Photostat copy of diaries of Benjamin Bennett Leane, 1915 - Part 3

28
in that day. Germany's hard
will not be against the
rest of Europe, for she
will have common cause
with all who speak the
language and carry the
countenance of Europe.
And in that day, too,
America will be compelled
to bear her part, for Japan
is her natural enemy.
And that war will
be the greatest and 
the fiercest the world
has ever seen, or ever
will see. But what
the end there of will he
I fear to say.
But I could wish 
with all my heart that
Germany has stayed
29
her ambitious hand so
that the nations of Europe
might have saved their
strength and husbanded
their resources instead
of thinning their ranks
and depleting their powers
in internecine warfare,
the while the East looks
on with placed smile and 
inward satisfaction at the
holocaust which indirectly 
makes her power greater.
The East had wisdom when
the West was yet unborn,
and the East can wait,
wait, until her hand is
strong for the great blow.
And the West will
stagger under the force of
that blow - will stagger 
 

29  30
I fear me, never to recover,
Please God you do not
see that day, dear wife,
for it will find you in
tears - and a widow.
It may be that in those
days Australia will know
her first Battlefields, and 
if that should be so I
trust that you hand
may be strong to compass
your own end rather than
that you should know the
horrors of a yellow invasion.
But I will be filling 
your mind with unhappy
thoughts if I continue in
this strain. Only I
wish that the great folly
of this present war could
be realised by its parties
30 31
and brought to a conclusion.
if I come through this
war, dear, I intend to
be a soldier for the
remainder of my active
years, and I shall
train and study assiduously 
with this end in view
- that I may be efficient
to take my place with
the men of that day when
the great shock comes.
And if it does not come
in my day, then I can
at least be useful in
training those  in whose
day it will come.
And now, dear, having
talked quite a lot for me,
I'll lay down my scratchy
old nib and finish the