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THE KING’S BUSINESS tion of the commanders of the English and French to our troops. One Canadian commander who attempted to clean up his camp found himself balked by an English officer with a superior command to himself. Our Government should see to if, and most likely will see to it, that a similar outrage is not perpetrated with our troops.' The Christian people should follow our soldiers with special prayer regarding this matter and shpuld especially pray for the ministers and evangelists and other Christian workers who are going out under the Y. M. C. A. and other auspices, to help win the soldiers to Christ and to that purity of life which is the outcome of an intelligent faith in Christ. The Red Cross movement that seeks to look after the physical welfare of the men who go to the front is an important movement, but its importance is very small indeed in comparison with that of the Y. M. C. A- and other movements that seek to look out for the moral and religious welfare of our young men who go to the front. In fact this movement if properly prosecuted will accomplish more for the physical welfare of the men than the Red Cross wilL In the early days of the war there seemed-to be a great Has^ the War Helped deepening of interest not only in England but in Christianity in France in eternal things. Many who had been careless England? or utterly irreligious before that seemed to take a new * interest in the things of God. It was hoped that the war might lead to an evangelistic awakenings But as the war has gone on, while there doubtless have been a great many conversions among the soldiers at the front, the general effect of the war does not seem to have been helpful to Christianity or morals. A recent writer. Rev. Elmer T. Clark, who seems to have made a somewhat careful study of the matter, says in his report in the New York Tribune: “In the first few months of the war all signs pointed to' the fact that the Church’s expectation was to be abundantly fulfilled. The people flocked, to the churches, resorted to prayer, and gave all evidences of a quickening'religious life; in these months it appeared certain that a great revival was imminent. But this early religious awakening was-founded on fear, . . . . And so it happened in Europe that when the first dread and fear produced by the war had passed the superficial religious fervor passed also, thus disappointing those who were desiring a renaissance of evangelism. Today the average person traveling through Europe would certainly see no signs of a renewed interest in things religious, and even the specialist who investigates intensely and studies all known signs and evidences will discover but few. In London and Paris as well as all other towns and cities I have visited, vice is as rampant as ever, the general population is as little concerted with eternal matters, and the Church faces the same problems of sin and indifference. In France there are encourag ing signs, but in England there are none. These signs in France appear here and there in the fact that the Roman Catholic Church is adopting a more mod ern attitude and presenting a more vital and evangelistic message. But in Eng land, so far at least as the Church is .concerned,, even these signs are absent.” Of course this is simply one man’s view, but he seems to be a well-qualified observer. There doubtless are two tendencies, and one is that the strain of war has led to an appalling deterioration in morals on the part of many both at £ \ :
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