Private McDonald, of Port Arthur, displays no
unseemly elation over his score of twenty-six.
  Private Patrick Riel makes a strong appeal to the
imagination, though his tally is less than McDonald's
by two or three.  He is a descendant of the late
Louis Riel, and when he enlisted in the 90th Win-
nipeg Rifles at the outbreak of the war, and was
told by one of his officers that his regiment had done
battle against his cousin Louis at Fish Creek and
Batoche, he showed only a mild interest in this trick
of Time. Riel, like McDonald, comes from Port
Arthur way.  Before the war he earned his daily
bacon and tobacco as a foreman of lumber-jacks on
the Kaministiquia River.
  The weapons used by these four snipers are Ross
rifles, remodelled to suit their peculiar and par-
ticular needs. Each is mounted with a telescopic
sight, and from beneath the barrel of each much of
the wood of the casing has been cut away. The men
do their work by day, as the telescopic sight is not
good for shooting in a poor light.  They are
excused all fatigues while in the trenches and go
about their grim tasks without hint or hindrance
from their superiors. They choose their own posi-
tions from which to observe the enemy and to fire
upon him-sometimes in leafy covers behind our
front-line trench, sometimes behind our parapet.
Very little of their work is done in the "No Man's
Land" between the hostile lines, for there danger
from the enemy is augmented by the chance of a shot
  from some zealous but mistaken comrade. The men-
tion of "No Man's Land" reminds me that, on the
Canadian front, this desolate and perilous strip of
land is now called "Canada." The idea is that our
    
 

noble energy seldom, if ever, equalled, the hosts of
willing but untrained civilians who came rushing
from the Pacific Coast, the Rockies, the grain-belt,
the Western Prairie, and the fields and forests and
cities of the East, to offer themselves to the Empire
in her hour of need.
  It is unnecessary to dwell upon the efforts which
in a few weeks assembled the first armies of Canada,
armies which were in a brief period to prove that
they were able to meet on equal terms the military
brood of the great Frederick. Indeed, properly to
enforce the true spirit and meaning of Canada's
great arming, one cannot insist too strongly on the
wonderful fact that by a supreme effort of organisa-
tion, men who had, in the main, passed their lives
in peaceful pursuits, were forged into an army fitted
to face with honour and success the highly trained
hordes of a nation steeped for centuries in the tradi-
tions of militarism.
  These gallant men of ours have displayed a
valour which has never been surpassed; they have
become versed in the arts of war with a thorough-
ness and swiftness which gives them a superb con-
fidence, even when faced by overwhelming numbers
of the Kaiser's hosts. And they are full of a great
joy and a great pride when they consider that new
born civilian armies have done so much.
  Every Canadian soldier, too, is heartened by an
appreciation of the fact that in every detail of arms,
equipment, and supply, the organisation behind him
works ceaselessly to make every Canadian unit as
perfect a fighting machine as can be. They know
that, thanks to Major-General Carson, the Agent
of the Militia Department in England, all their

   War makes men's minds simple and sentimental.
Without sentiment, armies could never, in free com-
munities, be got together, and armies could never be
led.  Lord Kitchener proved that he had a very
great understanding of the art of the "soldier's
speech" when he issued his message to the Expedi-
tionary Force on the eve of its sailing for France.
It made an ineffaceable impression on the men, and
its inspiration saw them through the bitter hours of
the long retreat from Mons.
    Just before his death Lord Roberts made a speech
to the Indian troops, from which they drew a fervour
which carried them through many a bloody welter,
in which the best soldiers in the world might have
succumbed.
    The Military Correspondent of The Times, too,
has borne witness to the fact that Sir John French
knows precisely what to say to reach and stir the
soldier's heart.
   And General Hughes has the same gift. He em-
ployed it well when he spoke to the troops he had
come to visit. He did not say much, but his words
 had an electrical effect upon the men's patriotism,
and strengthened them to fight even more sternly
than they had already done for freedom; while, in
the contemplation of soldierly glory, he made them
forget the horrors and losses of the preceding months.
   It was on Thursday, August 5th, that the Minister

for War crossed from Folkestone to Boulogne on a
British destroyer, accompanied by Brigadier~General
Lord Brooke, acting A.D.C. to Lord Kitchener, and
Lieut.-Colonel Carrick, M.P., the Canadian repre-
sentative at the General Headquarters of the British
Army in France. At Boulogne the party was met
by Captain Frederick Guest, M.P., A.D.C. to Sir
John French.
   Early  the following morning Sir Sam Hughes
motored to the British Headquarters, where he was
received by the Commander-in-Chief. After a
brief meeting, the party motored to Belgian
Headquarters, whence they made a tour of the
Belgian lines and inspected the Belgian trenches.
   Later, the Minister met King Albert in a little
cottage on the seashore, and there, with the King,
he went thoroughly into the whole Belgian position,
and in particular the Belgian defences, while shells
were whistling unceasingly overhead. That night he
returned to the British Headquarters, where he met
Prince Alexander of Teck, who, until the outbreak
of the war, was Governor-General Designate of
Canada.
   The next day, accompanied by Prince Alexander,
the Minister met General Alderson and his Staff
near Armentières. And it was deeply interesting to
watch the meeting between these two men-the man
who  had called the Canadian Army into being, and
the men who commanded it in the field.
   It was at this time that discussions took place
and decisions were reached in regard to sending the
2nd Canadian Division to join the Army in France.
   From that meeting the two Generals went straight
into the firingline, and General Hughes made an
         
         

inspection of the men he had come so far to see.
He noted how cheerful, fit, and well the men were
in spite of the perils and hardships they had under-
gone.
  Along the line of trenches the General met many
officers and men he knew. All of them knew him.
There were delighted greetings, quick handclasps,
and brief exchanges of conversation, from which
radiated pride, heartiness, and good sense.
  Later, the Minister went up to the main artillery
observation post, and here General Burstall gave a
very effective exhibition of what Canadian guns can
do. But it was a demonstration which called forth a
reply from the German trenches, and soon enemy
shells were screaming inwards.
  Next the General inspected Strathcona's Horse,
the Royal Canadian Dragoons, and King Edward's
Horse, under Brigadier-General the Right Hon.
J. C Seely, M.P., with whose soldierly mind and
strangely similar personality the Minister found
himself in accord.
  That evening, on his return to the British Head-
quarters, he dined with Sir John French and the
Prince of Wales.
  On the Sunday morning the General inspected
the Princess Patricias, and later in the day he
spent some time with General Sir Douglas Haig.
Sir Douglas realised at once General Hughes'
gift for the appreciation of military positions,
and went very fully with him into the defences
of the 1st Army.  It must afford Canadians
not only satisfaction, but pride to know that
their Minister was able to make suggestions of
great value. Then the General set out for Festubert
         

and Givenchy. Afterwards came the inspection of
the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery under Colonel
Panet.
   On Monday morning the Minister motored to the
Headquarters of General Foch, and the meeting was
a pleasant one because the two men were old friends.
They had been companions on three successive
years at British and French Army manoeuvres, and 
they had much to discuss as, during the afternoon,
they traversed the French lines.  Major-General
Hughes spent the evening with the French
Generalissimo, with whose clear, bold thinking
and kindly but robust personality he was much
impressed.
   On Tuesday be went to Rheims, where he was
met by General D'Espéré, of the French 1st Army,
in whose company he witnessed the terrible traces
of recent heavy fighting-shattered caissons, splin-
tered gun carriages, and ruined buildings, and,
above all, that towering monument to German
"frightfulness"-the shattered mass of the great
cathedral.
   The next day Major-General Hughes proceeded
to Paris where he was entertained by Lord Bertie,
the British Ambassador, and met the President of
the Republic and the French Minister of War.
   He returned to England as he had come, in a
destroyer.
   Before sailing from Liverpool, the Minister wrote
the following farewell, which was made known to
the troops through Orders of the Day
    "In departing for Canada, it is my desire to
   thank all the splendid forces-Canadians of
   whom we are so justly proud-at the front, for
         

their splendid services to King, country, and
the glorious cause of Liberty.
  "When these troops left Valcartier last year
and sailed from Canadian shores, I took the
liberty of predicting that when they met the
foe they would give an account of themselves
that would reflect honour upon the glorious
Empire whose liberties we are all endeavouring
to maintain.
  "The highest predictions have been more
than fulfilled.
  "I am leaving you all more than ever proud
of our gallant boys.
  "They have already earned the recognition
of a grateful country.  Throughout whatever
trials these valiant soldiers may pass, they will
be encouraged and strengthened by the thought
that behind them, in Canada, those near and
dear to them realise that their duty will be done
fearlessly and well.
  "May kind heaven guard and prosper these
brave fellows in their great struggle.
  "(Sgd.) SAM HUGHES, Major-General,
     "Minister of Militia and Defence."
             *   *     *    *    *     *
   August passed quietly by.1 The enemy some-

times shelled our trenches, but never heavily, and
the Canadians enjoyed a comparatively peaceful
summer month.
   In the early days of September the Canadian
Government determined, in response to the require-
ments and necessities of the Empire, to furnish
another Division, thus placing a complete Army
   It was a matter of intense gratification to the
Canadians that General Alderson, who had so bril-
liantly led the 1st Division in the terrible and hard-
fought battles in Flanders, was appointed to com-
mand the Corps.
   General Alderson is a soldier with great experi-
ence and with great military gifts, and, above all, a
genius for the leadership of men.
   Apart from his qualities as a soldier, however, a
simple and noble personality illumines his character.
It is not too much to say that every officer and man
under his command loves and trusts him. Not only;
however, have they confidence in his military leader-
ship, but they know that in his personality, and in his
whole outlook upon humanity, he is to be respected
and trusted too.
   With the arrival in France of the 2nd Division,1

and the formation of the Canadian Army Corps, a
point is reached which clearly marks the end of the
first phase of Canada's part in the world war.
  Henceforth we shall be represented in the field by
an Army Corps, a noble contribution to the necessity
of the Empire. When we contemplate, quite apart
from their moral value, the immense material
contributions which the Dominions have made
to this campaign, we may reflect with irony upon
the strange errors of which many brilliant men are
capable.
  Professor Goldwin Smith wrote of the Cana-
dians :-" Judge whether these men are likely to
pour out their, blood without stint for the British
connection; see at least first, whether they are ready
to pour out a little money or to reduce their duties
on your goods." And he joyfully quoted Cobden.
"Loyalty is an ironical term to apply to people who
neither obey our orders nor hold themselves liable
to fight our battles."
  We may perhaps be permitted to hope that the
study of the past is sometimes more helpful to those
who presume to foretell the future.
  The 2nd Division cannot fail to be inspired by
the superb example of that with which it is linked.
It has the advantage of being commanded by a most
distinguished and experienced officer, Major-General
Turner, V.C., the Brigadier-General Turner who
held the left at Ypres in the great days of April.
  Of all the officers of high rank fighting to-day in
Flanders, none is more modest, none more resource-
ful, none more chivalrous. He is in Canada a great
national figure. Conspicuous among the heroes of
Ypres, he will in his new position write his record     

in Flanders, in letters not indeed more glorious, but
upon a larger slate.
   And here for the present we take leave of the
Canadians in Flanders. After incredible hardships
patiently supported, after desperate battles stub-
bornly contested, their work is still incomplete. But
they will complete it, meeting new necessities with
fresh exertions, for it is the work of Civilisation and
of Liberty.