Funeral of the late W. J. Rowe.

Te Aroha News, Volume XXVII, Issue 43211, 6 August 1907, Page 2

Funeral of the late W. J. Rowe.

What was probably one of the most largely attended funerals ever seen in Te Aroha, at least so far as the number of young men present is concerned, took place on Sunday afternoon when the earthly remains of William James Rowe were conveyed to their resting place in the cemetery at Te Aroha West. The first part of the service was held in S. Mark’s Church, the body being carried from the hearse through an avenue formed by members of the Druids’ Society, of which the deceased had been a member, to the church gate, where it was met by the Vicar, who then led the procession into the church, reciting the opening sentences of the burial service. When the coffin was in position between the choir stalls, the six bearers, taken from the ranks of the Druids, standing on either side, the choir and congregation sang Psalm xc., probably the oldest psalm in the psalter, to Barnby’s beautiful chant. After the reading of the funeral lesson, 1 Cor. xv., 20 —end, the Vicar addressed those present, noticing two special features in the life of the deceased, (a) his heroism in sticking to work which was not that which he most desired, being constantly sensitive of the fact that he was physically weak, and (b) his filial devotion to his mother ; and concluding by drawing the general lesson that every funeral is a call to the living to face the facts of life more seriously and wisely. After the address hymn 401 was sung, and then to the sound of the •“ Dead March in Saul,” played by Mr Wharton Thompson, the body was borne away to the hearse and so to the cemetery. At the graveside, at the conclusion of the church service, Mr Biggs read that of the Druids’ Society and the funeral ceremonial ended with the casting into the grave of an ivy leaf by every member of the society.