CHURCH AND WAR

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2523, 31 July 1915, Page 9

CHURCH AND WAR

THE HEROES OF AUSTRALASIA IMPRESSIVE SERVICE IN LONDON. 'ARCHBISHOP'S TINE TRIBUTE. An impressive service was held in St. Paul's Cathedral, London, on June 14, in memory of tho men of Australia and New Zealand who have fallen in the war. The Archbishop of Canterbury delivered rho'. addressj tho Bishop of Loudon pronounced the Blessing, and tho Dean of St. Paul's read the lesson. The groat church was'crowded. In the nave there wero several hrinffred soldiers, wounded or whole, of. tlie Australian and New Zealand contingents,, besides a. sprinkling of their Red Cross nurses,..and over the choir huii" large banners with the Union Jack and the sSnrs of Australia and New Zealand.. Round the baso of the pulpit was grouped the baud of the Grenadier Guards, splendid in the now rare scarlet. This bana and the organ played during the time that elapsed between the opening of tho doors. and the first appearance of tho long • procession of choir and clergy. There was no processional hymn ; but the service opened with "Brief lifo is hero our portion"; 'and this choice was typical of much in the musical portion of the ceremony. In the short special .service arranged for the occasion there were only a few prayers and responsos, all directed to the particular intention.The Archbishop of Canterbury, who took for-his text St. John sv 13, "Greater love hath no man than -this, that a man lay down his life for his friends," said in iho course of-his sermon :—

"Wo aro met to-night for a definite and a very sacred purpose. Here at the centre and hub of the Empire's life we desire to thank God together for the splendid devotion of our brother from Australia and New Zealand who in the cause whereto we, as a people,_ have set our hand regarded not their lives unto the death. Just two centuries ago the Christian' philosopher George Berkeley; a singularly clear thinker, was standing, as he tells u's, in St. Paul's Cathedral, where he noticed a litfclo fly crawling on ono of those great pillars. ■Here, lie thought, is the likeness cf each human being as he creeps along. The -sorrow which, like '6ome dreadful .precipice,'interrupts our life may turn out to be nothing but the joining or cement which ; binds the portions and sections of the greater life, into one beautiful and harmonious whole. The dark path may be but the curve which in the full daylight of a brighter world will be seen to betheinevitable span, of some majestic arch. But in this great gathering to-night we want another note besides that. We must have the triumph-note for those whose self-sacrifice has meant so much to their country and to. us who honour them. Among the lives laid down could be found, as always, bright examples of the young' leadership to which we had looked for upholding among their fellows the spirt which sets manliness upon the surest basis, the basis of personal loyalty to Christ. For. those lives and for the footprints which they have left upon the sands of time we givo praise to God to-day. But it would bo unnatural, untrue, l tfl claim for all who thus gave their lives in their country's cause the character of stainless purity, or. of the saintliness which we sing of in our hymns. Some of them, perhaps many of"them, were.not saints at all. They were manly sons of the greatest Empire in the world. 1 They were brave and buoyant with' plenty of the faults and failures which go so' often with high spirit. Tlie.v need, as ; we shall need, forgiveness and cleansing and new opportunity, and they are in their Father's keeping and He knows and cares. Blow, trumpets, all your exultations blow! For never shall their aureoled-presence lack: I see them muster in ti gleaming rop, With ever-youthful brows'that nobler show; ' We find in our dull road , their shining track; ■. In every nobler mood, _ 1 We feel the orient of tho'r spirit glow, •Part of our life's unalterable good.

Dauntless Gallantry. Do these ;• words seem too high for wliat we are remembering? The feat of arms which was achieved on the rocky beach and scrub-grown cliffs of the Gallipoli Peninsula in the grev dawn of St. Mark's Day, April 25, was a feat,'wo are assured, whose.prbwess has never been outshone, has scarcely ever been rivalled, in military, annals. As the open boats tinder a' hail from hiddeii -guns 'poured out their men in thousands on the beach, below perpendicular cliffs, of tangled scrub, the task of breasting those heights. looked, to many expert eyes, a sheer impossibility. But by the dauntless gallantry of brave men tho impossible feat was accomplished, and the record of those hours and of the days which followed is now a portion of our Empire's heritage'-for • even And who did it? It was not the product of the long i discipline of. some veteran'

corps of soldiers. It was mainly the achievement of men from sheep stations in the Australian, bush or from the' fields or townships of New Zealand, who a few short months ago had no dreain of warfare as, like other civilians, they, went about their ordinary work. But the call rang out and the response was ready, and tlio result is before us all. Those Australians and New Zealandera are enrolled among the champions whom the Empire, for generations to como, will delight to honour. One of the best traits of all is tho generous tribute given by each group to the indomitable valour of the rest. To quota from the private letter of a young New Zealander: "Tha Australians were magnificent, and deservo every good word that is said of them.'' And all unito to praise the officers,.midshipmen and men who formed tha heach parties in that eventful landing, each boat, wo are reminded, "in charge of a young midshipman, many of whom 1 have come straight from Dartmouth after only a, couple of terms." But'of necessity it was at fearful cost that these gallant deeds were done, and the great roll of drums under .this dome tonight will reverberate our reverent and' grateful sympathy to tho Empire's furtheso bound. This memorable act of stoutest service gives response already to tho rallying call of the Poet-Bishop, of Australia — . . ....... •By all that have died for men',., . By Christ Who endured the_ Cross, Count nothing but honour gained* . Count all that is selfish loss.. Take up with a loyal heart' . Tho burden upon you laid; .Who fights on the side of God! Needs never to be afraid. Be true to tho great good land, And rear, 'neath the southern rub 'A race that shall hold its own, .V And last till the world bo done. ■■ ■; . Then came tho 'hymn, ."Now, ' tb'a Labourer's Task is O'er"; and the Bless-; ing brought the service proper to a close.. Then the drums of the Grenadier Guards broke into the thrilling prelude to tha Dead Maroh in "Saul," and when at length the last sound of tho drums' and trumpets had died away, from .'.the far western end of the Cathedral sounded the'.call of the bugler crying the "Last Post." Last of all came then tho National Anthem, , played and sung in full.- ' The service was simple,- but with' simi pKcity of grandeur. It was the expression of deep and common feeling. The brave , men whoni. it commemorated had come from far off to die far off both from home and from this central point of-the Empire-forwhose idea_and'.purpose they have given their lives;' and! St. Paul's Cathedral, seemed to speak with the .single voice of the Empire in' love and honour of its heroic children.—' "Tho Times."

FREE CHURCH CALL TO ARMS. \ NATIONAL' SERVICE FOR THQSB ' WHO CANNOT ENLIST, In all the Free Churches of England a letter urging the necessity of national service for everyone was recently read from'the pulpit. The letter, which' was •prepared by Sir J. Compton Rickett (President of the National Council 06. tlio Evangelical Free Churches), tha Revs. F. B. Meyer and J. Scott Lidgett, contains the following passages .

"As the months have passed since the outbreak,of the war, it lias become increasingly apparent that we have reach;, ed a supreme hour in history, when the results of centuries of Christian civilisation aTe seriously threatened by the attack of an unscrupulous foe, whose military methods are both ruthless and inhuman. "Britain stands in the forefront of the conflict, and is pledging the ,'very existence of her Empire on behalf oS the smaller peoples and the maintenanca of international freedom and righteousness. •. "We have ieason to congratulate ourselves, as Free Church people, on tho ; magnificent response which has been given from our Churches, not only to the claims of the N,ivy and Army, but for all those other services which are demanded by the exceptional circumstances of our time.. . "But the call upon oar country is so urgent that we are confident that our people are prepared to help the Government in any further demand it may, make on our national resources. ' 'Every man who for any reason cannot enlist should seek to render national service in some other direction. Our women will not cease to dovoto time and strength to carrying on the work;oi the Churchcs, especially by . welcomingrecruits to our homes and church-pre-mises, by nursing, by relief and temperance work, ana by the care of re* fugees and of the bereaved. "We urge also that throughout, the country speoial meetings should'be continued for regular and united intercession, that through all this turmoil -tha. Divine Kingdom may come and thai Divine will he done as in Heaven go-oil? earth." r