,alter ,ego  ,a ,,tale    by ,rev4 ,w4  
,w4 ,walker   ,author of ,by ,northern  
,lakes1 ,sabre ,thrusts at ,freethought1
 ,plain ,talks on ,health and ,morals1  
,part ,,ii1 and ,occident and ,orient4  
,,author',s ,,edition  ,,toronto        
,,william ,,briggs  #aijg     ,entered  
according to ,act of the ,parliament of 
,canada1 in the year one thousand nine  
hundred and seven1 by ,,william ,,wesley
 ,,walker1 at the ,department of        
,agriculture       ,to    ,lydia ,kirby 
,walker    the granddaughter of a       
cultured ,frenchman   and the faithful  
partner of my joys   and sorrows1 this  
volume   is affectionately   dedicated4 
,the author is indebted to the great    
national newspapers of ,canada and the  
,united ,states1 the ,toronto ,globe and
 ,collier's ,weekly1 for some facts from
 the former and some figures from the   
latter in rounding up the historical    
part of the story as relating to the    
conflict in the ,far ,east4             
,,preface  ,to men who teach and write  

the oft-recurring question comes1 ,how  
can we so influence others in heart and 
intellect as to help them reach a       
loftier plane of thought and action8    
,as every life has its ,gethsemane of   
sorrow and tragedy1 so every life has   
its morning star of hope and its        
mainspring of faith4  ,our salvation1   
then1 and the lifting up and saving of  
others is the exercise of that vital    
principle which has its incarnation in  
hope4 ,the use of this still further    
causes the mountains of difficulty that 
loom portentous in our pathway and tower
 to the heavens to crumble into         
mole-hills4  ,the soul is made          
optimistic and the life beautified by   
its possession1 while the ear is        
brought1 spiritually speaking1 within   
range of the victorious shout1 ,more    
than conquerors6 and the new song1 the  
song of ,moses and the ,lamb4           
,,contents      ,i4 ,the ,appointment   
,,ii4 ,mr4 ,melvin's ,marriage and      
,teachings  ,,iii4 ,secretary-,treasurer

 ,thompson's ,death--,a ,surprise       
from the ,far-off ,east   ,,iv4 #bjc    
,metre ,hill and ,mukden    ,v4 ,the    
,battle of ,mukden--and ,call of ,mr4   
,devoau as         ,associate ,minister 
,,vi4 ,further ,teachings and how they  
are ,estimated     ,,alter ,,ego        
,,chapter ,i4  ,,the ,,appointment4  ,in
 the uplands of ,canada was an          
attractive church with a spire that     
pointed longing souls to the skies1 and 
the pastor of which had finished his    
course with joy and was now joining in  
the hallelujah choruses of the upper    
sanctuary4  ,the authorities of the     
denomination to which the church        
belonged appointed a man to its pulpit  
who was progressive and independent1 as 
well as being very broad-minded4  ,the  
necessity for this lay in the fact that 
the population of the place represented 
nearly all the languages and creeds to  
be found in the ,dominion1 and          
consequently if a man of narrow views   
were appointed he would soon make       

shipwreck of everything4  ,the new      
minister1 as well as being broad and    
advanced1 was very honorable1 and would 
not in any way infringe upon the rights 
of others2 but as ,mount ,zion was the  
only church in the place1 he was        
perfectly safe from any charge of       
meanness1 in the form of coaxing sheep  
away from a brother's fold4  ,the first 
,sunday came upon which the ,rev4       
,thomas ,melvin was to occupy his new   
pulpit1 and an immense congregation     
filled every part of the edifice4  ,the 
text was from the ,saviour's words1     
,feed my sheep1 and the preacher had not
 gone far when his attentive hearers    
discovered that he was a man of great   
intellect and unusual power as a        
speaker1 and they were swayed as        
corn-stalks in a tempest as he reasoned 
of the ,saviour's place in the world1   
and of ,his work1 and also of man's     
obligations to ,him1 as well as to his  
fellows4  ,all through the week this    
first fearless and powerful sermon was  

the talk of all who had heard it4       
,some1 however1 did not like it1 as     
telling them of their duty caused       
indigestion1 while others were          
delighted1 as they loved a man who      
shunned not to declare all counsel1     
whether pleasing or displeasing4  ,the  
next ,sabbath disclosed the fact that   
,mr4 ,melvin was no plug either1 as he  
said things outside the scope of the    
,bible and over the boundary line of    
prescribed theology4  ,one old gentleman
 who occupied a front seat in the       
church1 and who was of portly mould and 
genial disposition1 and whose dinners   
were really of more account in his      
estimation than anything else1 forgot   
said feasts for a period sufficiently   
long to say3 ,my songs6  ,i wonder what 
that new preacher means1 anyway6  ,next 
day our friend1 who was dean of the     
dinner-table faculty1 called on his new 
pastor and said1 after being asked how  
he liked the sermon on ,sunday3 ,my     
songs6  ,you said things that my        

bloomin' brain could 'ardly hunderstand4
  ,to tell the truth1 ,mr4 ,melvin was  
something of a statesman as well as a   
preacher1 and with narrow bigots soon   
became as much hated as he was beloved  
by the broad and liberal minded4  ,the  
bigots1 however1 soon ceased to be4     
,although those classing themselves as  
belonging to other denominations were in
 no case strong enough to form          
societies1 yet they remained loyal to   
what they claimed allegiance to1 but    
this did not hinder them from frequently
 hearing ,mr4 ,melvin1 who was delighted
 to see his countrymen1 who in some     
cases spoke the mellow1 musical tongue  
of ,france1 that land of art1 science1  
and literature1 and military power4  ,as
 his congregation was so cosmopolitan   
and contained representatives of every  
leading denomination1 the pastor of     
,mount ,zion preached the doctrines of  
the ,bible in their broadest sense1 and 
showed their most comprehensive meaning4
  ,everyone who heard ,mount ,zion's    

rector1 or pastor1 noticed that he was  
perfectly fearless in depicting the     
exceeding sinfulness of sin1 and having 
found out that a certain prominent man  
in the place was very vile in his       
morals1 and had ruined many young lives1
 and was in the habit of running the rig
 on good people1 and who also was most  
un-,canadian in his ways1 he openly     
rebuked him for his evil deeds and for  
not restraining his family4  ,of course1
 this exasperated the man1 and for a    
long time he was a persistent enemy of  
,mount ,zion's pastor1 but he was yet to
 find out that the servant of the       
,galilean would conquer4  ,his          
sympathies were all of the ,mother      
,goose type1 as is the case with most   
evil men1 whose stamina is so exhausted 
in sinning that they lack the courage to
 stand alone1 and never dare to be      
,daniels1 above everything heeding      
,god's command4  ,as ,rev4 ,mr4 ,melvin 
was the only resident ordained man in   
the place1 he had a great many          

marriages4  ,indeed1 all the            
marriages--or rather1 marriage          
ceremonies--were performed by himself   
and the ,rev4 ,father ,trenton1 of the  
,catholic ,church1 who came occasionally
 from a neighboring parish to minister  
to people of his own faith4  ,mr4       
,melvin1 after meeting ,father ,trenton 
two or three times1 decided that he was 
a man of fine principle and real moral  
worth1 also a strong advocate for total 
abstinence from cigarettes and strong   
drink1 believing1 as a man of culture   
and science1 that the effect of both was
 pernicious and poisonous1 and that on  
that ground they were to be avoided4    
,the reverend father was a most         
companionable man1 and1 as ,mr4 ,melvin 
said1 was a jolly good fellow4  he was  
soon invited to the manse for tea1 where
 a most enjoyable time was spent1 and   
where many a good story was told4       
,there soon came an invitation to ,mr4  
,melvin from ,father ,trenton to visit  
him at his home in the next town4  ,the 

invitation was promptly accepted1 and   
another happy evening whiled away4  ,it 
was inspiring to all languages and      
creeds to see the warm and hearty       
cordiality of feeling that existed      
between these two broad and             
liberal-minded men1 which taught the    
world that the elevation of the human   
race lay not in such senseless          
antagonisms as existed among our bigoted
 and foolish ancestors1 but in the      
exercise of a spirit not only of        
toleration1 but of good-fellowship and  
love4  ,some very amusing incidents     
occurred during the performance of the  
marriage ceremony4  ,one man1 who had   
previously been received into the       
,church1 and who was asked the question1
 ,will you renounce the world1 the flesh
 and the evil one8 the answer of which  
was1 ,i renounce them all1 was asked1   
,will you have this woman to be your    
wedded wife1 for better1 for worse1 in  
sickness and health1 till death you do  
part8 and in his excitement1 having the 

membership reception in mind1 he said1  
,i renounce them all4  ,on another      
occasion1 while a couple were being     
yoked together1 the groomsman suddenly  
leaned over and saluted the bride       
instead of the groom1 to the infinite   
amusement of all present1 and causing   
the face of the latter to take on a     
crimson hue4     ,,chapter ,,ii4  ,,mr4 
,,melvin',s ,,marriage ,,and            
,,teachings4  ,it was rumored for some  
time that the minister of ,mount ,zion1 
or the incumbent1 or pastor1 or whatever
 you desire to call him1 was in the     
habit of visiting a certain young lady  
in a distant town4  ,now there were many
 fine young ladies belonging to the     
tabernacle1 but as distance seemed to   
lend merit and attractiveness1 its      
spiritual head found his choice         
elsewhere4  ,although not a graduate1   
,miss ,spencer was a well-read young    
lady of refined instincts and excellent 
character2 she had taught school for    
some time1 and was of ,french ancestry4 

,in commenting afterward upon his       
choice1 ,mr4 ,melvin said that as a     
,canadian he saw that one of the most   
important steps in nation building was  
to unify1 as far as possible1 the       
different races and creeds in this      
country1 and he was one of those who    
were setting the pace4  ,when ,mrs4     
,melvin was brought home1 after a very  
interesting ceremony at the ,spencer    
homestead1 the people were charmed with 
her and the tabernacle congregation gave
 her a splendid reception4  ,the        
minister's wife in every way justified  
the good opinion formed of her at first 
sight4  ,she was a quiet1 unobtrusive   
,christian1 with a sympathetic nature1  
which soon brought her in touch with the
 poor and afflicted in the community4   
,many a basket prepared by her own hand 
found its way into the homes of want1   
and many a visit was made which         
comforted and cheered the anguished     
sufferer1 and which tended to turn the  
hour of sorrow into one of joy4  ,mrs4  

,melvin proved herself an angel of mercy
 in ,carsville1 and frequently relieved 
her husband by taking charge of a       
service of praise1 or by preaching a    
sermon in connection with the ,sabbath  
service4  ,her work as a teacher had    
made her a fluent1 impressive and       
logical speaker1 who was always         
acceptable to the people4  ,mr4 ,melvin 
now saw that the time was ripe for      
moulding public opinion along not only  
spiritual but national lines1 and he did
 not even consult the politicians       
concerning the matter1 but as a teacher 
applied himself resolutely to the task4 
,the very first ,sunday after bringing  
his bride from her somewhat distant home
 the pastor of ,mount ,zion ,tabernacle 
preached on sin1 and said the individual
 must come out from among his sinful    
associates in renunciation thereof1 and 
dare to be singular1 or there is little 
hope4 ,as it is with individuals1 so    
with nations4  ,the people who in a     
national sense1 associate with a        

country1 to the extent of forming a part
 of it1 that reeks with drunkenness and 
licentiousness will assuredly1 if they  
do not come out from it1 share its ruin1
 which is sure and certain as the fact  
that ,god rules and reigns4  ,the       
following ,sunday ,mr4 ,melvin preached 
on the character and attributes of      
,christ1 saying that1 ,he did not rule  
or reign among men in an imperial sense1
 seated upon a kingly throne in such    
splendor that only a chosen few could   
approach ,him1 but in a thoroughly      
democratic manner1 to whom the rich and 
poor1 the learned and unlearned1 all    
alike could come1 to find in ,him a     
,saviour1 ,brother1 ,friend and merciful
 ,high ,priest1 one who was touched with
 a feeling of human infirmity1 and who  
always entered into sympathy with       
humankind4  ,the third ,sunday the      
subject was religion1 the preacher      
asking if it was a creed1 or a bundle of
 doctrinal standards1 if it was         
,calvinism or ,arminianism1 ,brahminism 

or ,buddhism1 ,confucianism or          
,zoroastrianism1 or the cheering of     
narrow-minded bigots for sixteenth      
century ideas4  ,the man who with       
,pauline fearlessness asked these       
questions also himself answered them1   
saying it is none of these1 but it is to
 be so filled with the loving ,christ   
spirit as to visit the sick and         
fatherless in their affliction1 and keep
 unspotted from the world1 to manifest  
the ,christ spirit in all life's        
relationships1 which spirit was one of  
broadest charity and love4  ,after those
 three momentous sermons the minister1  
to stimulate his young people in a way  
that would lead to energetic action     
along the line of acquiring knowledge1  
preached a sermon on the subject of     
education4  ,he told his hearers not to 
be afraid to read scientific and        
philosophical as well as historical     
literature1 and do not become nervous1  
he said1 if many of your old cherished  
ideas are proven to have had for their  

foundation the ever-shifting sand4  ,if 
research proves that man has been on    
this earth #b1jjj1jjj of years instead  
of #f1jjj1 as formerly taught1 do not be
 afraid to accept it1 for it is in      
perfect harmony with the teachings of   
,god's own revelation1 and infinitely   
more correct than the antiquated        
teaching of the past1 according to the  
most eminent authority in the world4    
,if in former times it was taught that  
the atmosphere was forty-five miles     
high1 who now would continue to adhere  
to such a belief1 when with their own'  
eyes they can see meteoric stones burst 
into flame one hundred miles from the   
earth1 thus proving the atmosphere to be
 considerably more than that height1 as 
in order to become so heated as to glow 
it must collide with atmospheric        
particles for many miles4  ,the same may
 be said of history1 study it in every  
phase1 turn on the side lights1 and you 
will find that in many cases it is very 
different to what you have always been  

taught4  ,the immense congregation which
 thronged the tabernacle were now       
beginning to find out that their former 
teachers were of the antediluvian       
school1 but that a man with enlightened 
mind and scholarship so acute that it   
could not be measured by academic       
degrees had come among them4  ,this     
progressive and advanced teacher1       
however1 warned them that in the midst  
of all their advancement they would find
 that ,israel's ,god was their ,god1 and
 that they would have to obey ,him1 and 
live clean1 faithful1 fruitful lives1 so
 as to one day hear the ,well done1 and 
enter into the ,master's joy4           
,,chapter ,,iii4                        
,,secretary-,,treasurer ,,thompson',s   
,,death--,a   ,,surprise ,,from ,,the   
,,far-,,off ,,east4  ,the most pious and
 trusted of all the tabernacle officials
 was ,john ,thompson1 who1 though not   
handsome in the outer man1 was in soul  
beautiful4  ,indeed1 his homeliness was 
at one time the subject of a good joke1 

when an old friend of ,mr4 ,melvin's1   
who was a noted scientist1 in visiting  
him1 attended a ,sabbath service1 and   
seeing him 7that is1 ,mr4 ,thompson71   
said to a bystander3 ,i have long sought
 for the missing link to establish the  
development theory1 but the last place  
,i ever expected to find it was in      
,mount ,zion ,tabernacle1 and yet there 
it is6  ,in spite of jests1 however1 the
 secretary-treasurer had the qualities  
of mind and heart which go to make the  
true man1 and when word was borne to his
 pastor that he was seriously ill1 ,mr4 
,melvin lost no time in reaching his    
couch4  ,the first question he asked    
was1 ,are you suffering much1 ,brother  
,thompson1 who1 in reply1 said3 ,i am   
suffering great bodily pain1 but though 
heart and flesh fail ,i am trusting in  
the living ,god4  ,the fifteen minutes  
that followed were too sacred to record1
 and when the minister left the sick    
man's chamber it was noticed that his   
face looked as if he had been treading  

on the borderland of ,paradise4  ,next  
day1 as our clerical friend was entering
 the home of his afflicted official1 he 
met the medical doctor who had been in  
attendance1 and asked him if there was  
any hope for his friend4 ,the doctor    
said that if his trouble had been       
attended to in time his life would have 
been saved1 but now no power on earth   
could do more than prolong it for a few 
days4  ,mr4 ,melvin saw that what the   
man of skill said was correct1 as he had
 frequently noticed that ,mr4 ,thompson 
was in poor health1 if appearances went 
for anything1 and altogether he was so  
busied with his duties and deeds of     
charity that he neglected himself until 
there was no chance for medical science 
to give him1 as it would have done under
 ,providence1 if consulted in time1     
years of usefulness4  ,next time the    
pastor visited his dying parishioner1 he
 received some good advice from one who 
was not nearly so learned as himself4   
,said he3 ,if your sermons possessed the

 spirituality which they do philosophy  
and common-sense1 the congregation would
 soon receive a great spiritual uplift4 
,mr4 ,melvin was a very sane man1 and   
heeded not the rebuke except to profit  
by it4  ,indeed1 it was a marked        
compliment to him that his teaching was 
endorsed by the best man in his         
congregation while on the verge of the  
heavenly kingdom4  ,next day the        
minister called again to see his        
faithful officer1 and on inquiry found  
that his hopes still rested upon his    
,saviour's blood and righteousness1 and 
in the conversation which followed ,mr4 
,thompson said3 ,how little in this hour
 do stocks1 bonds and mortgages1 houses 
and lands1 trouble one4  ,the only house
 of which ,i can now think is the one to
 which ,i have a clear title through a  
loving ,saviour's sacrificial death1 and
 it has not been formed by human hands1 
for its builder and founder is ,god4    
,as ,mr4 ,melvin bade farewell to his   
friend on this occasion1 he saw that he 

was steadily sinking1 and would soon be 
in the house of many mansions4  ,about  
two o'clock next morning the door-bell  
at the parsonage was so vigorously rung 
that everybody was awakened1 and a      
message was handed in1 asking the pastor
 to go1 if possible1 at once to ,mr4    
,thompson's1 as he was just dying4  ,mr4
 ,melvin dressed quickly and passed out 
into the darkness of the night1 soon    
arriving at the home of the dying man4  
,one glance showed that the sands had   
almost run out1 but upon his feeling the
 hand-clasp1 the sick man revived for a 
time and said1 ,eye hath not seen1 nor  
ear heard1 neither hath it entered into 
the heart of man1 the things which ,god 
has in store for those that love ,him4  
,after uttering these words he seemed to
 be exhausted1 and sank down deeper into
 his pillow4  ,mr4 ,melvin watched him1 
and after a time saw his lips move1 and 
placing his ear close to them1 caught   
the words1 ,home at last1 home at last4 
,then the lips ceased to move1 and all  

could see that the ransomed spirit of   
the redeemed man had passed beyond the  
river4  ,the people of ,carsville and of
 the world had now an evidence that     
character and true worth could not be   
measured by outward appearance4 ,during 
the hours that the body of the sainted  
,thompson lay in state and was deposited
 in ,god's acre the flags were flying at
 half-mast1 and every business place was
 closed4  ,in spite of unattractive     
exterior the people of all languages and
 creeds in the place recognized the fact
 that a broad-minded man1 full of loving
 sympathy for all classes and creeds1   
was not dead1 but had been translated4  
,mr4 ,melvin always looked with a       
certain measure of suspicion upon       
holiness people1 believing that there   
was more hypocrisy than sanity in all   
that sort of thing1 and called to mind  
the case of ,sambo who professed it1 and
 when asked by his good old-fashioned   
class-leader1 who knew his weakness1 if 
he had during the past week stolen any  

ducks1 said1 ,no1 massa4  ,any geese8   
,no1 massa4  ,any turkeys8  ,no1 massa4 
,bless the ,lord1 ,sambo1 you are on    
your happy way to heaven4 ,as the leader
 passed on to admonish the next1 ,sambo 
turned to his neighbor and whispered3   
,if massa had said chickens he had me2  
,i was at de roosts of ,widder ,simpkins
 last week4  ,mr4 ,thompson had1        
however1 never professed it1 but his    
life gave evidence that he possessed it1
 and his pastor thought it wise never to
 mention that much misunderstood word   
holiness again4  ,shortly after the     
burial of the secretary-treasurer there 
came to ,carsville a straight           
military-looking young man with an      
indifferent air1 who procured employment
 at the foundry1 and whom the minister  
noticed in the congregation1            
intercepting him at the close of the    
service to find out who he was and to   
welcome him4  ,the person was ,leonard  
,devoau1 who had returned from          
,manchuria1 where he had fought in the  

,russian army at ,port ,arthur and      
,mukden1 escaping from the former to the
 latter disguised as a ,chinaman1 where 
he took part in the world's greatest    
battle4  ,mr4 ,devoau said that he was  
born at ,ottawa1 the capital of the     
,dominion1 and always loved adventure1  
and it was this love that led him to    
enlist in the ,russian army1 and pass   
through the frightful scenes at the     
above places4  ,mr4 ,melvin was much    
impressed by the bearing of the young   
stranger who had returned from          
,manchuria so recently1 and invited him 
to the parsonage so that they might get 
better acquainted4  ,during the course  
of the evening he asked his guest if he 
was fond of soldiering1 and in reply was
 told that when he left ,canada he was  
in love with the idea1 and even after   
the awful experiences of ,port ,arthur1 
where he was often for hours together in
 a perfect hell of fire1 he thought he  
would love a fair fight in the open1 and
 accordingly broke for ,mukden4  ,he    

told the minister1 however1 that this   
great battle1 including the retreat1 was
 even worse than the siege1 as in the   
former large bodies of them had         
frequently to face about and charge with
 the bayonet to press back the hordes of
 ,japanese who were continually driving 
in upon them4  ,mr4 ,devoau said3 ,when 
you think of the fact that we could     
never meet our enemies when we were not 
outnumbered from two to three to every  
one of our own men1 you will concede    
that we never had a fair chance1 but put
 them man to man and they could never   
withstand the ,russians in a bayonet    
charge4  ,the disparity in numbers is   
very evident from the fact that the     
,russians had only #cjj1jjj infantry and
 #bf1gjj cavalry at ,mukden1 while      
opposed to this was a force of #fej1jjj 
men1 or1 for all practical purposes1    
just double the number4  ,we fought them
 for nineteen days along a front one    
hundred miles in length1 and were only  
then defeated by an accident1 bringing  

off #a1cjj guns out of #a1cfj1 and a    
larger quantity of baggage1 marching    
into headquarters1 as the corps of      
,general ,linevitch actually did1 with  
banners flying and bands playing as if  
they were just fresh from the parade    
ground4  ,marshal ,oyama may go down in 
history as a great strategist1 but in my
 humble judgment ,general ,kuropatkin is
 greater4  ,the general knew full well  
that if he had one more army corps he   
could have cut in two the long drawn out
 flanking force of his antagonist1      
crumpled it up1 and turned their victory
 into a disastrous and decisive defeat4 
,as it was1 at the close of the war     
,general ,linevitch confronted the enemy
 with #a1jjj1jjj men in arms1 and they1 
unwilling to try conclusions when there 
was man for man1 made a peace favorable 
to ,russia on the whole4  ,as           
corroboration of this ,i give you the   
word of the foreign military attaches to
 the ,russian army4  ,as ,mr4 ,melvin   
did not in his own home consider it in  

very good form to inquire into the past 
history of ,mr4 ,devoau1 he soon visited
 him at his lodgings and asked him      
concerning his life4  ,he said1 in      
answer to the question1 that he had been
 brought up by ,christian parents1 who  
held that any deviation from the path of
 moral rectitude was an awful thing1 and
 consequently he himself had never      
gotten astray morally2 his besetting    
sin1 he said1 was a love for wild       
adventure by flood or field1 and he was 
now perfectly satisfied and desired no  
more of that kind of thing4  ,he had    
foolishly thought that there was much   
glory in war1 but after seeing its      
hydraheaded hideousness1 and himself    
testing its fearful hardships1 he was   
prepared to denounce it as              
anti-,christian and barbarous1 except in
 a defensive sense4  ,also concerning   
his education he had helped different   
members of his father's family in their 
studies1 and had thus been prevented    
from entering upon a university course1 

though he had undergraduate standing4   
,the pastor of the tabernacle said he   
was surprised that with his standing he 
should enter a foundry1 and work his way
 just as one would who had no earlier   
advantages1 but the reply was a very    
rational one1 for he said he and his    
brother had decided that when they had  
mastered every detail of the business1  
and had saved sufficient money to       
warrant it1 they would start a foundry  
of their own4  ,while in the ,russian   
army1 he continued1 ,i discovered that  
the prospect for iron founders was      
brighter than for most classes4  ,the   
minister now asked his new friend if he 
would like to join the tabernacle1 and  
at the same time gave him a hearty      
invitation1 but he said he could not    
conscientiously join1 but would attend  
the services4 ,mr4 ,melvin said1 ,now ,i
 am not a bigot1 and do not insist on   
every one doing as ,i do1 and being what
 ,i am4  ,how would you like to simply  
become a member of our ,young ,people's 

,society1 where we would help you and   
you could help us8  ,i will do that1    
said ,mr4 ,devoau4  ,the new acquisition
 to the ,debating ,club of ,mount ,zion 
,tabernacle proved a great drawing card1
 as it was well known at the foundry and
 all around that he possessed a fine    
moral character and could always be     
relied upon4  ,before asking him to     
connect himself with the society the    
minister had not only talked to him     
personally1 but had also written to     
,ottawa1 and asked concerning his past  
life1 and found that he had told the    
truth1 and that1 as he himself said1    
,the worst things he had ever done1 and 
that only since entering the army1 was  
to smoke a cigar and play a game of     
cards without stakes4  ,the pastor and  
his officials1 however1 were soon to    
receive a rebuke when ,mr4 ,devoau told 
them1 after they had been praising him  
for his clean life1 that if they had    
more of the loving ,christ spirit       
instead of lauding him they would be out

 into the lanes and alleys1 into the    
highways and byways1 gathering in the   
lost and sinful rather than those who   
had always been moral4  ,it seems to me1
 he said1 the ,church is more needed to 
foster and guide those who have had     
their garments stained with sin than    
those who without any credit to         
themselves1 but to the instruction and  
coercion of puritanical parents1 always 
kept themselves clean4  ,mr4 ,melvin was
 so struck with the fact that the young 
man who had rebuked them possessed true 
worth that he invited him to relate his 
experiences during the war in an        
address1 when the whole evening would be
 given up to him1 and on which the      
tabernacle doors would be thrown open to
 the public4  ,the invitation was       
accepted1 the young ex-soldier          
announcing his intention of relating    
some of the incidents in connection with
 the storming of #bjc ,metre ,hill1 of  
which he was one of the defenders1 and  
the assaults on the entrenchments at    

,mukden4     ,,chapter ,,iv4  #bjc      
,,metre ,,hill ,,and ,,mukden4  ,before 
a crowded audience and under the        
auspices of the ,young ,people's ,club1 
,mr4 ,devoau said3 ,now1 before ,i      
launch right out into a description of  
battle charges1 ladies and gentlemen1 ,i
 want you to understand that ,i feel so 
humble and modest in this matter that ,i
 believe if ,i had never seen ,port     
,arthur the defence would have been just
 as stubborn1 and if ,i had not been in 
the advanced works at ,mukden the battle
 would have lasted nineteen days all the
 same1 and the army of the ,czar would  
have been saved4  ,nothing worthy of    
notice occurred during my long voyage   
from ,montreal2 at least everything was 
so tame in the shape of the railway trip
 from ,ottawa to the above-mentioned    
place1 and the tossing upon the waters  
of the mighty deep until a blockade     
runner landed me at the seat of war1 to 
what followed afterwards that ,i will   
not weary you to-night by relating it4  

,when ,i arrived at headquarters        
,general ,stoessel did not require my   
services1 as ,russians only were        
preferred1 but ,i pleaded so hard with  
him through an interpreter1 and told him
 ,i had come all the way from ,canada1  
and was just spoiling for a fight1      
telling him at the same time if he      
desired to know more about me to send a 
cable message to their consul at        
,ottawa4  ,this seemed to satisfy the   
general1 and he at last assigned me to  
the ,prebensky ,regiment of             
sharpshooters that held #bjc1 after     
testing me with a rifle4  ,i soon got   
well acquainted with my comrades1 and a 
jollier lot of fellows never lived1 who 
had no end of fun at the expense of the 
little niggers1 as they termed the      
,japanese4 ,our fun1 however1 was       
shortlived1 for one day the hills       
opposite our position burst into flame  
as though struck by lightning1 and #bjc 
,metre spurted flame1 and boiled like a 
cauldron from a succession of fearful   

explosions1 as shells alighted upon it4 
,our colonel signalled us to lie close4 
,every little while a gun would be      
tossed clean into the air by the        
explosion of an eleven-inch shell1 and  
sometimes a whole squad of men would be 
literally torn to pieces1 legs1 arms and
 fragments of flesh flying in all       
directions4  ,this pounding made us     
dreadful angry1 a number of the men     
swearing fluently1 even the grey-haired 
colonel1 ,i was told1 made some         
unmentionable remarks1 and ,i1 who had  
never sworn in my life1 made some very  
sarcastic references to the proceeding4 
,those horrible eleven-inch shells made 
bomb-proofs and covered works of all    
kinds very little more secure than the  
open4  ,many men were struck down around
 me1 some of them horribly mangled1 and 
portions of the works literally smashed 
to splinters1 but such is war1 and some 
call it glory4  ,after this fearful     
hammering had gone on for a time with   
hell reigning all around1 as suddenly as

 it started the appalling din ceased1   
and nothing could be heard but the      
piteous moaning of men who were so      
horribly mangled1 many of them1 that if 
their own mothers were present1 they    
could not recognize them4  ,during the  
awful bombardment1 just as we had       
expected1 the enemy1 who had made       
considerable progress under cover of the
 night1 had advanced right to the foot  
of the hill4 ,hitherto we could see     
nothing1 as not a soldier was in sight1 
and all that we could do was to pound   
the naked hillside1 but now the little  
brown squads1 in twenties1 began rushing
 across the fire zone1 and it appeared  
as if they were reserves coming up to   
reinforce the men at the base of the    
hill4  ,our blood was up after the abuse
 we had received1 and we pounded them   
with big guns1 pom-poms1 ,maxims and    
rifles1 but still they came1 and quickly
 forming1 marched up the valley of the  
shadow of death until a shrill whistle  
rang out1 when they turned square toward

 our position1 another whistle and they 
doubled files1 and came on with splendid
 precision4  ,their colonel1 a          
grey-haired veteran1 stood on a spur1   
and heedless of shrieking missiles1 had 
only one thought1 and that was of #bjc4 
,it is true the hill had been assaulted 
before1 while it is equally true that   
the enemy had been beaten back with     
frightful carnage4  ,now1 however1      
something seemed to say that the end was
 near1 as old ,teleda1 the veteran of   
twenty-seven engagements1 stood as if on
 parade1 directing the attack4  ,his men
 sank to mother earth singly and in     
mangled heaps1 but he had no eye for    
their dead or ear for the moaning of    
their wounded2 #bjc was the game1 and   
anything smaller1 such as noting the    
mutilated forms upon the blood-drenched 
sands in the valley1 was beneath        
contempt4  ,a battery of six guns came  
up to the foot of the hill at a gallop1 
the gunners setting them at an angle of 
many degrees1 so as to rake our works1  

but though they concealed themselves as 
best they could1 our sharpshooters      
frequently got a bead1 and an           
artilleryman would throw up his hands   
with a shriek and tumble in a heap4     
,after a rest the enemy opened again1   
the hills in front spouting flame1 and  
the battery at the foot of our position 
vomiting death4 ,between the explosions1
 however1 and they came thick and fast1 
we saw the figures of men as numerous as
 ants swarming up the base of the hill4 
,our machine guns were soon angled upon 
them1 and our rifles sent rattling      
volleys among them1 but the explosions  
in our position now come so frequently  
that we are soon choked in clouds of    
dust1 and battered by splinters of gun  
carriages and even falling sand bags4   
,the signal now rang out to fix         
bayonets1 and this was no sooner done   
than hand grenades were hurled in upon  
us1 the explosions of which tore the    
heads off some of our men1 the legs and 
arms off others1 but the most sickening 

sight to me was that of a man not three 
yards away who had the fore part of his 
chest clean torn away1 leaving his      
mangled lungs exposed to view4  ,at this
 stage observation was cut short by a   
whole battalion of ,japanese infantry   
tumbling over the parapet1 followed by  
swarms of reserves4  ,we sprang upon    
them with the steel1 and a frightful    
conflict ensued1 men fell dead in twos1 
often with their bayonets buried in one 
another's bodies4  ,for two or three    
minutes nothing could be heard but      
shots1 and imprecations1 and shrieks1   
and rattling steel1 and then all was    
over1 #bjc ,metre ,hill was taken1 but  
after we got out--that is1 all that was 
left of us--it was turned into a smoking
 volcano by the shells from our forts   
around1 and the enemy nearly shared our 
fate in being ejected4     ,,chapter ,v4
  ,,the ,,battle ,,of ,,mukden--,,and   
,,call ,,of ,,mr4 ,,devoau ,,as         
,,associate ,,minister4  ,after the     
recital of the fall of the key to ,port 

,arthur1 the speaker of the evening gave
 his experiences in the world's greatest
 battle as follows3 ,i arrived at       
,mukden long before the fight1 and after
 the famous victorious charge of        
,poutiloff up the slopes of ,lone ,tree 
,hill1 by which the ,japanese were      
driven out with fearful loss1 ,i wanted 
to be one of its defenders1 but ,general
 ,kuropatkin seemed to know all about   
me1 and insisted that ,i connect myself 
with the force holding ,yuhungtun4  ,i  
was angry and thought ,i was going to   
miss the liveliest part of it1 but the  
general knew better4  ,there was a good 
chance to become acquainted with the men
 before the conflict1 and ,i found them 
really fine fellows4  ,some were capital
 marksmen1 and as the enemy's outposts  
drew nearer amused themselves by sniping
 the men in the advanced pits1 and many 
a ,jap whose head only was visible did  
we see lifted out of his hole with his  
brains oozing out of a bullet           
perforation in his upper story4  ,the   

time came at last1 however1 when        
#a1jjj1jjj men confronted each other in 
the lines of battle1 who were destined  
to suffer a loss in killed1 wounded and 
prisoners within three weeks of #bej1jjj
 men1 or just one-fourth of the entire  
number4  ,although the battle proper    
lasted about nine days1 what with       
preliminaries and the rear-guard action 
which followed1 it might be safe to add 
ten more4  ,the struggle was fearful1   
and nobody was so much master of the    
situation as our commander-in-chief1 who
 knew from the beginning where the blow 
would fall4  ,general ,rennenkampf1 the 
,cossack chief1 had with his staff      
traversed the entire one hundred miles  
of front and had handed in his report to
 his superior4  ,the plan of ,marshal   
,oyama was to outflank our army and cut 
off its retreat1 and after surrounding  
it pound it1 until it capitulated1 but  
in ,kuropatkin he had met a man so able 
in strategy that he could easily        
outgeneral him and bring his plans to   

naught4 ,when the eleven-inch shells    
which had wrought such destruction at   
the port began to fall it soon became   
evident that the works on which had been
 expended the labor of months and the   
skill of the best engineers were going  
to dust4  ,in spite of the fact1        
however1 that we were outclassed in     
numbers and heavy artillery our men put 
up a terrible fight4  ,after a fearful  
pounding with all kinds of guns1 one day
 the enemy in overwhelming force came   
upon us with the bayonet1 and after a   
hand-to-hand struggle1 without parallel 
we believe1 in which the ground was     
piled with the slain1 we were forced out
 and our works taken4 ,during the awful 
struggle which cost us our position1 ,i 
was struck in the side by the steel of a
 ,jap1 which cut a groove between two of
 my ribs1 but although ,i was not       
seriously hurt ,i recognized the fact   
that one inch more1 or possibly half of 
that1 and to-night instead of talking to
 you ,i would have been in a nameless   

grave on ,manchuria's plains1 with my   
warrior shroud for a winding sheet1     
until the earth would give up its dead4 
,it is a remarkable fact that although  
people said1 with the advent of modern  
repeating arms and machine guns1 that   
bayonet charges were no longer possible1
 as such rushes in force would spell    
annihilation1 yet there never was a     
battle in all history where so many     
charges were made and in which cold     
steel crossed so often as at ,mukden4   
,word now came to us that our army had  
taken the offensive in the centre1 and  
was forcing the enemy back1 and         
encouraged by this we determined to     
retake our lost position4  ,as we were  
forming for the attack the divisional   
commander came along1 and noticing the  
shortage of officers1 said to the       
colonel of our regiment3 ',take the most
 experienced men from the ranks and put 
them in charge of sections and          
companies4'  ,although this was said in 
,russian1 ,i had now picked up enough of

 the language to understand it4  ,the   
colonel did not like the advice and     
said3 ',general1 this is contrary to    
custom2 you know we need to safeguard   
these positions by the use of a little  
red tape4'  ,the general became furious 
and said3 ',red tape to ----6  ,it has  
been the curse of the army in the past1 
and it will curse any army1 and at1 best
 bring nothing but humiliation4  ,what  
we want is merit1 which practically     
means experience and courage with a     
large amount of intelligence thrown in4'
  ,it was now evident to the colonel    
that he must obey his superior officer1 
and he came over to me and said3        
',devoau1 ,i want you to take ,no4 #e   
,company1 as its officers are all dead  
or wounded4'  ,i set my teeth and       
obeyed1 believing that ,i myself would  
soon be as they4  ,all was soon ready   
and the order was given1 ',forward1     
steady under cover4'  ,when we reached  
the open or fire zone two whistles      
pierced the air--one to deploy in loose 

order and the other to double4  ,we now 
swept forward1 the enemy's batteries    
opening upon us4 ,the men of my company 
went down1 sometimes one and sometimes  
three or four in a heap at a time4  ,as 
we reached our old position ,i was      
perfectly furious because of our losses1
 and though ,i had never sworn in my    
life before ,i yelled between my        
clenched teeth1 ',give them hell1 boys6'
  ,just as we were tumbling in upon them
 our colonel1 who was braver and better 
than any of us1 was shot through the    
brain and instantly killed4  ,even      
though the colonel was killed and whole 
companies had gone down in that awful   
rush1 the ,japanese might as well have  
tried to stem ,niagara's torrent as to  
beat back our infuriated men1 and all   
that was left of them got out faster    
than they had charged in4  ,the night   
within the village was one that would   
never fade from memory4  ,the streets   
were strewn with broken rifles1 twisted 
sabres and bayonets1 dismounted guns1   

broken gun carriages and dead men1 some 
of whom still clutched each other in the
 grip of death4  ,i was now ordered1    
though ,i felt unequal to the task or   
honor1 to take temporary command of our 
decimated regiment4  ,in trying to hold 
on to our old position we had to        
withstand some terrible bayonet rushes  
on the part of the enemy in efforts to  
retake it1 and our regiment1 which      
entered the battle with #b1dej men1 had 
just #ehe left to respond to the order  
to retire4  ,another regiment lost      
#a1ajj men4  ,the place assigned us in  
this most1 orderly retreat was in the   
rear-guard1 and just as we took our     
places our brigade commander was        
decapitated by the explosion of a       
pom-pom shell1 and ,i was ordered to    
hand over my regiment to a major and    
take charge of the brigade4  ,we had an 
awful time during the retreat1 but every
 onrush was stemmed1 and at each repulse
 of the foe our men1 with bayonets      
dripping red1 cheered to the echo4  ,the

 war was now practically over1 and      
although every man of ours had two      
foemen opposed to him1 the ,japs had a  
narrow escape from defeat2 nothing but  
the accident of a duststorm averting it1
 by enabling them in the darkness       
thereof to break the lines of ,general  
,linevitch when his men could not see a 
yard ahead of them4  ,when we reached   
headquarters ,i1 having nothing but a   
temporary connection with the ,russian  
army1 went to my chief and tendered him 
my uniform and arms1 telling him1 as    
there was not likely to be any more     
fighting1 ,i would return to ,canada4   
,he1 however1 refused to take anything1 
saying that as a mark of honor and      
appreciation ,i must retain them1 and   
after saying ',good-bye' to my          
battle-scarred comrades ,i went to the  
station to entrain for the coast1 and as
 it steamed out a crowd of officers and 
men waved their caps and handkerchiefs1 
shouting1 ',canada for ever2 long live  
,canada and the ,canadians6'  ,i felt ,i

 did not do much for them--any one1     
perhaps1 would have done better--but ,i 
had done my little best1 and they had   
trusted and honored me4  ,i like the    
,russians2 they are good fellows1 and   
are greatly slandered in the ,west4     
,they have a moral code1 and with some  
exceptions1 they live up to it1 and any 
nation that crosses arms with them will 
pay a heavy toll4  ,in closing1 ,i      
presume you would like to know more     
fully my opinion of war1 and in giving  
it ,i will say that if you murder a man 
by shooting or stabbing him you are     
merciful1 but if you kill him by        
exploding an eleven-inch shell1 in many 
cases he will be torn to fragments and  
his dismembered body scattered over an  
acre of ground4  ,in other instances    
that ,i have seen at ,mukden and #bjc   
,metre ,hill1 men have been mortally    
wounded and left an unrecognizable mass 
of flesh and blood1 which for days      
heaved with anguish and life1 while     
others1 after hours and sometimes days  

of agony1 died with broken bayonets     
protruding from their backs1 having     
entered as gallant breasts as ever      
swelled with breath and life4  ,i have  
forsworn war for ever1 after the        
dreadful scenes which ,i have witnessed1
 and there were scenes which ,i did not 
witness1 in far-off ,russia and ,japan1 
which were infinitely more appalling1   
where was seen the dreary sobbing of    
broken-hearted widowhood and the piteous
 wailing of hungry1 fatherless children4
  ,added to this was the pale-faced     
sorrow of sisters bereft of brothers and
 sweethearts1 who had lost those who    
would have been nearer than brothers1   
and who now with broken hearts ceased to
 live and began only to exist in        
hopeless despair4  ,the ,russians met in
 their foes armies trained after the    
pattern of the ,german military system1 
and none of us ever again desire to     
cross weapons with men trained as those 
are1 who have learned from that land of 
advanced scholarship and military       

superiority4  ,the ,japanese were foemen
 worthy of their steel1 but instead of  
their arms being dishonored fresh lustre
 was shed upon them4  ,at the close of  
his address ,mr4 ,devoau was applauded  
to the echo1 after adding as a rider    
that in his denunciation of war he      
would1 of course1 make an exception of  
defensive operations4  ,the next        
,sabbath in the morning service ,mr4    
,melvin started the tabernacle          
congregation by announcing that as he   
would soon reach the retiring line1 and 
as the immense congregation1 with its   
many needs1 overtaxed his strength1 he  
had long thought of an associate who1   
when he retired1 would take full charge4
  ,continuing1 he said3 ,i have spoken  
to ,mr4 ,devoau and asked him if he     
would not abandon the thought of a life 
so selfish as that of making himself one
 of the foremost iron founders in       
,canada and join me in the work of      
preaching and teaching4 ,his answer has 
been favorable1 if it is the will of the

 people1 and he has further said that if
 it is their will he will accept it as  
the ,master's will4  ,a meeting of the  
officers of the church was called for   
,tuesday evening1 when the matter was   
discussed1 and ,mr4 ,devoau's profession
 of faith heard1 when he told them that 
he was of ,french-,canadian parentage   
and could not subscribe to every        
technicality4  ,his frankness and       
fearlessness won every heart1 a vote was
 taken1 and he was unanimously called to
 be associate pastor of ,mount ,zion4   
,,chapter ,,vi4  ,,further ,,teachings  
,,and ,,how ,,they ,,are ,,estimated4   
,after his ordination the new preacher  
took his place in the pulpit once every 
,sunday1 and being now a close student  
of theology as well as of other         
subjects1 he soon became an eloquent and
 powerful speaker1 and the entire       
congregation was delighted with him4    
,the last ,sunday of the national year1 
,mr4 ,melvin announced a sermon on ,the 
,ideal ,relationship of ,capital and    

,labor1 prompted by the recent trouble  
at the foundry between employers and    
their hands4  ,the preacher of the day  
said3 ,beware of so-called socialism1   
for it trenches very closely on the     
borderland of anarchism1 and after      
having listened to lectures and sermons 
an hour long and read many books upon   
that much-abused topic1 ,i am           
constrained to turn to the teaching of  
the ,man of ,nazareth1 and find in that 
teaching something more rational and    
common-sense than elsewhere4  ,in the   
first place our ,saviour recognized     
property rights when he said1 ',render  
unto ,caesar the things which are       
,caesar's1 and unto ,god the things     
which are ,god's4'  ,this doctrine is   
for the workingman as well as for his   
employer1 and enables both to procure   
homes for themselves and hold them in   
their own right4  ,we cannot fail to    
recognize the fatherhood of ,god1 and if
 so then we must recognize the          
brotherhood of man1 for all men truly   

should be such4  ,if you and ,i have    
come to that point where we regard every
 man as our brother1 on the authority of
 ,jesus ,christ1 the social problem will
 be solved1 and the capitalist will     
regard and treat the man who toils for  
him as the son of his ,father ,god1 and 
the toiler will regard the employer as  
not only his brother1 but co-heir with  
himself to an incorruptible inheritance4
  ,much depends1 brethren1 on the       
exercise of that charity which          
translates love4  ,love one another and 
you will use one another aright4  ,as   
,moses lifted up the serpent in the     
wilderness1 and there was life as the   
wounded ,israelites looked upon it1 so  
there is life in a look at the crucified
 ,one1 and there is more than that1     
there is adjustment of relationships    
between husband and wife1 between pastor
 and people1 between citizens and their 
chief magistrate1 between capital and   
labor4  ,i can do no better than lift my
 hand toward the sky and utter that     

little classic1 ',ecce ,homo1' and ,he  
is the ,man of ,sorrow4  ,the senior    
pastor's sermon had a marvellous effect 
upon the people1 and it was said that   
the iron workers' difficulty was soon   
settled on the ,christ principle4  ,the 
next ,sunday being ,july #ast1 the      
anniversary of ,confederation1 the ,rev4
 ,mr4 ,devoau preached a sermon in      
keeping with the day1 and said that the 
,iroquois term ',kannatha1' which was   
very restricted in its meaning1 and only
 signified a collection of wigwams or   
huts--a village1 we might say--had      
become corrupted into ,canada1 but now  
stood for dominion power and            
nationality4  ,the population had grown 
into many millions1 and the area was    
#c1gej1jjj square miles1 or nearly as   
great as the entire continent of        
,europe4  ,the mineral and coal deposits
 are almost inexhaustible1 and the      
exports and imports the astonishment of 
the nations4  ,the growth of our cities 
is simply wonderful4  ,winnipeg has     

doubled its population in five years2   
,calgary has nearly trebled the number  
of its citizens in the same period1     
while ,montreal has become the ,new     
,york of ,canada4  ,truly the words of  
our text apply specially to us1 ',he    
hath not dealt so with any nation1 and  
as for his judgments we have not known  
them4'  ,continuing1 the speaker said3  
,the ,god who has so wondrously blessed 
us since #ahfg1 when a confederation of 
our leading provinces took place1       
expects us to be rational and sane1 and 
stand for unity and consolidation of    
languages and creeds1 that ,canada may  
show to the world what the brotherhood  
of man means and that the ,saviour's    
teaching has been put into practice upon
 our ocean-girt shores4  ,a large number
 of our people do not know what the term
 ,canadian means4  ,they will do well to
 remember that it takes in not only the 
people of old ,ontario1 but the people  
of the greater ,canada beyond1 with its 
diversity of speech and polity1 and no  

responsible person would say or do      
anything that would not tend to weld    
together the different doctrines and    
tongues4  ,if we are true to ,god and   
each other we will one day stand in the 
front rank of world powers1 and our     
fleets1 not of war1 but of commerce1    
will ride upon every sea4  ,the battle  
of the ,sea of ,japan or ,corea proved  
that battleships were not worth the coal
 that steamed them1 but our mercantile  
marine is of priceless value1 for it    
carries our wares to every land and our 
commerce into the marts thereof and into
 every clime4  ,immediately upon the    
close of the sermon1 ,mr4 ,melvin1 who  
had occupied a seat upon the platform1  
arose and said1 ,this is the best sermon
 to which ,i have ever listened2 it is  
truly the teaching of a man who is saner
 and wiser than his fellows4  ,upon the 
utterance of these words the vast       
audience broke into thunders of         
applause1 evidencing the fact that it   
was the sentiment of all4  ,as the      

summer advanced1 ,mr4 ,devoau invited   
,mr4 ,melvin to take a trip to ,ottawa  
with him1 as he was going to visit his  
parents for a day4  ,the invitation was 
accepted1 and these two kindred spirits 
started off on an early train for       
,canada's beautiful capital1 where they 
were met by ,mr4 ,devoau1 senior1 who   
heartily welcomed the friend and        
colleague of his son4  ,as they walked  
toward the home of the ,devoau family1  
whom should they meet but the ,right    
,hon4 ,sir ,wilfrid ,laurier1 ,prime    
,minister of ,canada1 who was out for a 
stroll1 and with whom the elder ,devoau 
was well acquainted4  ,both preachers   
were at once introduced to the ,premier1
 who was very gracious and genial4  ,mr4
 ,devoau said they were having a day's  
recreation after their recent teachings4
  ,sir ,wilfrid said3 ,i will not ask   
what those teachings were1 as ,i am sure
 they were all right4  ,mr4 ,melvin     
said3 ,they were not exactly like those 
of the ,scotchman1 who was asked if his 

health was good1 and he said1 ',i am no 
verry weel the day1 for last nicht ,i   
was teaching the bairnies doon at the   
hall hoo to vote4'  ,said he1 ,we are   
not exactly teaching people how to vote1
 but we are trying to pound sin out of  
them4  ,the ,premier then made the hit  
of the day when he said1 ,get all the   
sin out of them and they will vote      
right4  ,after a splendid day1 during   
which they visited the noble pile on    
,parliament ,hill and had a sail in a   
steam launch on the majestic river1 the 
pastors of the tabernacle returned to   
,carsville1 where at the ,young         
,people's meeting the senior minister   
related their experiences while in      
,canada's beauty spot1 as the capital   
city might be called4  ,he told of      
meeting the ,premier and of his         
friendliness and geniality4  ,this      
country1 said he1 has had gentlemen in  
that position1 and it has had statesmen 
for prime ministers1 but it never so    
strikingly combined the two great       

qualities as in the person of him whose 
name will be engraven with a surpassing 
lustre upon the bead-roll of the nation1
 and the name will be that of the ,right
 ,hon4 ,sir ,wilfrid ,laurier4  ,mr4    
,melvin1 who did not feel quite so      
strong recently1 thought of seeking a   
much-needed rest in retirement for a    
time at least1 now that his colleague   
was immensely popular1 and could now    
handle the entire congregation1 though  
it never was so large4  ,however1 just  
as he was preparing for this move an    
invitation came to him to enter upon    
higher educational work1 which he at    
once accepted1 saying that1 he would    
still preach and teach1 and would really
 have a larger field in which to do     
good1 and the change of air and scene   
would be as good as a rest4  ,the people
 of ,carsville expressed much regret at 
the departure of one who was known as an
 admirable citizen as well as an able   
and effective minister4  ,mr4 ,melvin1  
however1 always told them that he was   

leaving with them a man after his own   
heart4  ,before the day of his          
leave-taking a farewell banquet was     
tendered him1 at which were appreciative
 after-dinner speeches1 the chair being 
occupied by ,rev4 ,mr4 ,devoau1         
informally4  ,abraham ,thompson1 ,esq41 
senior member of the ,board1 when called
 upon1 said3 ,i am grieved at the       
departure of one who has been everything
 that ,i could wish--broad-minded1      
sympathetic1 and scholarly--one in whom 
all could alike trust1 ever finding in  
him a wise counsellor and a safe guide2 
a man of splendid mental balance1 of    
unusual wisdom4  ,to say that ,i endorse
 his teachings is not enough2 ,i        
heartily endorse all of it1 and pray    
that the ,great ,head of the ,church    
will bless and keep our mutual friend1  
together with his much appreciated      
partner1 unto their journey's end4  ,the
 next called upon was ,thomas ,edwards1 
the leading merchant in the place4  ,he 
was shrewd in business and a keen       

discerner of men4  ,he said3 ,though ,i 
am not on the same side of politics as  
,mr4 ,melvin1 yet in the main ,i think  
his teachings are sound and the product 
of a sane mind4  ,personally1 ,i have   
learned to respect him4  ,i will1 like  
one who has preceded me1 go farther and 
say ,i have learned to love him1 and    
wish him and his godspeed in a ministry 
which has been a blessing to my whole   
house4  ,the next official was ,edmund  
,garvin1 general manager of the foundry1
 and a man of intense perception4  ,said
 he3 ,i have noticed that our worthy    
senior pastor1 whose removal ,i deeply  
regret1 always stood for unification in 
the home and independence1 and not only 
there1 but in the church and nation1 and
 ,i may say his sentiment is mine4  ,i1 
like him1 am no hanger-on--only         
poltroons are that--and no man in his   
right senses would be anything but a    
brother to all the races and creeds in  
our country1 and in all his utterances  
our clerical friend has proven himself  

not only wise as a serpent1 but also a  
true ,christ man4  ,i wish him and his  
amiable wife great happiness and success
 in future life4  ,the chairman now saw 
that as the time was getting late they  
must close1 and said in a few closing   
words that his colleague had endeared   
himself to him1 and had done more for   
him than he could ever repay4  ,i1 like 
yourselves1 regret his departure1 but   
feel that he is going into a field of   
great usefulness1 and he doubted not    
that he would be happy and prosperous4  
,shortly after ,rev4 ,mr4 ,melvin's     
departure old ,uncle ,reynolds1 as he   
was called1 was struck by a pilot engine
 at the station1 and so seriously       
injured that he was taken home in the   
ambulance4  ,he was the most saintly man
 in the tabernacle1 and ,rev4 ,mr4      
,devoau1 now in full charge1 was sent   
for4  ,his practiced eye at once told   
him that the old man's hour had almost  
come4  ,stooping down he said1 ,uncle1  
how is it with your soul8 and opening   

his weary eyes the aged veteran said1   
,it is well2 it is well4  ,talking for a
 moment or two with his pastor he said3 
,our dear ,bro4 ,melvin is gone from us1
 but1 oh1 how precious are his          
teachings6  ,as the result of them my   
feet are on the ,rock of ,ages--the rock
 of ,christ--and ,i have long since     
found out that 'all other ground1' as   
the sacred bard says1 'is sinking sand4'
  ,coming back late in the evening ,mr4 
,devoau said1 ,uncle1 is there light in 
the valley8 and the dying man raised his
 feeble hand and blessed his pastor1 and
 whispered to him that he had already   
been a blessing to many and the people  
loved him4  ,then he said3 ,oh1 yes1 the
 valley is bathed in light2 for ,he has 
said1 ',at evening time it shall be     
light4' ,with these words trembling upon
 his lips the old man swept through the 
gates of paradise1 a ransomed soul4     
,finished as was the course of this     
saintly man1 yet the great world1 as in 
all such cases1 moved on1 and with it   

the teaching of the new pastor of ,mount
 ,zion4  ,speaking to the young people  
some time after this1 he said3 ,let     
there be no misunderstanding concerning 
what ,i stand for1 and what we all      
should stand for4  ,i am for liberty of 
conscience1 freedom and independence1   
along all lines1 both religious and     
national1 even to the granting of home  
rule to poor1 old1 long-suffering       
,ireland1 which1 by all means1 it should
 have1 and is justly entitled to in this
 twentieth century4  ,the question      
arises1 ,how can we best qualify        
ourselves for the salvation of ourselves
 and fellows1 and the working out of our
 destiny along general lines8  ,i       
answer1 by consecrating our ransomed    
powers to the great ,arbiter of         
,destinies1 who stands behind all forms 
and systems1 but ever watchful of ,his  
own4  ,at the conclusion of the address 
,mr4 ,henry1 principal of the ,public   
,school1 arose and said3 ,i beg that the
 ,young ,people's ,club will place upon 

record1 and in letters of gold engrave  
and place amid the archives of the      
church1 the admirable and fearless      
utterances of this evening4  ,mr4 ,henry
 was followed by one who1 in the        
educational world1 stood higher than he1
 namely1 the head master of the         
,collegiate ,institute in ,carsville1   
who capped everything by saying1 ',pro  
bono publico1' and as well as being for 
the public good1 though ,i am an        
independent in politics1 ,i will say    
that the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,devoau has the     
faculty of always saying the right      
thing1 and his teachings are an         
inestimable boon to all classes in this 
place4  ,in a few mouths after this the 
pastor of ,mount ,zion was honored with 
a degree from world-renowned ,harvard1  
and his influence increased1 and his    
ministry truly became one of            
reconciliation and power1 until the     
ever-circling years at last brought near
 the ,age of ,gold4