“Goodbye Old Man”

This is an incident on the road to a battery position in Southern Flanders. The soldier’s horse is dying, and few things upset a gunner as much as that. He has unharnessed the dying horse, and is taking his last farewell, ignoring the shouts of his impatient companions. “Good bye, old man,” He says as the eyes of his loved and faithful steed are glazing in death. What a lesson for us. Do we care as much for the man’s soul as he does for the animal he has learned to love? Are we withholding from him the loving service that we ought to render? He may want the Word of God. Shall we send it to him? Shall we show less devotion to these men than they do to their horses? God forbid! We will send them the Word of God and pray that God may save their souls.