Ward G.
Canadian Milit. Hospital
Kirkdale, Liverpool
Dec. 3., '17

Dear Lulu

This is Monday morning & the women are in the ward busily scrubbing the floors. The beds are being pushed & carried from one end of the ward to the other & all is confusion. You know how men like that kind of thing. We, petty men, look about to find ourselves an honorable retreat. For the moment I am safely barricaded by the width of three beds, a chair, three overalls, a kit bag & two lockers. From this position of vantage, I send you loving greetings.

In the ward below the ballot is being taken for the great Canadian election. I hope there will be a big majority for conscription. It is just not very good reading about things in Canada for us here just now (I mean the newspaper reports, of course). Quebec I cannot understand; I shall have to spend a little time there so as to study the feeling existent between the French Canadian & the English speaking Canadian. Western life does not show very much light upon the subject.

The war too is pretty interesting. It really looks as if the siege conditions were to be lifted & a tremendous struggle take place in the open. In that case the trench line will be broken & pitched battles take place at particular points, eg. Cambri. But long before you get this you will know just whether I am right or wrong, for the preliminaries will be over anyway, & you will know all about it. I pray God that He will gives us the victory. In any case, if I am right, the war will not last very much longer, & the last three years will be just a preparing of the ground.

But am I quite wrong to write this to you, my Lulu? But I have faith in you, & know that your faith in God and truth is strong.

Yesterday I listened to an excellent sermon on "Jesus Christ & Non- Resistance." The preacher had some disagreeable mannerisms which made me think that he was not 'humble' about his own achievements, & so it took the "bloom" off the effort. But it was a very fine presentation of the subject indeed & I enjoyed it immensely. I wonder whether the time is far distant however when these subjects will be discussed by preacher without leaning on the authority which "It is written" gives!

I was just going to write that I have had no letters from you for a long time but the postman came around & has just laid two letters on my bed from you, my dear Lulu, so I must stop to read them.

There, I have just finished reading your two splendid letters of Nov. 5th & 6th, written in reply to those you recieved from me when I first came to Liverpool. That is fine. It is good to hear you speak of my return so kindly, Lulu dear, & you may be sure that I shall stay with you as long as ever I may. Indeed, it may be a little difficult to get rid of me from the Parsonage of Digby, unless . But maybe I had better not say any more; we must leave a little to be said when we meet; musn't we?

I am very glad you got those four little booklets, & more glad that you like the colourings. I thought they were just lovely. The one "A Paper of Dreams" I liked so well that I bought a large coloured print of by the medici people, the same size as the original. I forget what the others were I put in the package. If you care to give away any or all of the four, do so by all means, for that was partially my purpose in sending them.

You speak of missing "studio work." So have I, to my great regret. All the drawing I have done was "machine drawing"; & all the colouring is colour-washing those same drawings. Then when I was teaching in Sask. I taught drawing from nature- flowers, leaves, grasses, etc., & found that the children could do marvelously well. Now I [?] satisfied that I risked sending you some of those post-cards, & that I have bought a few little pictures, for I love beautiful things, & pictures are so hard to get out west. I have been in some very fine houses where everything was nice & tasteful, but the pictures on the walls have spoiled everything. I wish you would help me in selection Lulu dear. Can't you send a few suggestions as to what you like and how much money a pauper ought to spend at such a time? If I could only spend a half hour with you alone I should know what to do in a thousand matters in which I am at present in [?]. How much can a man honourably write at such a time as this? Will you tell me Lule dear - or do you not understand what I am talking about?

I trust Carman & Ainley are safe & well. God has been very good to us Lulu dear & I pray that everything will end happily. I still think that all this suffering will be worth while for the glory that shall be revealed in us.

May God bless you my dear Lulu; with very best love

Yours as ever

Tom