The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-12-23

call of duty and who has been inspired
Hby its wonderful outburst of patriot
ism and its spirit of self-sacrihce; one
who had the, privilege of addressing
the flower of his country's youth with
in sound and range of the enemy's
/ guns as well as in the hospitals and
and conva1escent homes beyond the
seas. and has stood by the graves of
those who fell in France and in Bel
GUM; one who has looked forth upon
the valley Of the foot Of the hills that
sweep around Ypres and has realized
that more than one hundred thousand
men had there found their graves
within twelve months-such a person
must surely realize the tragedy of
this war and the awful responsibility
of those who forced it upon the world.
The outbreak of hostilities found
US utterly unprepared with military
forces adequate for the vast operations
which were Immediately found heees-
sary. Never perhaps, not even in the
stress which came upon this Republic
more than half a century ago, has the
capacity of democracy been so thor
oughly and searchingly tested. We
were called upon to meet the assault
i.of the greatest military power ever
known in the world a highly efficient,
Thoroughly organized and determined
people, trained in arms, magnifcentIy
Equipped, provided with every military
necessity and so; industrially organized
4 that the whole force of the nation
could be thrown behind the blow
(which it struck
II armies cannot be organized and
trained nor munitions provided in a
Il day The task has been didcuIt
but the effort has been great. tt would
mot have been undertaken norsrnllld
| 1T be accomplished except for the most
4 intense conviction of a righteous cause
and the f1rrnest determination to make
lit prevail.
.rWithout. pausing to speak of the.
mighty influence which this war must
4 exercise upon the worlds future III may
i be permitted to expr essg my conception
i Of twhatit will accomplish for the4cio-l
ser unity of our Empire. Never be-
fore have the mother country and the
various Dominions and Dependencies
/ been so closely united in ideal, iTspiral-
ton and effort as in this conflict IN
Hospitals and convaTescent homes be-
yond the seas have many times met
from the British islands from Austria
liza, New Zealand and Canada brought
together in close association and com
radeship, each learning the better to
realize their Empire, and all united
in common determination to do
their duty in this war to the end. One
can hardly sexaggerate the immense
advantage of such association and
blending of the Empires manhood. !
All war is tragedy and this war the
greatest. tragedy the world has ever
known. We all pray for the day
when
The roaring Of war shall cease upon
the air,
Failing Of tears and all the voices of
sorrow;
but it is to cry Peace, Peace when
there is no peace. The ideals involved
IN this conflict are wholly. trreconcil-
able and until one of them finally pre-
walls no peace can be enduring. How
ever hard the struggle may be and
whatever sacrifices it may entail the
canadian people will not shrink from
/ the test They are a peace-loving and
not a sr1ilitarist people, but their con
ceptlon of the cause for which thew
are lighting is such as to animate them
with the sternest resolve. to make It
/ trfun1 plant" 20