ts chaplain as well as its colonel, and both must
be of the best. The chaplains of every denomination and of every corps
have made a noble name for themselves in this war; but I am speaking
here only of the Irish chaplains--of the men like Father Finn, killed
at "V" beach, refusing to stay behind on the ship because, as he
answered, "The place of the chaplain is with the dying soldier"; and
like Father Gwynn, of the Irish Guards, killed at the French front, of
whom his battalion commander, a Protestant Irishman, writes these
words: "No words of mine could express or even give a faint idea of
the amount of good he has done us all out here, or how bravely he has
faced all dangers, and how cheerful and comforting he has always been.
It is certainly no exaggeration to say that he was loved by every
officer, N.C.O. and man in the battalion. The Irish Guards owe him a
deep and lasting debt of gratitude, and as long as any of us are left
who saw him out here, we shall never forget his wonderful life, and
shall strive to lead a better life by following his example." This
quality of our soldiers appears to have impressed observers, as well
as their fighting quality. It is referred to again and again, and the
same transference of thought from the character of the men to the
cause of their country, as appears in one of the letters above quoted
from a Scottish soldier, a spectator of "V" beach, occurs repeatedly:
"The race that can produce such men, who did such glorious work for
the Empire, has the most perfect right to get the freedom of its
country and the right to rule it.... There is not a man in the service
but who would willingly do anything now for the Irish people--yes, the
Irish Catholics."

Thus we see that our Irish troops in this war are fulfilling a
mission. As I said at the outset, it is into their keeping, with the
eyes of the world upon them, that the cause of their country for the
time being has passed. The influence of their action upon her fortunes
will extend far beyond the immediate effects which will appear the
moment the war is over. No people can be said to have rightly proved
their nationhood and their power to maintain it until they have
demonstrated their military prowess; and though Irish blood has
reddened the earth of every continent, never until now have we as a
people set a national army in the field. I have written vainly if I
have not shown, moreover, that never was a people more worthily
represe