Series 03: John Brady Nash letters, January 1914-December 1915 - Page 488
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[Page 488]
[At the top of this and following pages of this letter is the word "Girls". Not transcribed.]
as have always been the children of Adam. Oh for a few thousand Turkish prisoners.
In the papers this morning we read General Bothas speech, wherein he told of German Bill's plans for governing Africa, south of the equator, after the peace of Rome in 1916 [1915?]. What think you of it? Bill must have thought that his fleet would be able to cope with that of Britain, in this he miscalculated as far as we have been able to judge so far, we would and will be in sorry plight if it comes about that Germany or any other power nation can rival our empire upon the water ways of the world; the having coaling stations so widely distributed in every direction gives to us a margin of help which is at the moment invaluable as against any power or combinations of powers; more by accident than by design has this come about during the last one hundred years, a first class accident for our safety in the stirring days. Also, think you not this??
10 p.m., must look round mongst my lambs, that they may settle down for the night, if I do not visit them they feel neglected; the best tempered six hundred in the place, yet before they came under my care they were said to be uncontrolable, a little kindly treatment and consideration is all that was required to work a complete change. Poor beggars why should they not have civility as well as those who are better off; many of them have fought at Galipoli and were of the crowd who covered themselves with glory which will last for many years, others have come lately but if the chance arises they will give good account of themselves too, because the same blood that flows through the vessels of the men of the 25th of April 1915 sustains their bodies and gives to them the same vivifying material that promotes the fighting ideas, and the desire to do or die. Civility costs nothing, it covers a multitude of sins, and it is due to the humblest of God's creatures. A good principal for rich and poor, the powerful and the lowly to remember. In several places in the Bible it has been written:– Deposuit potentes de sede et exaltavit humiles, (He has deposed the mighty from their seats and has exalted them of low degree) – as a guide to men.
Why do my eyelids desire to close? The night is but young, and several hours of work should be in front of one in this land of Egypt, where in the reason for much that is written in the Bible is to be found. Yet my eyes do want to close; were there but a comfortable back to my seat it is more than probable that my senses would be claimed by Morpheus within few minutes; oh god of sleep though [thou] most beneficent of the old coterie who ruled the heavens and meted out everything to frail humanity; their glory has departed but the myths that were woven around