The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1915-11-05

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80, Death, where is thy sting?
O. Grave. where is thy victory
Down to a fortnight ago few OF us
outside the immediate circles of
Nurse Cavell's family and friends
even so much as heard her name !;
now all the world knows it. 1t has
gone, as by a supernatural trumpet
blast, to the uttermost ends Of the
earth Mingled with cry of horror
and eXecration at the brutal act of
tyranny, it has rung round the globe.
And, today, ten thousand persons
have assembled in the cathedral Of
the capital of our empire to thank
God for the great soul it stood for in
this transitOry existence, to perpet-
ute her memory and to quicken the
holy spirit Of self-sacrifice which was
exemplified in her life and death.
What scene it has been! None
of us will ever forget it.
In the gray dawn of one of the first
days of winter, London was already
moving toward st. Paul'S cathedral.
The morning was fine, but the city
was heavy and sad. Long before the
service began traffic in the streets
peded then arrested and finally stop
ped. At length Gordon of police had
to keep back the surging, swaying
crowds who were struggling to reach
the doors inside the cathedral.
What sight it was! The vast
multitude stretched from the chancel
steps and the broad space under the
dome to where the clossatl statues
OF England's mighty dead emerged
from the gloom by the far off portion.
The gray old sanctuary has wit
messed many a great moving specta-
Gle, services of intercession, of sup
plication, of lamentation, of thanks
giving, of rejoicing, and of mourning,
but perhaps, never before has it seen
anything quite like this.
What an assembly! The King was
represented by the Queens secretary,
and Queen Alexandra, the beloved of
the people, in her own person. The
prime minister and many members of
his cabinet statesmen, scholars,
scientists, great company of nurses
in their various uniforms, fresh from
the great hous IS of pain, pathetic
groups here and there of wounded
soldiers, home from the battlefield
Then an immense Concourse Of the
general public, chiefly women, many
of them in black, the wives, the sis
ters and the mothers of the brave
lads who are fighting for us at the
front, or of those other brave boys
who already have fought and fallen
were there
What has brought this multitude
together?
A great victory?
The close of great campaign?
The funeral as at this time last
year, of a grand old warrior, who,
after many glorious victories, has
died as is most fit within the sound
of the guns of the war he forctolG
and is being borne to his last resting
place amid the acclamation OF his
countrymen and the homage of the
world?
IN MEMORY OF a POOR WOMAN.
No, but in memory of poor wo-
man, a poor hospital nurse who has
been fOully done to death By a bar
barous enemy, condemned for acts OF
mercy and humanity, tried in secret
(for so, in effect it was) shot in
haste and then buried in a traitor
grave.
What a triumph for religion. fol-
an answer to Nietzsche! What a re-
buke to Treitschke! What a smash
ing blow to all the wise philosophers
who have been telling us that Corsica
has conquered Galilee!
That, in these dark and evil days,
the people of London should assem-
BILE in tens OF thousands to thank God
for the shadow of a scaffold and to
lind inspiration in thinking of the
martyrs end is proof enough that not
lust OF empire, not the will of gain or
power" not war for It's own sake or
for the triumphs it brings in its train.
but religion, and with it righteous
ness, is still the bread OF our souls.
poor Nurse Cavell" we were say
ing to each other as we went into the
cathedral, thinking of that mockery
-" military rial at Brussels and of
the shower OF bullets in the prison
yard from the muskets of an inhu-
man sOldiery.
But, as we came out of it, moved
to tears and thrilled up to our throb-
bing throats, scarcely able to speak
for the emotion that mastered us, we
were saying to ourselves:
mo, not poor--great, heroic, i'm
mortal, everlasting ng-victorious. One
of the sentinels on the hill tops of
eternity who have won the right to
stand by the beacon fires Of hope and
Ssc-ifce which light up the destines
of mankind"
HEIGHT OF EMOTION SELDOM
y REACHED.
After a hush---the silence OF wait
ingstime-8nd as the cathedral clock
outside With its solemn boom Ia
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