Chaplain Mackenzie, Salvation Army 267 



cases, a pathetic little paper cross all gone to pulp, and a little 

 further on a poor frenzied woman with arms outstretched over 

 the newly-turned earth, crying out that she could not leave him 

 " all alone." 



The chaplains all agree the British Tommies are wondrous 

 beings, and are at their best when in tight corners. I have 

 known them angry and unbearable over trifles in ordinary times 

 of peace. I have known them superb and forgiving over cruel 

 wrongs — ^dying caked in mud and blood, asking you to leave 

 them and attend to others who " need you more." I have 

 known them well attended to and comfortable between snowy 

 sheets in hospital ; but I like best to remember them — and it 

 was worth risking much to see their faces ^when three pieces of 

 tape had been tied to the foot of their beds, for in hosj)ital 

 parlance that meant " For home." 



The way some of the officers meet the disagreeables of war is 

 instructive. One man who had been brought up in the lap of 

 luxury shed real tears of annoyance when the mud and the 

 rain went down the back of his neck, but when the pinch came 

 it did not prevent him from leading a forlorn hope. 



I am sorry to say Chaplain Mackenzie, after three years in 

 God's service at the front, has entirely broken down in health 

 and been obliged to return to Australia. 



What he was as a preacher I do not know, but that his 

 religion was a real thing to him I feel sure. Perhaps it 

 would have been difficult to him to " put his reason in writing," 

 as the lawyers say, as to why he believed and embraced certain 

 theories appertaining to his religion, and probably he would 

 have come off second-best in a profound theological argument, 

 but he would have pounded many learned divines at Scriptural 

 quotations, chapters and verses. His religion made him very 

 happy and bright, assisted, no doubt, by his robust health. He 

 sang and laughed and used his robustness to help those less 

 fortunate than himself. 



I think he was rather an inspired being. He felt there was 

 something in him which acted as his guide, counsellor, and friend ; 

 not the thin small voice we call conscience, but stronger than 

 that and different. What some people might term coincidence 

 he attributed to this " something " in him telling him what to 

 do, and what to avoid. This " something " turned him back 



