THE LAST HOURS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12699, 22 July 1919, Page 4

THE LAST HOURS.

HEROISM OF NURSE CAYELL

EDITH CAYEIfD, October 12, 1915. Was not to this ono given to follow nearly The Heavenly Brother, living to heal and savo, Achieving rescue, sacrifice now dearly? She seemed to faint, but like the Master brave, . , , Content at heart—To the poor brutes who killed, . . . ... , Her wise, sweet spirit His- 1 f S-v ’ —M. CRAWS HAY. There is no need to recall the horror which gripped this country when, the news of her murder became known. What we remember, with gratitude ana veneration, is the oravery with which she; did her duty and confronted her Nurse Oavell was prosecuted for having helped English and French soldiers, as well as Belgian young men, to cross the frontier and to go over to England. When she was asked why she helped these soldiers to go to England she replied that she thought that 3 it she had not done so, they would have .been shot by the Germans, and that, therefore, she thought she only did her duty to her country m saving their U Ts she told the chaplain, she knew perfectlyswell what- she had done, and that according to the law she was guilty—but she was happy to die tor her country. , Not the injustice hut the incredible inhumanity it was that paralysed the minds of all decent people who heard what had been done in Brussels. As Sir Edward Grey said, writing »| foreign Secretary to the United States Ambassador in London, Miss Caveli was not even charged with espionage, and the fact that she had nursed numbers of German wounded soldiers might have been regarded as a complete reason in itself for treating her with leniency. . . ... Britain while honouring her illustrious daughter, will remember with gratitude the efforts that were made by the American representatives at Brussels to obtain, mercy. It was a fine effort, carried out under extremedifficulty, and failing because it broke itself against Teutonic callousness and brutality. , . . , “ I have no fear nor shrinking; * have seen death so often that it is not strange or fearful to me. I thank God for this ten weeks’ uiet before the endLife has always been hurried and full of difficulty. • this time of rest has been a great mercy- They have all been very kind to me here. But this i would say, standing as I do in view oxGod and eternitv —I realise that patriotism's not enough. I must have no hatred or bitterness towards anyone.” Thus spoke Nurse Caveli in her last interview with the British chaplain at Brussels, two days before that October morning of 1915, when she met her cruel fate at the hands of the Germans. “Wo partook of the Holy Communion together.” said the chaplain, “ and she received the Gospel message of consolation with all her heart- At the close of the little service I began to repeat th© words. ‘ Abide with Me,' and she joined softlv in the end. “ "We sat quietly talking until it was time for me to go. She gave me parting messages for relations and friends. She spoke of her soul’s needs at the moment, and she received the assurance of God’s Word as only the Christian can do. “Then I said ‘good-bye,’ and she smiled and said, ‘ We shall meet again.' “ Th© German military chaplain was with her at the end, and afterwards gave her Christian burial. He told me, ‘ She was bravo and bright to the last. She professed her Christian faith, and that she was glad to die for her try. She died like a heroin©.’ ”

In this simple and moving narrative we see again alert and alive, though standing at the edge of her grave, the noble woman whose body, after three and a half years in an alien soil, was laid at last in the earth of her native country.