Oh! thou in that homeland so wistfully waiting, Watching and wearing your worries or woe, So proudly triumphant, consider such women; Work for them, pray for them, smile as you go. For into the furnace they've thrown all their 'treasures,' Knowing that out of the vibrating whole, Quiveringly molten, pulsating, gleaming, Europe shall find her immaculate soul-- Soul of the suff'ring, bleeding and dying, Soul of a freedom unselfish and clean, Loving the light of a love all around us, Scorning the actions of men who are mean. Oh! men who were kingly, mated to martyrs (Silently, cheerfully, plodding along), Send all ye can of such great souls to help us, Make us and keep us triumphant and strong. G.P. CUTTRISS and J.W. HOOD. FOOTNOTES: [1] Ploegsteert. 'OVER THE TOP.' [Illustration] From the time of our arrival in France until a week or two prior to the battle of Messines, general dissatisfaction was expressed by the troops because of the seeming slow progress that was being made. The men soon tired of the uneventful trench warfare. They were eager to go 'over the top.' Defensive operations did not appeal to them; they were impatient to assume the offensive. To put it in their own language, they had enlisted not to dig trenches or repair roads, but to fight the Hun. Certainly the monotony was relieved by an occasional raid, for which work they earned for the Division a splendid reputation. The area which the Division occupied was known throughout France as the 'Nursery,' where men, new to the modern mode of waging war, had opportunity for gaining experience and getting accustomed to shell and machine-gun fire under comparatively safe conditions. During this period of 'marking time' the men were engaged both day and night on works of importance, without which an offensive would have meant sheer suicide. The elaborate preparations that were being made denoted that a big 'push' was contemplated. In connexion with this work, the pioneers and the engineers did magnificently. Everything was arranged according to well-conceived plans, and the preliminaries to an unprecedented offensive were completed by June 6. Guns of different calibre were massed at points of vantage, cleverly camouflaged to conceal them from enemy observation. Dumps were replete with the necessary supplies of ammunition, and scrupulous regard was paid to arrangements for keeping the lines of communication clear. Provision was made for the treatment of wounded and their evacuation, and for the burial of the killed. Refreshment stalls were established at convenient points, where the attacking troops and the wounded could receive hot coffee and biscuits. Nothing that could be done for the comfort of the men and to ensure the success of the venture was overlooked.