Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), Friday 13 August 1915, page 8


"ROUSE YE, AUS-

TRALIANS !"

A STIRRING WAR SPEECH.

THE TIME THAT TESTS MEN"S

SOULS.

Out for recruits, and letting himself go in the free and flashing style of Mare Antony, the Chief Secretary (Mr. George Black) had the big Martin-place crowd yesterday "under the whip" for three-quarters of an hour. He did not throw bouquets at those around the flag-decorated rostrum who made no sign in response to the double-forte challenge-"Come up and be enrolled! Come up and show that you are men! Don't wait for conscription! Your country needs you, and your brave countrymen at Gallipoli are calling to you! For God's sake, come and show that you are worthy of the name of freemen in a land worth fighting for, a land in defence of which

you should be willing to shed your blood and give your life!" Mr. Black did not pelt the waverers with rose leaves. No soft words were wasted on the shirkers. As for the street-corner idlers, and the youths who think of nothing but sports, boxing, and race meet-ings, the unmeasured denunciation was almost vitriolic. Worked up to white heat, the speaker shouted, as he thumped the rostrum with his clenched fist: "I say to these lads, if you don't go to the war, take it from me, the war will come to you. If you shirk your duty we will get you by conscription, and put you in the front of the firing line. Then, by heavens, you'll have to fight!"

Like Mr. Silas Wegg, who "dropped into poetry" more by instinct than through any shortage of conversational prose, Mr. Black drew upon Shakespeare, Sir Walter Scott, and Macaulay to point a moral and adorn a man-to-man appeal in the name of King and coun-

try. As rolled off yesterday, the familiar lines in tho "Lay of the Last Minstrel" seemed to take on a new meaning and significance:

High though his titles, proud his name, Boundless his wealth as wish can claim; Despite those titles, power, and pelf, The wretch, concentrated all in self, Living, shall forget fair renown,

And, doubly dying, shall go down

To the vile dust, from whence he sprung, Unwept, unhonour'd, and unsung.

Evidently more pleasing to the crowd was the fine frenzy of Horatius:-

To every man upon this earth

Death cometh soon or late, And how can man die better

Than facing fearful odds

For the ashes of his father's

And the temples of his gods?

Shakespeare was drawn upon for King Henry's speech to his soldiers before Har-fleur:-

Dishonour not your mother's; now attest

That those whom you called fathers did beget you!

Be copy now to men of grosser blood, And teach them how to war.

Show us here the mettle of your pasture

That you are worth your breeding.

MUSIC'S ARTFUL AID.

At a quarter to 1 the Professional Musi-cians' Band, under Mr. O'Brien, played "ap propriate selections." Then Mr. Will Raynor,

littteQîUaBSJïC-yit» &MS. AYit/j, band, acconi

i

panlment, and sang most effectively, "con-densed editions" of Belgian, French, Russian, and English national songs, concluding with .'Rule Britannia." This applauded vocal dla -play was followod by a now version, in chorus, of tho most popular song of tho day:

Iff, a lons, long »ay lo Tipperary,

' Arc »vc dovvn-lit-aited? No!

When Mr. Percy Hunter had the necks cleared for the speerhmakiuR Miss Dorrie Ward led the crowd in "God Save the King." A llttlo later MIBS Ward had enthusiastic ap-plause for "Your King and Your Country Need You." Equally 'successful, Mr. Syd. W. Gordon, a well-known Sydnev baritone, who has enlisted, contributed Alfred Hill's "When the Empire Calls," and Miss Thorne-oft ic cited "The Roll Call."

, TWO OF OUR HEROES.

More electrical in its effect than the sing-ing and t! 3 band music was the modest part played in the meeting by two of our re-turned soldiers. Private Seakup, »vlth a band ngo rouiid his head, »vas first introduced, then Private Jamc3 Taylor, of Redfern, who had been shot in the log. The cheering made tho square ring and ring again. Both mon s.ioke

a few »\ordb

Taylor said: "It is 12 months since 1 en-listed, and I'm going back to fight. I ha»'e a brother who Is a sergeant. Ho Is going to the front. Another brother has not yet been passed by the doctor for military srr vleo. We want every man we can get. All I can say is-If you »»ant to live and bo free under the Union Jack, go to the front. (Cheers.) If you »vant to be a slave unelor the German flag don't go!" ' (Prolonged cheer-ing.)

PROFESSOR MACINTYRE.

Opening. the ' Hpcochma'klng, Professor Macintyre said that with the assurance of the Premier lind the promises of all the principal employers no man going to lho front should be afraid of losing his billet. In this re-gard he would like to point out that in no other part of the Empire »vas there such generous provision tor the dependents of the soldleis. (Cheers.) The public would pay ni well as pray for "the fighting men of the Commonwealth. (Applause.) The fight was as much tor their Australian hearths and homes as ii was for the Empire. During the next fe»v months the courage and rerourcps of the Allies would ho taxed as they had uoTer hoon taxod before. Australia should not be lu the background. When their country »vas saved they would have thousands of children asking this question: "Daddy, where were you during the war?" The position »».as unenviable of the man »vho »»'ould have to answer, "I was watching a big fight at the Stadium." (Lnughter and applause.) Be-fore it »vus too late lot all their men of the military age have their names enrolled on the aide of good and righteousness. (Cheers.)

THE CHIEF SECRETARY.

"This is the time that tests the soul's of men," said, the Chief Secretary, "tho time when »»-e can distinguish bot»veen tho real man and the shoddy article. I »»'ant to kno»v ho»v many of you have come here to enlist?" Mr. Black went on to say they had liberty, Parliamentary government, trades unions, and nil the blessings of freedom In Aus-tralia. What had they paid for these price-less things? Nothing. (Applause.) It wah 1 up to thom to pay something no»v, both in men. and money, to prove that they »vere worthy to hold and koop the land they lived in. (Cheers.) It »»'as up to every man to do his duty. War, It going too far-he thought not-to say that thousands of Australians should be reu.'y to Iny down their lives lo preserve the freedom of their country-to save it from the horrors through which Bel-gium, France, and Poland had passed since tho outbreak of the war? (Cheers.) Ile »vas sure that if the women ol' Austinliii were called on to go to the war as Red Cross nurses the rush would not be in hundreds, but in thousands. (Cheers, during which many feminine har.ds »vero held up in the crowd.) Then why »vere the men hanging

I back? To each and every wavercr and shirker

he would say, Come on and be an instrument In the Lord's hand to a»'enge the butchery of »»'omen and children in Europe and the

1 dentlin of your own gallant eountrj'men at

the Dardanelles. (Cheers.) There »»-as a day of retribution near at hand for those who thought more of horse-raclug than they did of the welfare of their country and the honour of their wives, daughters, and sixers. The single men who were holding off should bang their heads when they su»v married men with dear little children left behind "houldiTing a rifle nnd going off to fight for Australia. (Cheers.) If they listened they could hear the Cooee! Cooee! Cooee! That far cry »»-as from the men nt the Dardanelles. (Cheers.) Come, ive want you! is the cnll.. Yon hear It! IIo»v many of yon will to-day shout back "Cooee! »ve aro coming!" (Cheers.)

As each fresh recruit caine to the platform Mr. Black raised lils hand aud said, "Thank God-another man!"

FIFTY RECRUITS.

About a do?en young men ita Iked to the platform in the early part of Mr. Bla"k's speech. The count at half-past 2 showed fifty recruits, one of whom had» a South African medal. Mrs. Black pinned a red, white, and blue ribbon on the coat of eaoh volunteer.

I While being decorated a recruit said, "I have

lost three brothers. Still I «in solng. It is my duty." The enthusastlc meeting closed with throe cheers for the King, '¡beers for I the leturned soldiers, and cheers for "the

boys at the Dardanelles."

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