Produced by David Clarke, Joseph R. Hauser and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries) War Rhymes [Illustration] By Wayfarer FOREWORD The reader of this booklet is not expected to agree with everything in it. The rhymes express only the impressions made on the writer at the time by the varied incidents and conditions arising out of the great war, and some of them did not apply when circumstances changed. They have been printed as written, however, and, if they serve no other purpose, may at least help us to recall some things that too soon have nearly passed out of our minds. The outbreak of hostilities, the invasion of Belgium, the Old Land in it and the rush of the British born to enlist, the early indifference of the majority of Canadians, the unemployment and distress of the winter of 1914-15, the heartlessness of Germany, Canada stirred by the valor of her first battalions, recruiting general throughout the country, the slackness of the United States, financial and political profiteering in all countries, smaller European nations playing for position, Italy joining the Allies, the debacle of Russia, the awful casualty lists, the return of disabled soldiers, the ceaseless war work of our women, the United States at last declaring war on Germany, the final line up and defeat of the Hun, and the horror and apparent uselessness of it all; some reflection of all these may be found by the reader in these simple rhymes. MODERN DIPLOMACY, OR HOW THE WAR STARTED August, 1914 Said Austria,--"You murderous Serb, You the peace of all Europe disturb; Get down on your knees, And apologize, please, Or I'll kick you right off my front curb." Said Serbia,--"Don't venture too far, Or I'll call in my uncle, the Czar; He won't see me licked, Nor insulted, nor kicked, So you better leave things as they are." Said the Kaiser,--"That Serb's a disgrace. We must teach him to stay in his place, If Russia says boo, I'm in the game, too, And right quickly we'll settle the case." The Czar said,--"My cousin the Kaiser, Was always a good advertiser; He's determined to fight, And insists he is right, But soon he'll be older and wiser." "For forty-four summers," said France, "I have waited and watched for a chance To wrest Alsace-Lorraine From the Germans again, And now is the time to advance." Said Belgium,--"When armies immense Pour over my boundary fence, I'll awake from my nap, And put up a scrap They'll remember a hundred years hence."