The Clio messenger., 1916-11-03
HERE were 900 of us from
Calgary" said a young man
in khaki, with the word
WCnnnlnv In gold lattarS ON

CdlSuTy, Sdlu young man
in khaki, with the word
Canada" in gold letters on
his shoulder "and now there are not
200 of us left worth looking at"
"We We're cut up" he said, "three
separate times. / was called out for
special duty and the man who took
my place got it right between the
eyes,"
''What are you waiting here for?" l
asked him, Hope +. NJ. Ross writes to
the Manitoba Free Press from Lon
don.
"Well," he said, 81 was just waiting
here to see if I.could hear Big Ben"
Il read story many years ago about
London bridge. In the old days there
was fortified gate at each end and,
as a rule, there was an array of human
heads in view, placed there. as the
French say, for the encouragement of
the others. The edifice was more like
a street than bridge, having a row of
houses along each side.
"The old picture was q strange one,
but the people of that day would have
deemed the picture of this sunny sum-
mer morning much more remarkable.
On the bridge today there were
young soldiers of South Africa, of New
Zealand, of Australia and of Canada.
There are many English, both sailors
and soldiers, men in uniforms which
are not seen in Canada. All these young
men are in Britain and in uniform to-
day in this incredible war.
I told my Canadian friend that he
might hear Big Ben-which, as every
body knows, is the huge bell in the
main tower Of the house Of parlia-
ment-provided it was rung, but that
it would not ring again until after the
war.
We looked out from the bridge over
the city on both sides of the river and
1 was reminded Of these words of
Heine, written, Of course long before
the world dreamed of the present de-
velopments. 81 have seen," said Heine,
"the greatest wonder that the world
can show to the astonished spirit. ]
have seen 1t and am more astonished
than ever and still there remains in
my memory that stone forest of houses,
and amid them the rushing stream of
faces, of living human faces, with all
their motley passions, all their ter
rible impulses of love, of hunger and
Of hate"
The river itself was peaceful enough
and serene, clearer than Canadians
would expect to find it and much mar
rover. The Thames is only 900 feet
wide at this point, which constitutes
the reason why the first structure was
built here. Up to the latter part Of
the eighteenth century everyone used
this crossing, since there was no other
medium except the boats.
TIE soldier by my side looked long
into the busy pool" but I do not think
he saw anything except the bloody
me, but / was aware that he was not
thinking of London. Perhaps he
thought of that little prairie village in
Alberta, out of which 20 young men
came with the first contingent, and to
which, If destiny so Wills it, not sim
gle one will return.
At ST. Margaret's Church.
We decided to make the long jour-
ney down to ST Margaret's church, ad-
joining the abbey. The preacher of
the day was Canon Murray of st.
Johns college of Winnipeg, and
among the auditors / saw one of the
wardens of the st. Johns cathedral
Sheriff Inkster.
st. Margaret's does not make the
same appeal that the abbey and st.
Paul's do, but there is plenty In this
historic structure to satisfy the imag-
ination. AS the service proceeded, this
morning 1t came on to rain, as they
say in Scotland, and the church grew
DINNER, the light slowly fading. The
wonderful windows gained In beauty,
and the entire place became redolent
of the past.
After the service one Of the wardens
showed me the windows In detail. /
asked after the famous east one, since
/ had known about it, and the warden
said that he did not knew where 1t
was. This window, AZ ! recollect, was
presented by Spa.n to King Henry VII
and at a later time it was removed
from its place in the east of st. Mar
garet's in the fear that the soldiers of
Cromwell rIight destroy 1t. Now, ap-
parently, t was gone again and its
place was taken by plain glass. On