His Last Song

A speaker recently, at a Sunday evening service on the great sacrifices made by our soldiers, told a story of one of London’s finest tenor singers, who was called to the Colors at the beginning of the War. He was wounded at the battle of the Marne, a bullet passing through his neck into his throat. He was taken to hospital, and the surgeon in attendance told him that in order to save his life his tongue must immediately be cut out. The man replied, “I have been a singer for twenty years, and should like, before the operation is undergone, to sing one of my favorite hymns.” The surgeon agreed to the request, and the wounded soldier sang for the last time “Rock of Ages.”