n of human life. Yet
with a deepening knowledge of the instruments of death has come, I
trust, a more revolting sense of the horrors and futility of war. The
romance and chivalry of the profession of arms has gone forever. Let
us hope that in the years to come the human mind will bend all its
energies to right the wrongs and avert the contentions that result in
bloodshed.

On the following Sunday, we had a church parade in the square in
Armentieres. Two or three men watched the sky with field glasses lest
an enemy plane should come up. We had now finished our instruction in
trench warfare and were going to take over part of the front line. (p. 042)
We were marched off one afternoon to the village of Bac St. Maur,
where we rested for the night. I had dinner with the officers of the
15th Battalion, and went out afterwards to a big factory at the end of
the straggling brick village to see my son, whose battalion was
quartered there. On returning I found the night was very dark, and
every door and window in the long rows of houses was tightly closed.
No lights were allowed in the town. Once more my faculty for losing my
way asserted itself, and I could not tell which was the house where I
had dined. It was to be my billet for the night. The whole place was
silent, and I wandered up and down the long street. I met a few
soldiers and when I asked if they could tell me where I had had dinner
they naturally began to eye me with suspicion. At the same time it was
no laughing matter. I had had a long walk in the afternoon and had the
prospect of another on the following day. I was separated from my
kit-bag and my safety razor, which always, at the front, constituted
my home, and the night was beginning to get cold. Besides it was more
or less damaging to one's character as a chaplain to be found
wandering aimlessly about the streets at night asking where you had
dined. My habits were not as well known to the men then as they were
after a few years of war. In despair I went down the road behind the
village, and there to my joy I saw a friendly light emerging from the
door of a coach house. I went up to it and entered and found to my
relief the guard of the 16th Battalion. They had a big fire in the
chimney-place, and were smoking and making tea. It was then about one
o'clock, and they were both surprised and amused at my plight, but
gave me a very glad welcome and offered me a bed and blankets on the
floor. I was just going to ac