In times such as these when individual liberty and freedom of expression is at stake in the greatest struggle the world has ever seen, it is interesting to recall some of those fine men, who, in the past, suffered for those ideals for which Great Britain and her Allies are now fighting. Such a one was John Bunyan, who died on August 31, 1688. Bunyan had been a preacher for five years when the Restoration put it in the power of the Cavaliers and clergymen all over the country to oppress dissenters. Bunyan was one and in November, 1660, he was thrown into Bedford jail, where he remained with intervals of partial and precarious liberty for twelve years. The authorities endeavoured to extort a promise from him that he would cease preaching, but he was convinced of his mission and firmly refused to give it. Brought before various tribunals he was laughed at, caressed, reviled, menaced but all in vain. He was warned that if he persisted in his conduct he would be liable to banishment, and that, if he were found in England after a certain time, he would be hanged. His answer was "If you let me out today, I will preach again tomorrow." His freedom eventually came through one of the worst acts of one of the worst governments England ever had. Charles LI had concluded the treaty by which he was to establish the Roman Catholic religion in England. His first step was to annul all penal statutes against Roman Catholics, and in order to disguise his real design he had also to annul those against Protestant nonconformists, and this resulted in setting Bunyan free. Of his writings, and the impression they made upon his readers at that time and since, the world knows fully. Bunyan was one of those men who sacrificed himself and indeed his family in the fight fog freedom of expression. Great Britain and her Allies are fighting to save for the world that which has been gained only after long centuries of struggle. It took, Bunyan twelve years to get his way, but it is to be believed that the Allies will prove victorious in the selfsame fight in a very much shorter period of time.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.