IN MEMORIAM.

Shannon News, 15 May 1925, Page 3

IN MEMORIAM.

MEMORIAL SERVICE IN SHANNON ELOQUENT TRIBUTES. . Now the labourer's task is o'er, Now the battle-day is past; Now upon the farther snore Lands the voyager at last. Father, in Thy gracious keeping Leave we now Tny servant sleeping.

A most impressive service in hon--00- of the memory of the late Mr Massoy was conducted by the ministers oi the combined churches at the Maoriland Theatre yesterday afternoon in the presence of a fair congregation. Alter the National Anthem, the service opened with the singing of the hymn, "O GOd out Hehp in Ages Past," which was followed by prayer and a reading by Rev. Mr Furnell from the 39th Psalm. The following hymns were, also sung; "Now trie Labourer's Task is O'er," and "Ail Uie Saints that from,' their Labours rest," and the Rev. Mr Stewart offered prayer. In paying a tribute to the dead leader, Mr Stewailt .remarked that death was to be. a great divider but it was also a great unifier. Death had Drought them together that day in the spirit of ihrotheijhqod and sorrow. Irrespective of race, creed or opinion, they had met under the sense of a great irreparable loss. It was a consolation and tribute to the worth of the great statesman whom they mourned to know that they were not alone in their sorrow and that the burden of ■ their grief was shared universally. The heart of the mother la,nd and the fullest sympathy of :the peoples of the great Commonwealth of Nations whq compose the Empire were with them; that dayi "The eyes and sympathy of those nations who were our Allies in the great world warfare—now but an ugly memory—as also those nations who were opposed to us then, with the sailers' of the Seven Seas have naid their tribute to that good and great man, to "that prince of statesmen, the late Rt. Hon. W. F. Massey. All that is now mortal oi our beloved Prime Minister will soon bo laid to rest in the last silence of the tomb prepared on PL HalswelL No more fitting and appropriate resting place could have • been found, 'iuere in the murmur of the ocean, Uie lapping of the waves against the iock, the shrill piping of the seagull to his mate, Nature has provided a ceaseless dirge till the Resurrection morn. His death, we all deplore, but his memory w.e shall always revere, not merely because of his great re- , cord as a statesman, not because of his thirteen years' Premiership oi this Dominion during the most dimcult and trying period in our history and in the history of our Empire, not because of the valuable service lie rendered on the Imperial War Cabinet of 1917—18, nor yet because V of his work on the Peace Conference' in Paris during .1919, not Ibeeaufee of his recognised and sturdy Imperialism and proved statesmanship as shown in the Empire Conference of v 19C21 nor because as tihe last ■oi tne. Great War Premiers of the EW re *° die in harness. But for tire reasons that he strove as no. other Imperidl statesman has striven * £* a. tered civilisation out ol the leelung shambles of Europe to that ptoPeol righteousness that exalteth nations in the aftermath of. stagnation which

follows al lconvulsions such as we have passed no m \ could have done more through his wise counsel and leadership, his. example, with toil of head and hand, to rmild up in t&is Dominion of ourt>, homes and environment more worthy of the sacrifices, offered, lie lived and died a man of. the people. Honours were as ungrudgingly offered as they were, richly and deservedly meritedi yeifirmly and refused and he passes into the gi*ve and into the. presence of ■*« Jxgf ■Master as he. was born and chxwton-ed-William Ferguson Massey. W.hu generations to come shall read U* inistorv of these passing days ana Shle and career & great spates. man—a life lived to the tull, sacriSced in the cause of duty-of how he carried the burden ol duty and shared' in the burden of the Empire, they will be duOl-wimed indeed, in they fail to traice on those pages' that scroll written in letters of goiu —"I have left you an example. Love of country and love of humanity were two characteristics evident iji tihe life of Mr Massey. Undei ex. actional circumstances men may called on to die for their country but ordinarily we are only called on to Uve for it, and so to live for tne good of humanity, j»d that i| our task, to live in such a maimer that tne golden rule may become the common way of life witnin these isles. inc ulesire to make our (country a Ule strSg and pure is the noble passion I Uia? should inspire everyone oi us as Mayor Olr MMg. doch) said he had come in contact with the late Mr Massey on several occasions and on each of these o* easions he was struck with one thing, that was, that he stood in the presence not only of a. great man, bust butter still a good man. M r Masse v's patience to listen, his Knidly advice, often with a Wtte «parKie of innocent humour, made one lee comfortable in His presence wd ... on Sha?£deld a SS neftAS ofthe d la(e d Mr Maswy'sJJtriotgm. Sf^ to o^Tio^^«iA t w ma le this Dominion shine in such a leader. iaitJ "' . mpm orv was paying tribute to his memory. -I wilt try to give you so far _ as , niv limited vocabulary can go some expression, showing the g re<itn^f np , the deceased statesman as an impe'ialist. His own feelings were, judging from the many speeches he made, on the unity of the I am sure, that, .his last wish when his t'vos should be turrted to behold 101 the last time the sun in heaven, mat he may not he shining on the broken and dishonoured fragments of a onct riorious Empire, -but that their Hst lingering glance fjhould rather Deheld the. glorious Jack honoured throufeftiont the; earth, still fun

high, its arms and trophies steaming in their original lustre, bearing no such miserable interrogatory as: 'What is aIL this worth?' But everywhere, spread over ea.ah Dominion in characters of living light, blazing on its ample folds as they float oyer the sea arid /over the land, those sentiments dear to every true British heafrt, Liberty!. Justice! Freedom! and Unity, now ana forever, one and inseparable. Those words convey some little idea of the feeling and convictions of our late Pirime Minister. The poet Longfellow has written:—-

Lives of great men all remind us— We should make our lives sublime, And, departing, leave behind us us Footprints on the sands of time.

"Never were these words more applicable to any man than to the last Ma' Massey. "It may be said of Mr Massey that 'he bore malice towards none with charity for all, with firmness in the riglit as God gave him to see the right, he strove to finish his work, to bind up the nation's wounds to care for him who had borne the battle, and for his widow and orphans.' "The Empire will' not seen forge* "The Empire will not soon forget and we trust will do his memory justice." The Mayor then moved:-"That this meeting of residents of Shannon and the surrounding district desire to express their sincere sympathy with Mrs Massey and family in the great loss they have suffered in the death of the Rt. Hon. W. F. Massey, and hereby record their appreciation and admiration of his distinguished and devoted services to New Zealand and the Empire." The mqtion was carried in silence.

After the singing of the hymn "Abide With Me," the "Dead March" from "Saul" was played by Miss A. Aim, A.T.C.L., the congregation standing. The singing of the hymns was greatly assisted by the Shannon Choral Society, under the conductor, Mr Howard Andrew. Mrs Jones presided at the organ. On the stage were the members of the Shannon Borough Council and the Shannon Chamber of Commerce.