England -- Fiction; Imaginary wars and battles -- Fiction
We had two other meetings before finally taking train for London; but
virtually our campaign was brought to an end at Guildford. Our
peregrination ended there, but the Canadian preachers continued their
pilgrimage till long afterwards. Scores of rich men were anxious to
finance these expounders of the new teaching, and even to build them
churches. But Stairs and Reynolds were both agreed in wanting no
churches. Their mission was to the public as a whole.
When we returned to our headquarters in London, the membership of _The
Citizens_ stood within a few hundreds of three million and a half of
able-bodied men. And still new members were being sworn in every day.
Some few of these members had contributed as much as five thousand
pounds to our funds. Very many had contributed a fifth of that sum, and
very many more had given in hundreds of pounds. There were some who gave
us pence, and they were very cordially thanked, giving as they did from
the slenderest of purses. There were women who had sold dresses and
jewels for us, hundreds of them; and there were little children whose
pocket-money had helped to swell the armament and instruction funds.
Joseph Farquharson, the well-known coal and iron magnate, who had been
famous for his "Little England" sentiments--a man who had boasted of his
parochialism--must have learned very much from the invasion and the
teaching of the new movement. He gave one hundred thousand pounds to
_The Citizens_ after John Crondall's first address in Newcastle.
When Crondall attended the famous Council at the War Office, he did so
as the founder and representative of the most formidable organization
ever known in England. He had no official standing at the Council: he
took his seat there as an unofficial commoner. Yet, in a sense, he held
the defensive strength of Britain in his hand. But several of the
Ministers and officials who formed that Council were members of our
Executive, and our relations with the Government were already well
defined and thoroughly harmonious. It was from the War Office that we
received the bronze badge which was supplied to every sworn _Citizen_
and bore our watchword--"For God, our Race, and Duty"; and the
Government had given substantial aid in the matter of equipment and
instruction. But now John Crondall represented three million and a half
of British men, all sworn to respond instantly to his call as President
of the Executive. And every _Citizen_ had some training--was then
receiving some training.
"The Canadian preachers waked and inspired the people; we swore them
in," said John Crondall modestly. "Their worth is the faith in them, and
their faith spells Duty. That's what makes _The Citizens_ formidable."
"The grace of God," Stairs called it; and so did many others.
Crondall bowed to that, and added a line from his favourite poet: "Then
it's the grace of God in those 'Who are neither children nor gods, but
men in a world of men!'" he said.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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