After so long a day the Bishop was naturally beginning to feel tired,
and his voice began to show signs of the great tax which frequent
speaking in the open air had placed upon it. But there was one more
gathering at which he was to be present, and in many ways this was the
most striking and memorable of the whole Mission.
The Canadians were there, and they wished to see him. That was quite
enough for the Bishop. His two visits to the Dominion have made Canada
very dear to his heart, and to Canada he will always give of his best.
It was not far to go to the large open square in the town where the
Canadians were waiting for him. The square was packed with men, and in
the center was a statue or fountain--I really could not distinguish
which, so completely was it concealed by the men sitting and standing
upon it.
The last rays of the sun came across the old tiled roofs, and lent a
touch of color to the scene. On one side of the square was the Town
Hall, and the Bishop stood in the balcony, surrounded by the General
and staff officers. It was a moving sight to look down from the balcony
of this old French Town Hall upon this great gathering of men who had
come so many thousands of miles from their homes to fight for the
honor of the Empire. There was no opportunity for an ordinary service.
The gathering darkness would have made it impossible for the men to
read, and, even if it had been lighter, the men were so closely packed
together that hymn-sheets could not have been held.
It is always difficult to estimate numbers, but someone said that
nearly ten thousand men must have been present. When the Bishop
appeared on the balcony there was a Canadian cheer. He is well known in
the Dominion, and the volume of sound left no doubt as to the warmth of
feeling with which he is regarded there.
"This is a sight," he began, "which reminds me of Montreal and
Toronto."
"How about Winnipeg?" came a voice from the crowd, and the men all
laughed. It was a glorious chance to tell them of the way in which the
Mother Country appreciates the splendid loyalty with which her sons
beyond the seas have rallied at the Empire's call, and the Bishop was
not slow to let them know that we in Great Britain rejoice to feel
that the men of Canada and the men of Britain are standing shoulder to
shoulder in France. And then they cheered again.
"Yes, you may cheer that," he added, "while I get breath for the next
sentence." He passed on to speak of the great cause of the freedom of
the world for which the Empire and the Allies are fighting to-day.
Canada, the great self-governing Dominion--free, and yet part of the
Empire--would understand what freedom means.
"Yes, you may cheer that too," the Bishop said, "while I get breath
again."
And then, as he turned to deeper thoughts and closed, he added: "Now
we will all together say the Lord's Prayer." In a flash there was not
a cap to be seen in the square, but only the bared heads of that great
throng of men reverently bent forward in prayer. Then, in absolute
silence, the Bishop gave the Blessing, and as he left the balcony a
staff officer turned to me and said: "That is a really great man."