Series 03: John Brady Nash letters, January 1914-December 1915 - Page 439
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[Page 439]
has caused a thrill to run round the world as fast as the wires had power to transmit the news. Not a slow process. The sequel to it all is that after five weeks President Wilson, of the U.S.A. writes a note to those who perpetuated the crime. Great blaring of the American press heralded the despatch of the message. It has been received. The leading French paper here wrote of it in the issue of yesterday: "Le fait est que M. Wilson semble jouer a cache-cache avec l'Allemagne: Je vais aller vous trouver dans ce coin là bas, lui dit-il, Bon, je vais aller me mettre dans l'autre, repond-elle. "Ca peut durer comme ça quelque temps."
Tabbie Dear: Your letter bears date 12-5-16. Many thanks for it my dear, it was interesting and full of information, it would be hard to supply all the sentences that my mind would endeavour to assimilate. However you were very good. How does My Kitty manage with the odours at the retreat in St. Mary's? A piece of penance that is with one all the time, inhibiting ones praying capacity effectually, however it may be that then they are more acceptable, in that the difficulty of concentrating the thoughts is so much increased.
Yes my dear Australia must be feeling the effects of the war in "dead earnest. How must they in Belgium, France or even Germany, not to mention England, feel it? With them it must be indeed terrible.
Normand MacLaurin had but brief spell at soldiering. It is no doubt glorious to die fighting for ones country, but it is far more satisfactory to live and see your country victorious. Think you not so? A large number of brave men were killed. R.I.P. The number of the casualty list in the paper of the 12th of May was 20 th. [20,000], you have as anticipated much more information than we get. Our Kitty must have been disappointed that her Maitland jaunt was put off. I suppose that you scan list of names eagerly each time of appearance. Yes the boys were reckless, prodigal indeed of the one life that God gave to each, forgetting that it does not come back, once being lost. It was a glorious fight, but it was not war. Seven weeks ago since it was commenced and today they are not further advanced than they were twenty four hours after landing. They landed wonderfully, and they have dug themselves in wonderfully, and there they are like rabbits. But [t]o the cost in that most precious of all things, life.