EMPIRE SUNDAY

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3101, 4 June 1917, Page 8

EMPIRE SUNDAY

SERVICE IN THE TOWN HALL

/ A FORCEFUL ADDRESS

orl, h ,? T<nr 'l ? all L "-« s Packed from the ntW .r," 6 ' ito tho back wall yesterday aftoruoon, when an Empire Bay service Hnetnn p'T'T Ul ® aus P icc3 ot tho Wel- »■ « ,-r't !° , IC k T l)o occasion ,lii . I ' ntlat< *f by street parades of sol(lieia lroiu the camps, returned soldiers, omtorials, sailors, cadets, veterans, and juoy •.couts, who converged upon tho 'own Hall f rom different parts of the city bptween 2 p.m. and 3 p.m., headed uy ihe ryentham, Wellington Patriotic society, Central Mission, and the Feaam P Bugle Band, whilst the Wellington Waterside Workers' Band marched from Jervois Quay to the hall, and played selections there pending tho arrival of tho main forces. Tho streets were lined with crowds of people to witness the various parades, giving the city a very animated aspect for a Sunday afternoon. Within tlie crowded hall, too, tile scene wag ail exhilarating- one, tlio colours of the Allies being displayed prominently on lines that stretched from one side of the hall to the other. Among those .on the platform were the Chief Justice (Sir Robert Stout), Mr. Justice Hoskmg, Hie Mayor and Mrs. Luke, the S°"n T,' D - K ; MaeDonald, Colonel 0. i. C. Campbell, and several prominent members of the Wellington Patriotic Society.

The ■ service' commenced with tho sin"ing of tho National Anthem, which, accompanied by the massed bands (under the baton of Mr. R. de Lacy Peek), liad noble and most impressive effect. The anthem was followed by tho tfingin" of the old hymn, "0 God, Our Help iu Ages Past." Chaplain-Captain S." J. Mathieson (of tho Twenty-sixth Reinforcements) offered the prayer, beseeching in all humility that the powers of tyranny and brutality should not triumph, and that tho final victory should rest with the Allies. Tho prayer was followed by the singing of the hymn, "Lead, Kindly Light," which was 6iing was fine devotional fervour. For his lesson, Chaplain-Captain E. KnowlesSmith read tho forty-sixth Psalm, commencing, "Tho T.oitl is cur refuge and our strength." During the collectiou (taken to defray the expenses) the massed choirs and bands cave n. splendid rendering of the hymn, "0 Mighty Father," and following this the congregation sang the beautiful livmn "Rock of Ages." A Powerful Preachment. The principal address was delivered by the Rev. Archibald. Hunt, of the Cambridge Terrace Congregational Church. "Wo are here to-day,'' he said, "to honour the birthday of our Sovereign, King George V, and to remind ourselves of the responsibilities of citizenship of the great Empire over whcli he rules; to express our unwavering loyalty to tho Monarch who so" worthily upholds the best traditions of the past, and who, in the great crisis 'through which tho nation is passing, has set so noble an example to his subjects. We are proud of our Sovereign, and our hearts go out in the earnest prayer of a grateful and loyal people that the richest blessings may rest upon him, and every member of the Royal Family. We are proud of our Empire. We do not claim to be faultless. But we can and do claim that no other nation has ever etood for higher ideals, or laboured for nobler purposes than tho British Empire, and never higher or nobler than at the present time. If wo are at war, it is not because we love or desire war, but because liouour compelled "us to it, in defence of those ideals for which we stand. 'We strive not- against fic3l) and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rnlers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness >n high places.' Wo are proud of our' Empire, with Us great history, its glorious traditions, our noble heritage. But that is not enough. The spirits of our great ancestors may tvell look down from their silent stations. and ask, 'What are you doing with the heritage we bequeathed you, and for which we laboured, suffered, fought, and died?' That heritage is ours, not to be frittered away in selfish indulgence, but to be so wisely used that we band it on with added lustre to those who shall follow us. If we are citizens of no mean Empire, we need to proTB that we are no mean citizens of that Empire. We need to realise to t'to full the responsibilities of citizenship. The liberty we enjoy must be regarded as a sacred trust. Its obligations must be recognised. The old slogan, 'Britain never shall be slaves!'' may be a pleasing sentiment, but it has no foundation in fact. We axe slaves. Wo are slaves to tradition, to custom, to habit. And if our patriotism is to be worthy of the name we are slaves to honour. We are bound by obligations we cannot and dare not isnore. Tlie on-y liberty we can justly claim is.tlie liberty to do_tlie right, not a licence to do tho wrong. Freedom has its obligations, as well as its privileges. And our patriotism becomes an empty boast unless we recognise the responsibilities which citizenship places upon us. The' claiiou call of Nelson's famous signal must ring in our ears. The sacrod word, 'duty/ must bo engraven upon our hearts, and be the inspiration of our life. AVliat is duty? It is what wo owe; a debt for which we are responsible, and which honour demands wo should pay.

Our Part. "The brave souls who have gone forth from our own shores, and from every part of our Empire, have heard that call, and have nobly responded. They have done thou 1 duty in a way that lias excited our enthusiastic admiration, and earned our eternal gratitude. They havo toiled, and suffered, and bled, and died, in a spirit worthy of the best traditions of the past. , But it is for us to prove that that spirit of loyalty to duty, and self-sacrifice is not confined to the front, but is equally shared by those who remain behind, I am not unmindful of what has been done, and what is still being done. 1 gladly and reverently pay my tribute to all who arc giving themselves to successful service, and to the fathers, mothers, wives, aud sweethearts, who, at unspeakablo cost to themselves, have given up their dear ones to the service of their country. But, as one of that number, I realise that even this sacrifice, great as it is, is small compared with the sacrifice of those -who have gone. All that we havo felt, they liavo felt, and, in addition, they- have had the toil, the hardships, the suffering, the awful risks, of tho trenches. And, after all, such sacrifice has been confined to a minority. The .greater ' bulk of the community has remained practically unaffected by the war. True, we have given large sums of money. 'But we have only given of our superfluity. Vie have not given to tho point of real self-denial. Our men in the trenches have often gone without food, without sleep, without warmth, without shelter, for our sakes, when the exigencies of tho case required it. But who of us has ever' gone without a meal, or denied ourselves a single necessity of life for their sake. Is it not a serious reflection upon our professed natriotism, and a travesty upon its sacred name, that it should be deemed necessary to offer the bribe of a big prize in return for tho small amount asked for? Ts it not a fact that' there arc large numbers today earning wages never earned before, and which they are expending in extravar gant dress and luxuries hitherto undreamed of? Is it not a fact that should fill us with a sense of shame, thnt while many of our men/in addition to their personal self-sacrifice, have voluntarily financially impoverished themselves, there are men in this country who havo grown wealthy as a direct result of the war? I do not hesitate to say that tho men or 1107)1011 who make tho war a means of enriching themselves, and use the profits so gained for their own selfish ends, are battening on the sufferings and blood of their own fellow-countrymen. If -we are true to ouv trust, then every power we possess must be solemnly devoted to tho sacred cause in which we are engaged. Caustic Criticism. "And this should apply not only to the individual. It should equally apply to every business and every organisation, to every industry. It shojild'apply to every employer and every employee. It should apply to every capitalist organisation, and tq overy labour union, Aud

it should apply to tho Government itself. Tho Government; of our Umpire has rightly' urged tho exerciso of tho strictest economy on tho part of tho community, and to lesson its requirements to an irreducible limit. ]f the surgeon's knife be needed ill the saving of the life of tho State, it must be faithfully used, and used upsyaringly. But the Government must practise what it preaches. In the opinion, of many of its best citizens, the Government, both at Home and in this Dominion, has shown a deplorable lack of that moral courage and true patriotism it seeks to urge upon its citizens.

"It has deliberately given its countenance and extended preferential treatment to a traffic wbtch at its best must bo deemed a luxury, and which in tho pub-licly-expressed opinion of move than a hundred, thousand- of the nation's' leaders, ia declared to be a distiiyft menace to it—a traffic which has admittedly hindered our Army, hampered our Navy, blocked tho output of munitions, retarded our shipping, and reduced the national efficiency more than all else put together. Bread has been mad? dearer because the drink traffic has absorbed corn enough during the wnr to have fed the nation for a whole year. It has nbsorbed sufficient sugar to have fed the nation for a hundred days. Onr vounde<l soldiers in hospital have been refused sugar in their tea in order tnat the brewers' supply might be maintained. Shipping is scarce because drink has usc-d up a. hundred millions cftbic i'eet of shipping space. Labour is scarce, partly beoause- the drink ha"bit has reduced the efficiency of so many workmen, and prevented many from working at all, (Applause.) In our own Dominion every business lias been restricted—except one. Seed wheat, manures, agricultural implements, building materials, and the necessities of commerce have been denied space on our railways, and in our ships. But no restriction has even been made on carriage of beer and whisky. Business firms have been urged to close earlier in order to economise in light and fuel. Great Britain has declared it to be a greater enemy of our country than the armies of Germany and Austria. And one does not need to be a prohibitionist to rogard this as a travesty of sound policy, and an outrage .pn the moral sense and economic interests of the community. And to that extent it discounts that very patriotism it urges upon others." (Loud and prolonged applause.) "One word more. "We are professedly a Christian nation. But how far can we honestly claim to be Christian? Is it not too true that those who profess it have too often substituted ritual for righteousness, and in maintaining its outward forms have denied its inward spirit? IVe have professed to believe in God, while we have lived as though there were no God. "We have been selfish where we should have been altruistic, and paga.ll rather than Christian. And now. tho great testing as come. Our professed beliefs aro in the melting-pot. Will they come forth purified as by lire, or will they pass from us for ever? I refuse to believe in the latter. Because I believe in God. I believe that His truth will emerge .triumphant. I believe that the soul of the nation will finally come forth with a clearer vision, a purer faith, and a nobler spirit, and in a regenerated people we shall find a new world and a new and better life. Our men in tho trenches are learning lessons they will never forget. Tliev are facing the eternal verities of life" and when they return those lessons will bear good fruit. Many of them have nothesitated to declare that they have rediscovered God, ami have found their-own soul. And we need to do tho same. Vie have lacked iu our loyalty to the nation, because we have lacked in our fealty to God. And we can ouly be true to the one, in. so fur as we are true to the other. A true and abiding peace can never come until .we have fitted -ourselves for it. When wo have humbled ourselves before the King of Kings and Lord of Lords; when we have learnt to honour Him to whom our honour is due; when we have learnt to cultivate the spirit of the Christ; then will arise, like a phoenix from tho ashes, a new Britain, a greater Britain, that will take its place among the kingdoms', of our God and of His Christ." (Great applause.) At the conclusion of tho service the chairman (Chaplain-Captain KnowlesSin 1 th) announced that the collection taken amounted to .£42 17s. 6d, After the expenses of the service were met, the balance of the money would be paid over to the fund of tho "Wellington Pa--Finally, the hymn Abide AVith Ate" was sung, ChaplainCaptain S. J. Jlathiesorf pronounced the Benediction, and the clarion-throated bugles sounded "The Last Post," as "a link to bind .'hose present with those who had fought the good .fight and passed on!" 0

The Brave Old Guard. Among those who attended the service were a J)umber of members of tho Wellington Veterans' Association. The Maori war veterans wcro represented by Lieutenant-Colonel C. D. M'lntosh. Major E. Tregear, Sergeant-Major ,T. Robal,!| Messrs. E. Beyer, W. Lingard, w H'-n 0 - , W ' T i J ' M - derrick, i' £' Br ° oks > J - H. Brown, E. E. Brill, rii eS F d n'-, < ?■ B ' 1 1 '" vi, y. V. AV. Revell, 1. E. Brill, and h. (Stidolph (hon, secretary of the association). Other veterans present wcro Captain J. Henry /m By P- ? kouth Africa) and A. Knowles ifr'ci) Illvasio)1 - of Egypt aud South