TEERITORIALS.

Press, Volume L, Issue 14970, 18 May 1914, Page 10

TEERITORIALS.

| a- | DIVISIONAL CHURCH PARADE. I j "WINTRY "WEATHER SPOILS, | j ATTENDANCE. i j A church parade of the troops of the 1 j Christ-church garrison was held at the 3 ! Cathedral ye-terday morning, and was I | attended by about 400 officers and men. II At ten o'clock the weather was very _ j wet and cold, and this, added to the A • fact that the majority of the men lived 1 ! out of town, and had long distances to 1 i walk in, made the attendance at the p ' parade, which wad _. voluntary one, i i very small. Colonel G. J. Smith, comf, I mandins the Canterbury Infantry Bri- ; ' gade, Ivas "* command of the troops. ; - i tho parade states being as follow: — . . Ist Mounted Rifles (C.V.C.), three offij ; ccrs and 24. other ranks, under Lieuten- | ant Hurst; Ist M-R. Band, 12, under i Lieutenant Thorn; E Battery, N.Z. ! Field Artiliery, 3 officers and 53 other | ranks, under Major Bcnttie; Canier- ! bury Brigade Ammunition Column, 3 ; oificors and IS other ranks, Lieutenant \Vkk-u_; No. 1 Field Company N.Z. ■ Engineers. 5 officers and 50 other ranks. Captain Midgley; No.. 1 and 2 _ Companies N.Z. Railway Battalion, ; Lieutenant. Schneider and Laurio and ; 30 other ranks; Ist (Canterbury) Regi- | raeut, 16 officers and CO other ranks, ! | Major Murphy; Ist Regiment Band, ■ j 20. Lieutenant Siddall; Post and Telei graph Corps, -i officers and 20 men, j Captain Matthew,.; No. 3 Eield Anibui lance, IS, and No. 6 Mounted Field j Ambulance, 11. Lieutenant-Colonel Fenwick; Senior Cadets' Bugle Band, 30, Quart.rmaster-Se. geant Heald. Colonel V. 6. Smyth, Oilicer Commanding tho District, Coionel fijressj well. V.D., Lieutenant-Colonel R. W. ! Anderson, Principal Medical Officer, '. Captain 'W. R. McddiEgs, A.A. and ! Q.M.C.. and a number of other staff 1 officer- were alio present at the Catkej dral. i ' Alter parading at- King Edward Barj racks, tiie troops inarched, via Cashei j and Colombo -treets, attracting con- | E-iderable attention. Their fine appoarI anco and good marching, and tho play- | inc. of the regimental bands and tbe | Cadets' Bugle Band, were the subjects of much favourable comment. In addition to the troops there was a fairly laiie eon_re_:a'.ion at the Cathedral," j A SERMON FOR SOLDIER^. • The preacher was tho Rev. J. R. Wilj ford, Priucipal of Christ's >~oiC_lle;;e. who took ior liis text Revelations si... part of verso 11: "And in righteousness he doth judge and mako war." The Bible, he said, was full of war, and there wero many soldiers in its history. The New Testament presented its many soldiers in a very favourable light. There was the soldier who at the Crucifixion did a deed which would be remembered for all' time.. While others jeered he hoard the call of Christ who was athirst, and to whom ho gave drink. Ho had probably beard tho same cry on the battlefield, and knew what 't was to want drink when in pain. There was tho centurion, of whom St. Luke told, who showed kindly ca.ro for tho people whom the Roman arms had subjugated, and who sent for Christ to heal his sick sen-ant. Those Roman soldiers "were a' reproof of the Pharisees who practised only the outward form of religion. "Wo have somo of. these pecple today," continued tho speaker. "'They are very excellent people, and extraordinarily good neighbours. But where are thoy now? Away in the country in ! their motor-cars, or in front of their I fires, having left their beds pretty lato. Just as that soldier said, when Christ was crucified, so you soldiers of Canterbury, who havo come to church this morning, aro saying, 'Truly this man was the Son of God." '" Then there vras the centurion who was liked by bis own soldiers if he would only keep his religion to himself. If ho had kept it to himself ho would have been like many of tho present day,. who, fearing sneers, "had stuffed their religion aw. y years ago 'in their trousers pockets, where ii disappeared through holes as big as their clap-trap mouths." THE SOLDIER'S DUTY. Prominent amongst tho soldiers, of the New Testament was Julius, a centurion of Augustus's bau/1, who had chargo of St. Paul to deliver him a prisoner in Rome, but who treated him courteously and kindly. It was easy enough, said the preacher, to be rude, to say unkind and cruel things, and to be ungentlemanly, but it was not so very hard to be courteous and kind when tbe other fellow tried to nut our backs up. Courtesy oiled the" wheels of life and mado them run smoothly. The history of the British Army taught us that. Although hero in New Zealand larrikinism of a. very bad kind often ran wild, we were always sure of the .treatment we would receive from the men who wore the King's uniform. Julius might have let Paul escape after the shipwreck, but he had a duty to perform, and he did it. Our wishes often pointed one way nnd our du+y another. But having lea-ned obedience as a so'dier and no one could lend who had not learned obedience, he did his duty. Julius was content to abide his time and do his work. This was the only solution of the unrest of to-day. WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS. Our present, industrial system was not what it ought to be, "but panio legislation was not a cure. It should be remembered that there was some good in the other party, and carping criticism could do no good. The attitude of the Church was to enunciate the etornal principles of right and duty, to stand out and hght bravely, making it quite clear what the spiric of Christ was. We must not force on the world what it is not ready to receive, until we had taught it what was right and what was wrong. Tho New Testament told us about many soldiers and taught us many g eat lessons, but it was a most nemlexing thing that after nearly 2000year_ war and tumult and persecution "were still here. Men were trying to find out the reason, and were blaming .this or that nation or this Government or the last. The world had neglected the Church's message about sin. To find a remedy for war, men must, go deeper and find the remedy for sin. The Church was proof that the remedy had been found ; the remedy was Jesus Christ. It could' be found nowhere else, not in any anti-militarist society, which only probed the wound without healing it, and not m letters to the Press or in organised meetings. The only way to get rid of war was to regenerate the world and bring all men under the banner of Christ to fiefit boldly against the flesh and the Devil. THE CALL TO ARMS. "There is nothing in the Bible to! stop you men from being soldiers in -tho s*n_i_e of your country,'" said the preacher, "the interpreter of the Bible is Holy Mother Church, who upholds you as long as you are fighting nobly and honourably. You represent those brave men who have lived and died for their country, you represent the armies of the British nation, the men who fought not for lust of gain, for tho desire of conquest or transient glory, but who fought with right on their side for the oppressed, and because they knew that God Almi_.htv had work for them to do which no other nation could do. Think what would bo tho stato of tho world to-day

if tho British Army had never existed. Think ot Him whose soldiers you are. wnom your mothers, who have given you to th* sorvico of your country, taught you of as boys,' and who wants you all to deliver yourselves to Hun and serve Him."