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THE COMRADE IN WHITE


By The Rev. W. H. Leathem, M. A.


Introduction By Hugh Black


  "I shall not fear the battle
  If Thou art by my side."



1916




INTRODUCTION

The Great War has put a strain on the resources of human nature, as
well as on material resources. Men who have come through the hell of
the trenches have discovered some of the secrets of life and death.
Many of them have known a reinforcement of spiritual power. It is
quite natural that this fact should often be described in emotional
form as direct interposition of angels and other supernatural
agencies. Among these the most beautiful and tender stories are
those of "The Comrade in White." In essence they are all testimony
to the perennial fount of strength and comfort of religion--the
human need which in all generations has looked up and found God a
present help in times of trouble.

The origin of the many stories brought back to England from the
battle fronts by her soldiers is that to the average Briton this a
religious crusade, and men have gone with an exaltation of soul,
willing to make the ultimate sacrifice, willing to die that the
world might live. Men and women are face to face with eternal
realities, and are driven by the needs of their hearts to the
eternal refuge. Unless we see this we miss the most potent fact in
the whole situation.

The tender stories in this little volume are a reflex of the great
religious stirring of the nation. They describe in a gracious and
pathetic way the various abysmal needs of this tragic time, and they
indicate how many human souls are finding comfort and healing and
strength. They are finding peace as of old, through the assurance
that "earth has no sorrows, that heaven cannot heal."

HUGH BLACK.

NEW YORK.




"THE WHITE COMRADE"


I


  When soldiers of the Cross waged Holy War,
  With courage high, and hearts that did not quail
  Before the foe, in olden times they saw
  The blessed vision of the Holy Grail.
  Tho' Christ was gone, His pledge was with them yet,
  For, borne on wings of angels, from the skies,
  They saw the chalice that once held the wine
  As emblem of the Saviour's sacrifice
  For men, and knew that still the Master met,
  With His own friends, in fellowship divine.


II


  Christ has His soldiers now.
  Though years have rolled
  Away, the warriors of the Cross are strong
  To fight His battles, as the saints of old,
  Against oppression, tyranny, and wrong.
  And still amid the conflict, they can trace
  The Saviour's influence. Not the Holy Grail
  Which once as His remembrance was adored,
  But Christ Himself is with them. For a veil
  Is lifted from their eyes, and, face to face
  They meet the presence of the risen Lord.


III


  O blessed vision! After all the years,
  Thou'rt with us yet. To-day, as heretofore,
  Men see Thee still and they cast off their fears,
  And take fresh courage to press on once more.
  The soldiers, bearing from the desperate fight
  A wounded brother, see Thee, in the way,
  And know Thee for the Saviour, Healer, Friend,
  For once again, Thy loved ones hear Thee say
  (O Christ! White Comrade, in their stand for right!)
  "Lo, I am with you alway, to the end."


_Fidei Defensor_.




CONTENTS


I.        IN THE TRENCHES

II.       THE MESSENGER

III.      MAIMED OR PERFECTED?

IV.       THE PRAYER CIRCLE





I. IN THE TRENCHES

  "And immediately He talked with them, and
  saith unto them, 'Be of good cheer; it is I; be
  not afraid.'"

  --THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MAKK, chap, vi: 50.

  "And His raiment was white as snow."

  --THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW, chap. xvii: 2.

"The Battle of Mons, which saved the British Army from annihilation,
was, for the most of those who fought with the angels, a sepulchre.
They saved the British Army, but they saved it at fearful cost. No
'great host' withdrew from that field of destruction; the great host
strewed the ground with their bodies. Only a remnant of those who
stood in the actual furnace of Mons escaped with their lives... Let
those who mourn, take encouragement from these stories of visions on
the battlefield, quietly and with a child's confidence, cultivate
within themselves a waiting, receptive and desiring spirit. Let them
empty themselves of prejudice and self.... Let them detach
themselves more and more from the obsessions of worldly life.
Serenity is the path by which the thoughts of God travel to