New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-04-15
Sweetness and Light


We have heard So m-an o. nate that
-cmctr> tie world seems He'd with If.
one of the commoucst remarks heard by
any man. ln aHy circle OF lre'dS' Us ms
Il did not know, until The Germans began
these horrors oi lheIrs' ina, l Co~'" H"''
so hard or So steadily. mere are many
of us who feel poisoned by THIS new ana
dreadful sentiment; IL is as though the
very air we breathe had grown timex ana
noN.ous, as though the Hun. pouring his
deadly gases over the trenches oil me
Allies. rad also emitted splrl'uai CIV" U'-
rected a. the souls OF 'hoSe Tar remove"
rom the battehe.d. 10 Is true enough
This growth OF an ugly passion let II is
also true that. ID we are on the way 10 any
hing, the war is taking US to the endless
extinction o. unhappy hates and we md
the evidence not m any overVrought
philosophy. but ln The everyday 1amihar
facts Of the great hgnt. IL IS the AIIed
soldier al the front and the men ana
women lust back Of the front who are con
family illustrating for us "the hate of
hate. the scorn of scorn. the love Of love-
Take. for example, the impressions Of
,he hospitals that have found their way, IN
great numbers, into print There IS on
the whole. a curious absence from them Of
ttosc cp;sodcs of wrathful hate which we
would almost expect. as matter Of course
IN such records. From the reflections of
one Trglishwoman, as assistant at base
established for the Battle Of the Somme,
We take q few notes on the demeanor OF
Ter cases. Writing in "Blackwood's,' she
.rrs: Most of the poor fellows were too
ts,. .oro ~ saw much. but one and all bore
.,,t- o,,o,,. and tho foulness Of their ter
r.b,c wounds with q bravery that must
,,oro cve~v bosDital worker know human
l..i,,s 20 bo. in some sort. divine" The
thing that particularly struck her among
,to tortured and broken men was their
cf7or, 70 rive those who tended them as
LITTLE trouble as possible. She speaks Of
tho rouobost Of the military types in her
o,,oriorce the French Colonials: "Thev
car,c ,o MS hot from the storming of the
Villages. a crowd Of desperadoes. 10 hos
nital stated exclusively by wonderland
bey torso comment is that 'tbev were gen
tIeren ALL" The Allies arc winning the
war bv killing Germans. But they are
'jlling hate. They arc winning the war
through the chivalry in their souls, through
their dedication TO what Swift called "the
two uoblcst Of things. which are sweet
nos, and LIGHT"
C,,roe,o,dorts rolate ~ ne tbo incon-
...,,,,,s irc.do,,ts nm the frincos Of the hat
.l,f,l4 ,c,earte nlo,,cb;rr women roine
.5c,rfplly about their household tasks
children playing at their games. And the
Allied soldiers, amid all their fierce pre-
occupations. never loosen their hold upon
VIC S'"'pie' "o'''''y 'ue@iS Oh i"I," anu MINI
lineSs embodied IN those trusting NgureS.
We think Of military hcroism perhaps
,o.o..,u,. g., Lo;cbtorcd rovorhoro+;rc-
'e'''N' -u"''N'.'" ~ ~ "'''' ~
acedS. NAN doeS lhenl' ana MS Iei!o"S
look on M mood that is above the ordl-
nary prystic2l dramatic. But tho lessons
- -. g.. l-.,..o ...
W '''' al nv
IN inc S'eaulaSIiesS' Oche"'h us uh'''aSl-
nable shock, Of the sweetness and light
which are human natures two noblest
,h;,,s Tho doo, v-,to-s s+;rrod IN. tho
'''I''s' 49,, N...;a. ,;,'o
N''''"s "'N F'N
- -, ~ h,a,a, I;r, Ero,ch ond rrr'
,;.h %, ,,,ro,od so1c ~ ;,s ,lr.ss o,,5 brou,,bt
49, 80 men - tho ,rost ,at,ral artIoss
go. tho l,rco ,,,torsrco of tho osrlv Gods
Al roos there fell in his nineteenth wear.
lvo Alan Charters. Youngest son of the
Fsrl 81 We,rvss Here are some nassares
from tho letter written a few davs later
nv his brother. Lord Elcbo-himself des-
go % dio in action ON the followin,,