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SUNDAY THE FIRST OF NOVEMBER 339
verum corpus natum and finally the congregation sings the
doxology :
" Mighty God, we worship Thee,
Lord, we praise Thy glorious name !
Heaven and earth bow down to Thee
And Thy wondrous works proclaim !
As from all eternity,
Thou for evermore shalt be !
"
The High Mass was over and the soldiers filed out, past the
little maid who, thanks to Schiller’s magnificent romantic
tragedy, was no stranger to them. The candles might well be
lit in front of her—had she not vanquished the English ?
The French Maid, as she stands there, brings to our minds
those proud words which the German bard put into her mouth
when, a prisoner in the hands of the English, he makes her
boldly exclaim to the ferocious and insolent Queen Isabeau :
" France never shall the Briton’s fetters bear.
No, never ! For, ere that, it shall become
One vast engulphing tomb for all your hosts !
The flower of your army’s gone—betimes
Think of a safe retreat—already now.
Your glory’s faded and your might is broken !
"
Perhaps there were also some in Bapaume Church who
thought of those grand words, in which Schiller makes her
predict the ultimate triumph over truth :
" Without the Will of God no single hair
Falls from man’s head ! —See yonder sun
Descending to the horizon—Yea, as surely
As in the morn he’ll rise anew in splendour.
As surely comes the day when truth prevails !
"
—
Then the lights were quickly extinguished and the Maid of
Orleans remained alone, pensive and still.
Pastor Miinch remarked to me how profoundly impressive
it was to witness the soldiers’ and officers’ spiritual cravings
during the war. At divine service the churches were always
crowded, and hundreds of soldiers were attending the week-
day Vespers. The sermons were printed in tens and hundreds
of thousands of copies for distribution in the trenches. War
was carried on, not only with rifles, bayonets and artillery,
but also with the weapons of the fear of God and prayer !
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