THE AFGHAN WAR AND WORK AMONG THE SOLDIERS.
'Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.— ST. PAUL (to Timothy).
'And wheresoe'er in earth's wide field
Ye lift for Him the red-cross shield,
Be this your song, your joy, your pride,
"Our Champion went before and died."
THE diocese of Lahore, with its two great frontier provinces, at all times holds within its borders some of the very élite of the European and the native armies. But the great frontier wars in the first years of Bishop French's tenure of the bishopric rendered the task of providing for the spiritual needs of the army particularly onerous. The bishop wrote to the archdeacon in June, 1879: 'The want of clergy is very serious at present in the Punjab. Twenty-three chaplains are really not enough for nearly 23,000 troops in the province. The Bishop of Calcutta and the Government will have to look the matter full in the face.' Of the troops on service, he said, 'It is cheering to see how they clamour for chaplains, and of the right sort too.'
It is beyond the scope of this biography to discuss the Afghan frontier politics, or the details of military actions,