"3 Hamilton Place, W., April 10th, 1916. MT DEAR Boys,—I
shall be going away shortly to the front, and am going to say a few words of farewell to you, in case I should not return. First of all, I want you all to know that the happiest hours of my life have been spent among you. I like to think that it has not been unpleasant to you to have me among you, and that perhaps you feel a certain affection for me, as I do very sincerely towards you. Anyhow, I have done my best to help you, to make life easier for you, and to enable you to grow up honourable and honest Jews and Englishmen. There is nothing of which we can be more proud than our race and religion. It is a great heritage, and it is a duty for every one of us to keep it pure and unaltered, and to hand it down to our descendants, as our ancestors have preserved it for us. If you will let me preach to you for a minute, I should like to say that, to my mind, our pride should be not in our ancient ceremonial and customs, valuable and beautiful as they are, but in the great virtues of unselfishness, sincerity, purity in mind and body, of trust in God, faith in His goodness, the belief in a future life, which are the only solid foundation of our race. I think you all recognize that the Stepney Jewish Lads' Club is a very pleasant place, and you will realize as you grow older, even if you do not do so now, that it has been a great help to you at a time when your characters are being formed and moulded into shape. The years that you spend in the Club are those which have most influence on your future life. While you are growing up you can hedge round your souls with a barrier cf steady habits, a love of work because work is good, not because it is necessary, of sincere and honourable and charitable words -end deeds. Or you can stain and sully your soul with vices and fled habits that you can never get rid of. I like to think that the Club does really help you, as it certainly can if you let it, to grow up good men and good Jews; and now that I am saying good-bye to you, perhaps it may not be amiss if I assure you that my fervent prayer is that every one of you may be enabled to become an honest and manly Jew and Englishman, upholding the faith and the reputation of our ancestors, having faith in God, unafraid of what may betide you here. What I have written is rather a serious farewell, and possibly it is not quite what I started out to Imo-. Life is certainly serious, but we must not be overpowered by the dark side. Cheeriness and pluck go a long way, and when I am thinking of you in the trenches I shall picture you striving bard and smiling all the time. Be happy always. And as for me, perhaps you may miss me for a time, but, after all, life is for the living, and you must forget me quickly and live on merrily and bravely.-1 am, my dear boys, your very sincere friend, GERALD G. SAMUEL."
Previous page
