PEACE PROCLAIMED

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 240, 4 July 1919, Page 8

PEACE PROCLAIMED

THANKSGIVING NEXT SUNDAY

THOUGHTS ON REGENERATION

CEREMONY AT PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS

Proclamations from His Majesty the King announcing that Britain and GerS many are at. lust at peace were read from, the steps of the new Parliament Buildings yesterday afternoon by H ; .£ Excellency the Deputy-Governor-Gencriil fSir Robert Stout). Ministers of the Crown were present, also the Mayor of Wellington. Defence Headqunrters and the military generally were represented by practically all the officers of. the Staff, and those still attached to the Expeditionary Force. The senior officers present were:—Major-General Kobin. Jjrigadier-General Richardson, BrigadierGeneral Hart, and Brigadier-General jil'liavin. The only troops paraded were a company of the Wellington College Cadets, Captain F. M. Renner being in command. There were about 1500 people present. The proceedings were most simple. Tho Deputy-Governor-General was accorded the general salute by the Cadets, the proclamations were read, and the company sang the National Anthem. It had probnbly been tho intention of the Acting-Prime Minister or some one else to call fov cheers, but tho crowd did not wait for the cull, bursting out into spontaneous and hearty cheering. Following was the test of the proclamations read, the one announcing peace and the other directing that thanksgiving services bo held in all churches next Sunday ;— "BY THE KING. "A PROCLAMATION. "GEORGE R.I. "Whereas a definite Treaty of Peace between us and the Associated Governments and .the German Government was concluded at Versailles on the twentyeighth day of June last: In conformity thereunto We have thought fit hereby to command that the be published in due course througout all our Domin.ioi!3; and we do declare to all our loving subjects our will and pleasuro that upon the ; exchange of the ratification thereof the said Treaty of Peace be observed inviolably as well by sea as by land and in all places whatsoever; etrictly charging and commanding all our loving subjects to tako notice hereof and to conform theinsolves hereunto accordingly. "Given at our Court at Buckingham Palace, this first day of July, in the year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and nineteen, and in the tenth year of our reign." "BY THE KING." "A PROCLAMATION. "GEORGE R.I. "Whereas it has pleased Almighty God to bring to a close the late widespread and sanguinary war in which we were engnged against Germany and her allies, we, therefore, adoring tho Divine Goodness and duly considering that the great and general blessing of peace do call for public and solemn acknowledgment, have thought fit, by and Willi the a'dviee of our' Privy Council, 'to issuo this our Royal Proclamation hereby appointing end commanding>thnt a general thanks-' giving to Almighty God tor these His manifold and great mercies be observed throughout our Dominions on Sunday, the sixth day of July, and for the better and more devout solemnisation of tho same we have given directions to tho most Reverend the Archbishops and the Right Reverend the Bishops of England to compose a form of prayer suitable to this occasion to be used in all churches and chapels, and to take care for the timely dispersing of the same throughout their respective dioceses; and to the Game end we do further advertise and exhort the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, and all spiritual authorities and ministers of religion in their respective churches and other places of public worship throughout our United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and in all quarters of our Dominions 'beyond the neaa, to take part us it may properly behove them to do in this great and common act of worship; and wo do strictly charge and command that the said public day of thanksgiving bo religiously observed by all as they tender the favour of Almighty God and have the sense of His benefits."

"Given at our Court of Buckingham Palace this first dny of July, in the year of our Lord ono thousand nine hundred and nineteen, and in the tenth year of our reign."

The Ordeal. Sir Eobert Stout said that he had read the two proclamations sent to the Government of New Zealand by the King, the first proclaiming that peace at last had been declared, and the other inviting those religiously inclined to take part in thanksgiving services on Sunday next. He was sure that the people of Now Zealand were all delighted that lieaca had come, and that they could look forward with faith and hope and courage to the future, believing that now. tho war had ended—a war such as the world had never seen—there were days of peace and prosperity for the nation, and for the human race. He hoped the war had helped to teach all the people that it was their duty as citizens of tho Empire to do what they could to make the lifo of the nation and tho lifo of humanity better, greater, and more glorious than it had been in tho past. "The war has a lesson for ns, a lesson which I nm sure will never be forgotten," said Sir Eobert Stout. "I do ask our young people to appreciate the lesson it teaches, that if we are to exist ns a nation, we mu.it see that we perform those services i which are for the uplifting of humanity, so that we may have neace and happiness and prosperity in our lives."

Dawn of New Day. Sir .Tames Allen, Minister of Defence, said that in August, I'JU, on the steps of the old Parliamentary Buildings, a nroclnmatinn. of a very different sort had been rend. "We ivero then entering lipon the most critical lime in the history of New Zealand and of'the Empire," said the Minister. "Wo knew not at the time what a struggle lay before us, but wo know to-day what wo liavo been through. Slay we not take it as emblematic of the. future that we are to-day lipon tho steps of the new House of Parliament, n building not yot completed? May we not consider this to be significant of a new era in the history of New Zealand and in-the history of the Empire:' , The traditions o! (ho past lire with us to-day. They have been glorified by the events of the war, and they are of nioro reality to us than they wero in VM. The traditions of the British Navy have been inYiintained end increased; the name of Nelson is not forgotten to-day. Tho deeds of the Navy during the last live years have added to traditions which were sacred and hallowed to every Britisher. There may not have been so many dramatic scenes as were provided by the Navy in th'e times of old, but wi> catinol forget the important things which have hnj> poned and which have added, and added materially,-to the traditions of the jast. 1 have only to mention one deed to you, tho campaign at Zeebrugge, \/j make you realise that what Ihe Navy possessed in the past has not been lost, Imt is' pnssesser in every fulness to-day by tho British people.

"We are not a decadent uat'on. We have proved that we can win—win in justice, freedom, and righteousness. May I not hope, and may we not all hope, that, as,we have won in tho win , , vo may al=o win out in Ihe times of pence? We have had our struggles in the pa.st We shall have our struggles in the *uture. Our men of all clnssps and opinions have stood together in the groat struggle for pxistonco during tlie last live yoara, and may iv« not hope that in the struggle for existence of Now Zealand and of the nation in the years to coine they may meet and work together in Ihe s.lrrio spirit that; tliey displayed in the trenches. This is a glorious day to us, glorious to our young people, to vrhom in tho years to como the guidance of New Zciilnnd will bo rele-Mted. I am sure the new generation will profit by tho experiences we have lateiy gone through. They will not forget what self-sacrifice means. They will not forget what it is .for tho individual to give himself for the safety aud welfare of Ihe community."

The Sacrifico for Freedom. Tho Hon. W. D. S. MacDonahl said that he was euro the people had heard with much satisfaction the proclamation of His Majesty the King that peace had been concluded between the warring nations. As his colleague had said, in 1914 the people of the British Empire hud entered upon the grimmest tragedy in history. It was u great satisfaction now to know that the war upon which the British had entered lo help the weakhad ended in victory. He appreciated the heroism of the men and women of this country, and especially of the soldiers in their steadfastness of effort to bring about that victory. All aver the Empire tho war had caused a great deal of sorrow and trouble, but set against the individual sorrow of those who hod suffered there was the regeneration of the whole Empire to look forward to. They could !uok forward with sumo hope, because the war in which they hail been engaged had been a war of justice. The Germans might make all kinds of excuses, but no living tongues' could tell so much of the iniquity of the Germans as the tongues which would never speak again, the tongues wlieh were silent forever. Tremendous sacrifices had been made in the past five years. 11l that time the flower of a whole generation of men had been poured into the furunce of war, and .they had baen slaiu by countless thousands. "We could never count the slhvn or measure the griefs of the living, but the world had come through the long dark night of tragedy, and it was for the living to remember still the men of Britain and her Allies who had died, our own boys, whose broken bodies lay buried in foreign fields. He honed that in the days to come the people would all be benefited by the tremendous sacrifices that had been made by Britain and her Allies, and by the boys of our own country. He hoped devoutly that never again would the world come through such another night of tragedy, now that the glorious dawn of peace with victory had come.

THE ANNOUNCEMENT IN CHIUSTCHURCIf. By Telecerih.—Press Association. Christchurch, July 3. The proclamations of peace wcro announced by the ringing of the church bells and <;. dash through the streets by the Fire Brigade on a decorated motor ; with syren sounding. A crowd collected at the City Council Chambers, where the Mayor read tho proclamation.