nd form one family
The wide world o'er!"

CHAPTER XV

LIFE'S TRAGEDY

It often happens that people die
At the hand of that they loved the best;
One who loves horses all his days
By a horse's hoof is laid to rest!

The swimmer who loves on the waves to lie
Is caught in the swell of a passing boat,
And the thing he loves breaks over his head
And chokes the breath from his gasping throat.

And the Christ who loved all men so well
That he came to earth their friend to be,
By one was denied, by one betrayed,
By others nailed to the cursed tree!

And more and more I seem to see
That Love is the world's great Tragedy!

Love is a terrible thing--quite different from amiability, which is
sometimes confused with it. Amiability will never cause people to do
hard things, but love will tear the heart to pieces!

It was because the people of Belgium loved their country that they
chose to suffer all things rather than have her good name tarnished
among the nations of the earth. It has been for love, love of fair
play, love of British traditions, that Canada has sent nearly four
hundred thousand men across the sea to fight against the powers of
darkness. Canada has nothing to gain in this struggle, in a material
way, as a nation, and even less has there been any chance of gain to
the individual who answered the call. There are many things that may
happen to the soldier after he has put on the uniform, but sudden
riches is not among them.

Some of the men, whose love of country made them give up all and
follow the gleam, have come back to us now, and on pleasant afternoons
may be seen sitting on the balconies of the Convalescent Homes or
perhaps being wheeled in chairs by their more fortunate companions.
Their neighbors, who had an amiable feeling for the country instead of
love, and who therefore stayed at home, are very sorry for these
broken men, and sometimes, when the day is fine, they take the
"returned men" out in their big cars for a ride!

There are spiritual and moral dead-beats in every community who get
through life easily by following a "safety-first" plan in everything,
who keep close to the line of "low visibility," which means, "Keep
your head down or you may get hit"; who allow others to do the
fighting and bear all the criticism, and then are not even gracious
enough to acknowledge the unearned benefits. The most popular man in
every community is the