EMPIRE SUNDAY

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2788, 5 June 1916, Page 6

EMPIRE SUNDAY

CHURCH PARADE AT THI. ■ TOWN HALL \ AN IMPRESSIVE SERVICE J | The church parade organised.on limply \ Sunday by the Wellington branch of the ] Now Zealand Patriotic iiocioty was au > unqualified success. Owing to the uncertainty of the weather, it was decided that ! the rendezvous should be tho Town Hall, in place of Newtown Park, as originally intended. Empire Sunday proved a typical Wellington grey day, with keen winds, but thousands oi citizens turned out to * witness tho church parade, a section cf ! which, including the soldiers from Trcntharn and Peatherston, marched by way ! •of Lambton Quay to tho Town Hall, benig joined en route by returned soldiers. < Another section started from Courtenay Place; and a third 'from Bunny Street, \ joining forces at Mercer street. Included. in the parade were the New Zealand vetm? 11 * 5 ' Reservists, under Major \ Ihonißon and Major Perth; Senior Cadets, under Capt. M'Parlane; the boys of the Ainokura training ship;, Boy Scouts; ; Ladies Nursing Brigade; and Ladies' Na- 1 tionai Reserve. i Thousands of spectators lined the pavements m lower Cuba Street, watching tho nien in khaki and the Scouts, carrying aloi't tho Union Jack, marching to the lown. Hall to the strains of music provided by seven bands, these being the Irenthaui Military Camp Band, Fifth Regiment Band, Salvation Army Band, Central Mission Band, Tramways Band, New Zealand Natives' Band, and the Wellington Patriotic Society's Band. Soon after 3 o'clock the great hall was \ filled with a vast audience, and the scene • was impressive. Tho flags of the Allies ! stretched across the roof, and the gallery was tastefully decorated ■with flags and appropriate mottoes, kindly supplied by 1 Miss Knight. The audience numbered ' between three and four thousand, and another two thousand were unable to securo admission. The Premier (the Hon. W. F. Massey) briefly addressed them from the 6teps at the main entrance. ; An Inspiring Address. The officiating clergymen were ChaplainColonel Tracey, Chaplain-Captain G. Knowles-Smith, and the Kev. Archibald Hunt. Among those on the platform were the Premier (tho Hon. W. F. Massey), the Minister of Defence (the Hon. J. Allen), the Minister of' Internal Affairs (the Hon. G. W. Russell), aud tho Mayor (Mr. i J. P. Luke). i ■ The service opened with the singing of ' "All People that on Earth Do Swell." j The lesson was read by Chaplain-Colonel Tracey from the 46th. Psalm. ' { Chaplain-Captain G. Knowles-Smith, in ; tho course of a spirited and racy address,' ' t admirably adapted for the occasion, said that one of ■ the most impressive yet j withal startling revelations made "to the_ student of the history of j nations was the constant recurrence in the life of nations as in tho life i of iudividuals of a time of testing—a i time when ideas, principles, actions, nay, • sentiments and feelings, all cauie under : a fremeiidous test. Sucn a tiiiie as this tlie British Empire was passing under at tho present time.' The tires of war were lit, and into the international cauldron \ of strife and dispute the' British ideas and sentiments—all the thii'"s they held " dear under the nag of Supire—were ' being cast. Whether or not they would come out, even as gold seven times purified, or whether they would be burnt up as dross, was just a question as to what their real ideals were. What were tie 1 - ideals of the British nation ? Were they not simply the sum of the ideals of the Dominions, colonies, and dependencies, as well as the Motherland? They in , New Zealand helped to shape the ideals of . Britain: they helped to make tho grand national character of the British Empire. The ideals of the Dominion were the sum of the ideals of the individual citizens of the Dominion. The ' Dominion' was what they made it. The test was really a test of the individual. The' great war with all that it meant was a test of the individual ideas of patriotism and loyalty that glowed in the breast of. every, man and woman throughout the Empire. Their business was not to vilify or even, to criticise the enemy, although there' was much that • was open to criticism, and plenty of tilings open to worse than criticism. When he thought of them he was tempted to say what tho bishop said when the soup was spilled on Tiim—"Oil, for a "ayman to say something appropriate!" (laugifter.) They should ask themselves how tEey were shaping to meet the test. Mr. Massey Addresses an "Overflow." . A short speech in regard to the war was made by the Prime Minister on the steps. Mr. Massey had gone to the hall in order to take part in the service, but : with no intention of making a speech. On his appearance, however, the large crowd of. people outside the hall which stretched rignt across Lower Cuba Street called upon him'to address them. Mr. Massey complied with tho request, and delivered a few remarks from the steps of the lialL He was greeted with great, enthusiasm, and received 1 a most attentive hearing, the absence of interjections being i most noticeable. Mr. Massey, in referring to the naval battle, said that when he expressed fclio opinion in the House the other day that we had now reached the most serious stage of the war, he had no idea that at that very moment hundreds and pcrhajra thousands of our gallant sailors were laying down their lives for us in the North. Sea. He dealt with the general outlook of the war, taking tho lina that the Empire must be prepared to meet events as they came along, and to continue the war to any length, whether it was six months or six years. (Cheers.) Even though it meant hardships, hard times, aud even perhaps financial ruin to many people, the war had to go on. All ncces- • sary sacrifices must be endured. There was no stopping or looking back. (Cheers.) The crisis wns sucli that every man of military age must be prepared to go into the firing-line, whilst those who were too young or too old to fight must consider it their duty to assist in; con- , nection with munitions, food supplies, and in any other way possible. (Cheers.) Nothing mattered except the winning of the war. (Cheers.)

Mr. Massey created a tremendous impression amongst the crowd by lifting his right hand and swearing "by the living God" that, as far as he was concerned, there would be no peace or thought of peace until Germany was brought to her knees. The sword would not be sheathed nor a riflo laid down until an honourable and lasting peace was secured for the British Empire, for the Allies, and for the wholo world. (Loud cheers.) The scene was one of remarkable' enthusiasm.