'ta has been good to me. Thjre have been days when he has ceased shelling the trenches into which I went, and days when ho has followed in© up shelling the trenches as T left them, trench after trench. Bui there has been other days!! He wasn't at all nice, and I didn't like him. " THE CHAPLAIN AMONG THEM." I bavo been into every trench occupied by my men from time to time, and hare poked into practically overy dug-out. It is slow and tiring work, but work that pays. Many of the men are asleep in their dug-outs, no matter at what hour you go, excepting at "stand-to," but the' others let them know that "padre" has been along. They like to see *he chaplain among them; strangely enough, it gives them a feeling of security. The ministry of the trenches is largely one ct encouragement and cheer, and occasionally you gets the opportunity ot speak" inp" "words of life.' Later on, when vou address them at church parade, or voluntary service, the fact that you have shared something of thelne of the trenches counts. You establish points of contact, and receive confidences that would have been impossible otherwise. Sometimes you have very touching experiences, as iot example lion ft soldier hands you » little bundle containing four Is 1.-ters to be sent to his wife and three children, one of whom be has never seen, shou,d he "go West." The boys are wonderfully cheerful, and dearly love a joke. The first Sunday tlioy were in the trendies I could not be with them, the adjutant having Bent me to some other work. When I went up to the frorit line on Monday morning one soldier said, "You woren't up yesterday, padre." "No, I couldn tbe with vou yesterday." "We had a combined service-" I was thunderstruck. combined service? Services in t'ie trenches are both forbidden and _ impossible." Ho scrutinised my lace, smiled, and then said, " Yes, no h«d a combined service with the Germans. A combined service all right--■artuie.-.y. The imiftio was anfciphonal, and . toe test was not "''Love one another.

"fSHEER IMPERTINENCE.'' The quiet unconcern ot these men, J washing, shaving, hair cutting, etc., 1 etc.. in the trenches has been tho ; means of giving mo confidence in very trying circumstances. In hospital, suffering from wounds, they are still cheerful. "I luiva no right to bo hero, sir," said an Australian who nad miraculously escaped death, a. shell having burst very near him. I thought him a sensitive soul, and was going to assure liim. of his right vo all a New Zealand Ambulance could give when ho suddenly added, with a bright snide, "It's sheer impertinent that I'm alive." A New Zealand who had been badly wounded by a bomb dropped from a Taube, said, with te.arG in. his | eyes, but smiles shining through his j tears, "All I want, sir, is to get right and a chance to get one hack on those Germane.'' Tho words wonted tip from a smile through tears to almost a laugh. It does von good to speak with tho wounded. FALLEN HEROES. But oh! the sadness of laying away our fallen heroes, far from home and loved ones 1 Those rows of little crossec, each representing a cross in some mourning one's heart and all representing a cross in tho Heart of God ' Those who havo been called upon to eacrifico lovod ones may rest assured that everything will he done to caro for their last resting places. I was deeply touched the other day when conducting a service to see soma flowers which had boon »ont by two French ladies. There wa» nn inscription attached: "From two French ladies for ! & New Zealand soldier who died far from home and country." THE SACRAMENT. As God gives us opportunity and grace we endeavour to do the work ior which we as chaplains art? here. Every Sunday there art* parades and voluntary .services for troops who are not in the, trenches, and God has blessed us in these. At the close of aimosu every service the Bacrament of the Lord's Supper is dispensed. Wo have r.ot developed into bacrarnentarians, but chaplains of all deuomi nation:; have discovered what a powerful means of I grace thia Sacrament can. be, and our { Christian men show great eagerness to i i ii>t , tsvo* r sl. i luiv* attended such I ( 3oui.niunion serfKM ae I. have atMmdea j here—-some :n the fields, one in j a peasant's hvimblo cottage, with crucii fixes all around ib«» ioo..).oihcvf; mi nati.on.ftJ r-ohoois and colleges, from wSndi the namo of God h&d been hau-ushed. anoib'T in the cellar of a woollen mill, most thrilling uf all, in a dag-out iu tho trenches. Light of us gathered there. The artillery on both sides had been shelling, but ceased we were übout to commence. We sang two verses of " Jesus, Lover of My Soul " ; tli© table was "fenced"; the words of institution were read; prayer was offered; tho sacred elements were distributed. What did ifc matter if two spluttering candles did no more thgjx make th<? darkntws of the dug-out visible, if an empty biscuit tin did service as a Communion table, if wo had no silver plate 1 Christ was thero an Host to spread His own table, and we did eat tho bread of His strength and did dx-ixik the, win# of His JoTO*

occasionally hava the joy of welcoming to the Lord's Table for tho first t-me *nen who strike hand with Him and swear undying &l!egianca. Pray for U3. Chaplains R«*3 and M'Xenzie, who are also with tho front-line troops, are well and happy in their work.