The Dominion THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 1918. ANZAC DAY

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 185, 25 April 1918, Page 6

The Dominion THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 1918. ANZAC DAY

[ The appropriate observance of | Anzac Day ia but a small tribute of the gratitude and affection wo j owe to the brave men. who gave ! their lives for us and for tho Empire in the battle which took place on the shores of Gallipoli on April 25, 1915. Can wo ever forget tho heroic deeds of our troops on that eventful day? They achieved tho impossible. According to the rules of .war_ the task set before them was something more than mortal men could do. The Turkish Army Order actually announced that the thing was impossible, and yet by the unwavering courage, determination, and endurance of the British and French forces apparently insurmountable obstacles were overcome. They forced their way up those rugged cliffs and secured a firm foothold on the Peninsula, The Australians and New Zcalanders played ft glorious part in this memorable battle. Tbey did all that was expected of them, and more. _ Never for a moment did they flinch or falter during the terrible ordeal. Sir lan Hamilton declares that tho landing "involved difficulties for which no precedent was forthcoming in .military history," and tho marvel is that young citizen soldiers, who had left their farms and offices and workshops a few months before in response to their country's call, should have stood the test so splendidly. Their bravery, their resourcefulness, their capacity to endure, their unfailing cheerfulness, proved them to be equal in fighting power to the seasoned British soldier. What they did has seldom been equalled and never surpassed in tho military annals of our race. Tho death roll was a_ long one. Thoso Gallipoli battlefields have become sacred places for us. So many of our gallant dead lie there. To-day we think of them_ with pride and commemorate their soul-stirring deeds, realising that we, owe them a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid.

The anniversary of the Battle of the Landing is a solemn day for New Zcalandcrs; but it is also a great day, for the- event which we commemorate has greatly enriched our national traditions. The path to greatness lies through many tribulations and sacrifices. This tragic aspect of history is impressed on our minds wlmn we think of the soldiers who will never como back. They wcro not daunted by tho perils and horrors of the most terrible war in human history. They did' not seek death, but 'thev did not fear it. They went forth to fight ready to fare like their peers the heroes of old, ready to Bear Um brunt, in a minute pay glntl Life's nrrcnrs Of pain, darkness, and cold; For snddon tho worst turns the host (o tho bravo; The black minute's id end. And tho elements' rngp, the fiend-voices that rave, Shall dwindle, shall blend, Shall change, shall become first a peace out of pain, Thou a light. These arc our "famous men," and it is befitting that wo should praise j l.lionj, and how can we do so more movingly or appropriately than in the time-honoured words of the Book of Ecclesiasticus, beginning, "Lot us now praise famous men," which wero read so impressively by Mr. Balfouk at a recent commeraor-

afion of heroes at Albert Hall, London. 'I'here be (if them, Mini |„ m , |~|'| ~ »".»!'' '"'lniKl lliein, that ihi.j,. ]m - m might 1)0 reported. Ami nnm I here lie, wliirli have nu memorial; ivlm are perished, ,\g 1 lii'.v hint never huen; nnd are become ns though tlipy hud never hern born; and Ihcir children el'ler them. But lliesi) were merciful men, whoso righteousness hath not been forgotten. Their seed shall remain I'or ever, and their glory shall not bo blotted out. Our first and most imperative duty to the dead is to carry on thei'r work to completion. We must finish the light for freedom which they

began. They did not falter, and we would be traitors to them if wo sheathed the sword before the enemies of freedom were overthrown. If this war is won—and won it must and will be—anil if it is the prelude to a new and better world, as we hope it willO}!-, their lives will not have been fruitlessly sacrificed; but if we grow weary of the struggle before the final and decisive victory has been achieved, they will have died hi vain! The men whose bodies lie buried in far-off Uallipoli shed their blood in tho cause of the Empire and of human-' ity. What bettor tribute can wo pay to their memory than to open a new and more glorious chapter in the history of the British Empire and to increase its power for good in the world') It would bo a calamity if we allowed ourselves, after the war is over, to fall back unresistingly into all the old evils of industrial strife, class hatred, and civil discord which were so pronounced in pre-war days. We must face our responsibilities in a more serious spirit. We must recognise that privileges imply duties. We must be prepared to develop tho unimaginably vast resources of tho British possessions in a more thorough and scientific manner for the benefit of our people and the betterment of the conditions of life. Our moral obligation to do all in our power to promote the welfare of the subject races within the King's dominions must not bo forgotten. We will have to shako ourselves out pf old ruts and free ourselves from hampering traditions, and go forward. The war has taught us many lessons, and it would lie a betrayal of our own interests and the interests of posterity,, as well as forgetfulncss of the deeds' of our dead soldiers, if we do not make good use of the experiences of these fateful years. We talk of the new and bettor world that is to come after the war, hut the world will be no,better unless we arc determined to make it so. The men who have died for the Empire havo sefc ns a noble example. The least we can do is to live for the Empire—to strive to make it a blessing to those who come after us and to all mankind.