MEMORIAL SERVICES.

Levin Daily Chronicle, 22 November 1917, Page 4

MEMORIAL SERVICES.

Services' in memoriam of the lato Mrs Jas. Smellie were held in the Levin Pret-byterian Church, on Sunday, both in the morning and evening, the ltev. M. Bawden Harris preaching on both occasions. A crowded congregation greeted the pastor at the morning session, the seating accommodation being taxedi to the utmost, showing the widespread respect tin which i ;ho deceased lady was held.

The text for the morning discourse was taken from I Thessalonians, chapter 2, verse 17 : "Being taken from you for a short time in presence, not. in heart;." The preacher showed how our loved ones were taken from us only in presence but not in heart. Tho heart vision remained and nought could deprive us of that vision. He solid that in 'ohe Greek language there was more licence of application of tho term, and in that language men spoke of themselves as being orphaned when they were bereaved of their chil. dren. Not only were the children orphan#, but 'iho bereaved parents wero orphan#. Thus the eloquence and the music of this glorious declaration, "Being orphaned from you"—feeling the loneliness and tho cold desolation and the 1 miserableness of being away from you. That is the -nobler ui«e of •she term. Blessed are they who, feeling the pain of orphanage have hope that that pain may be taken away. A most tender expression is this of the text, "Taken from you," /that is a common experience ; "not in heart," that is a special experience. iThey are separated who have no heart fellowship. Proximity is not brotherhood ; the man slitting next you is separated from you by Jihe diameter of the universe ; to be near is not necessarily to be identical. Separation of hearts— that is woe ; where there is no kinship of love, that is orphanage that endures through all the hours, through all fche duration of eternity. Soon is face taken from face. The door is shut and the face is gone, the darkness falls and the face is invisible. Poor debased souls, we want the bodily grasp, we think we are most truly together when face is looking into face. That sophism must be destroyed, that delusion or illusion, must be got rid of, andi we shall see soul to soul, love to love, and no> dividing force can brgak up or cause to flutter ii'n (hesitation the great experience and holy sac. ramenfi of undvded and completed love.

The preacher then entered upon an eloquent eulogium of tli e late Mrs Smellie, who, h© said, from her girlhood days had been connected with the Presbyterian Church andi laboured diligently" in while residing in the South Island. She was transferred to this congregation eight years ago and at once identified herself with its organisations. For year>i she taught the girls' Bible class and many members of the Church "io-day received their religi»us impulse while under her teaching and influences. She was tho loved secretary of the Levin branch of the Presbyterian Women's Missionary Union and had the pleasure of seeing the branch grow until it became a power for righteousness and e van gelical labour. Her chief characteristics werp couiti-csy, kindness, sympathy, loyalty, consistency, devoutness, and unselfishness. The preacher went on to say that lie had lost a friend—one of the staunchest and best. The Church and the Sabbath School were without an ardent devout worker whose place it would be difficult to fill. The district had lost a distinctly potenli moral force. She belonged to the type of Presbyterian which has been, and still is, the great power in our Church, ho declared. She is removed from us in presence, but not in heart. A solemn hush came upon the congregation as the pastor showed ohe blanks left intlie Church's organisations by this untimely passing of so valuable a worker andi asked for volunteers to fill the vacant places.

The evening service was also connected wfth the same subject and the attendance was again good. The text was from Aefi«, chapter 20, verse 38 : "Sorrowing most of all for the words which He spake, that they should see His fncq ino more." The -following points' were elaborated much to the help and edification of the congregation : Human life is a strange medley. 'Light and shade, mirth and sorrow, pleasure and pain—these are always found »'x>gether, eaoh contributing its quota to the variegated whole. "The removal of Christians is a public loss,"said the preacher. "We lose the benefit of their religious zeal, the benefit of their oounsel, the benefit of tiheir exampla. The main .reason of our i-orrow at the removal of Christian friends by death is that they will never return. We hope to meet them again. They are 'not lost but gone before.' Our friend will not come back .'jo us, but we can go to her. We may see her face,enjoy her company, and rejoice with her before the throne of God. Let us therefore hold fast this hope ; let us not be slothful, but followers of them who, through patience and faith, have inherited the promises." . At the morning service the juvenile choir, under Mr Key?, rendered very sweetly and tenderly the anthem, "Peacefully Sleep," and Mr Mottershead feelingly- sang the solo, "He wipes the tear from every eye." At nighi'a the choir gave t'h e anthem, "Come unto Me," with good effect, and Mre Eggleton gave an appealing rendering of the solo, "Abide wiith Me." The hymns includedl the late 'Mrs Smellie's favourites, and the Church was suitably draped in black and purple, while vnises of .white lilie s showed up in relief. The funeral of the late Mrs Smellie took place- on Saturday! and was very largely attended by town andl country people who desired to pay the last tribute of respect to the memory of one who was generally loved and rsspected. Part of the service was held at (she liouso and it was concluded, at the graveside, where the iS-Ms of Mrs Smellie's Bible class feelingly sang one of her favourite kvmns. The Rev Mr Harris conducted the burial service. Many verv beautiful floral emblems of sympathy were received necessitating a special mor.or to carry them.