HATCHMENTS AT ST. MARY'S.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXIII, Issue 260, 4 November 1901, Page 2

HATCHMENTS AT ST. MARY'S.

UNVBIUNG CEREMONIES ON j SUNDAY. AN INTERESTING OCCASION, | Seldom does it happen that such aa j interesting ceremony occurs in New Plymouth as was the case on Sunday, 3rd November, 1901. Then mighthave been seen a packed congregation in tho cburcb, while many, unable to pain admission, waited outside, having 11 content themselves with the view of the ptocession, military and civilian, ai it entered and left the sacred edifice. Shortly after 2 p.m. the Taranaki Veterans and the volunteers fell in »t the Drill Hall and formed up for the march to the church. First came the Garrison Band, then tbe Veteran?, Taranaki Rifles, Taranaki Guards, and Cadets. The Garrison Band headed the procession, playing suitable marches, and tbe route taken was via Currie and Devon-streets, past the Government Buildings, and by way of Robe and Vivian-streets (o tha church. The service, which was most impressive throughout, commenced with tin Processional Hymn 215, followed by a portion of the Evening Prayer, and Psalms 33 and 150. Tbe lessons we/ e taken from II Samuel, i., 17 and Romans xiii., 7, being read by Messrs. John Young and 0. W. Govett respectively. Then followed Hymn 545. The Venerable Archdeacon Walsh then delivered a very impressive and earnest address, taking as his text 11, Romans, xiii., 7, "Honourto whom Honour." The reverend speakersaid:— Of all the evils tbat afflict tbe human race we may safely say that there is none greater than the evil of war, in fact there is none that approaohes it ift intensity and comprehensiveness. There are those who consider that the evil is a necessary one; but whether necessary or not there is no question as to the magnitude of it, either in immediate effect or in after consequence. War means death, war mexns pain, war means bereavement, war means waste and cruelty and passions let loose, war moans tbe congestion of commerce and paralysis of industry wbile it lasts, and an empty exchequer and a burden of taxation when it is over. There is no part of the body-politic which is free from the suffering and loss which it entails; no department of life in which its evil effects are not felt to a greater or less degree. Some of the older settlers of Taranaki are able to bear witness to the truth of this contention, They have seen this fair land turned into an armed camp and battle field. They have been driven from their homes, and have seen their houses burnt, their stock driven off, and the fruit of their industry destroyed. Tbey know what it is to lose a son or a father or a brother, and in many cases they have felt through their after life the effects of the hardships and exposure endured in the campaign. Foitunataly, however, in the providence of God things are so wonderfully balanced thit even in the greatest evil there is generally some compensating element of good. Were

it otherwise tbe world would be unendurable. This is so even in tbe case of war. And just as the gold is purified by the fire while the dross is consumed so from the furnace of war, while the mean man is debased and demoralised, the true man comes out ennobled and strengthened. Tho discip'ine of the camp is a training in patience and obedience. The hardship of tha campaign is a lesson in endurance, while the feeling of responsibility begets a habit of self-reliance which is equal to every strain that is put upon it, You cin count among yourown friends and fellow-settlers—it may b , with some ci you, among your rid comrades in arms—bo en who have thus come out of tho fiery trial. If I single out one to mention by name, I do no ' not only because I hud the privilege of

a long and intimate acquaintance with | him, but because his prominent p wi- . tion and his record experience fit him i to bo selected as a type. It is the ' name of one who took a keen interest ' in the movement in which we are eo- , gaged to-day, and whose presence is sadly missed by many among us, ' Lieutenant-Colonel Sbapp was for 30 1 or 40 years one of the most conspicuous [ figures in Taramki. For two or three , generations he was known to every > man. woman ,'acd child in the place. ' Trusted by his superiors, respected by | bis equals, loved by his men, ha was . in every point an idetl soldier. Like < one of the knights of chivalry, ha was 1 magnanimous and tender-hearted, withi out fear and without reproach. Whether | in the camp or in the field, on the ■ parade ground or in the orderly-room, ; in a subordinate position or in supreme ' command, he ever justified the coo- | dence that was placed in him, ever > compelled the admiration of all who i were privileged ;to know him. It is > unnecessary to enumerate the partieu- ' lar instances of valour and resourcefulness by which his character was moulded and by which he rose to dis- | tinction. It is sufficient to say that for , many years he was responsible for the i peace of the district. There is one case, however, which is too supremely ' important to be paased over. At the [ battle of Waireka, when the fate of Taranaki hung trembling in the > balance—when by some mistake that 1 has never been explained the Imperial , troops withdrew from the fielj while • .tbe contest was still raging—it was to the indomitable spirit and consummate 1 generalship of ( o'onel Stspp that was | chiefly owing the victory that twined for the Taranaki Militia and Vounteers the first f honour " that wig ever borne on the colours of any cor p -, 1I) - lieve, outside of the regular army. By tbe providence of Qod Colonel Sbipp was spared to enjoy the ble sings of peace, and to see the land which, of all places in New Zealand had been most harassed by war, become one of t l >e most prosperous districts of the col ny. There were m my of his comrades, however, who met with a less fottunvo fate, if indes-d a f*ti may bete)m il unfortunato if it be that i f a man who has given his life for his count y's honour. Every corps tha<; served "in the Maori war lost some of its offic is or men, ar.d thsre is nmy a family in Taranaki which had to part with one or moi e of its member- 1 . It is in f?i v efuland honoured remembrancn of thiss that the series of hatchments are intended— prt, of which a're»dy ndo. n these walls, part of which will be u-i veiled to-day, and part of which, it is will be addrd at sr.m j future time. I am aware that thero nre i lio e iyhp consilor t h it a church is au ui:fit place fpr the display of army trophir s, or any kind of warlike emblem. But the general consensus of opinion ev»r since the day when David laid up the sword of Goliath in the Tabarnado (I. Bam,, xxi. 9) ia ngiiost this notion. And among all Christian natione,

whether ia the recumbent effigi«s of ] the crusaders, the statues of military. ] commanders and the banners taken i in battle that adorn the cathe- ; drals, or the pictured windows or 1 more modest mural tablet in the parish i churches, you will find that the House i of God has always been esteemed as the proper resting place for the memorials of victory. And this s-nUment;, though often expressed with a too barbarous insistance, or otherwise in bad taste, is

f-sseutally a true one. It is f«.-lt that the Church is the homo of the nation's inner life, and that therefore anything that deeply effects that life may be here expressed by some appropriate symbol. If the victory has been a matter for thankfulness, we recognise that this is tho place wherein to pour forth our gratfcitude; and if therefore some of those whom God has raised up for our deliverance have never coma come back to take part in our rejoicings, surely it is here, of all places, that wo will treasure their memory, and hand it on to the inheritors of the blessings which were wan by their l blood. But it is said sometimes that the , memorials of a struggle are calculated to stir up or perpetuate the hostile feelings which had better be laid to jrest. This opens up a very broad question, and if thfre bj any truth in the contention, it would be well for jour veterans to discontinue wearing j the'r medals, and for our regiments to I rip th i honours from their colours, while for thn same reason it would he .sinful to orcct in our parks and public I places any of tyioae monuments by j which a gra'eful nation delights to jcelebrato the achievements of its victorious armies. For certainly, if these things arous) warlike feelings in a church, where the whole atmosphere/ is one of p ace, they must much more likely to do so whtre there is no such restraining influence. The truth is that the argument is rather far pitched, and that the emblems, if rightly looked upor, are much more likely to have the opposite effect. I was greatly struck with this truth during a vinic I paid some years ago to the tomb of Napoleon Bonaparte. The tomb is situated under the dome of the chapel of the " Invalides," a large military hospital and refuge for old soldiers in the very heart of the city of Paris. The body of the great conqueror lies in a sarcophagus constructed of a huge block , of porphyry placed in an open circular crypt, and around the walls above, between 12 colossal statues of j Victory, are a number of trophies of the flags captured in his various campaigns. At the time ol my visit a Requiem Mass wis being celebrated in the nave of the chapel, which was attended chiefly by a few old mutilated veterans, among whom were probably sbme of the last survivors of the Grande Armet. It may be tbat the contemplation of the trophies called up in the minds of these old warriors s me vision of bygone glories; but if it did, it was not enough to disturb the air of peaceful serenity that seemed to rest upon them. To my mind the whole scene was one of inexpressible sadness, and as I thought of the great command <t sleeping his last sleep beneath tt<e tattered remnants of the flags of all nations;—as I counted the few feeble survivors of the countless legions that bad swept away thrones and kingdoms and carried havoc and destruction through the length and breadth of a continent, I said to myself: Is it for this that the life blood of the country has been drained ? That nations have been blotted out, that racial antagonisms have been engendered that it will yet tuke generations to heal? If therefore our hatchments do bring up thoughts of the war, may tbey not, like the trophies around Napoleon's tomb, serve to remind us how little has been tbe giin compared with the greatness of the lobs ? The settlers of Taranaki as a body are, I am convinced, innocent of any bloodguiltiness conceding the war. They came out here with no other thought than that of miking a home in which tbey and| their descendants could engage in an honest industry in tbe persuit of the arcs of pence. But when, through a perii-8 of political blunders they were led into a dilemma which might have been easily avoidt d by a little timely p-itience and go id temper, hut from which at the time there seemed to be no escape, they entered the conflict with a sprit and resolution tbat have never been surpassed in the history of British colonization, They were content to endure any hardships and to suffer any loss, Tbey fought with chivalrous courage a people as brave and chivalrous as themselves, and among wham when the trial of strength and endurance was over they fouud they could live in pe*ce and good fellowship and mu'usl respect. And now that tbe brief madness is over and the stain of blood has been wiped from the land, there is no power on earth j that could bring *he hostile feeling once : more to life. The two races, however ] they may differ in habit?, opinions and I traditions, have not only realised the j advantage of living together in peacp, but, having come to know each other better, they now see that there was never any real cause for their doing otherwise. And such is the feeling now that both Maoris and Europeans would gladly join in any effort to do honour to the momory of the brave men who fell on either one side or the other. Wbile therefore we freely admit, as I suppose most of us now do, that it would have been better had the war nqver occurred —better for the Maori, better for the European, better for the civilisation of New Zealand, and better for the cause of humanity at large—we feel that we are only doing our duty in cherishing the memory of tho-e who laid down their li|e at tbeir country's ca'l: to the brave ssttlers of Taranaki, to their faithful native allies, and to the membsrs of the Imperial Forces who came to help them in their hour of need. It will no", I think, be oiit of plaee if I tuk-i th'i preseqt opportunity of giving a brief account of the manner in which tbjs business of tbe hatchments has been initia'ed and car/ied out. During my sojourn in Taranaki many yea's ego, I was consulted by tho late Captain Rowan in resprot to a memor- . ial to the men of his regiment who bad > fallen in the war and were buried at the Htnui. As there was no money for a suitable stoce monument at tbe spot, J we came to the conclusion that the next best thing would be a hatchment i to be placed in St. Mary's Church - where it would not only be s en but ( would be preserved from accident or ] desecration. The Archdeacon and the , vestry ftll in with our view, and the tesiilt was the hatchmeot of the 43rd Monmouthshire Light Infantry, which I painted in 1878. After an interval < of 20 years I was by Mr W. H. j Skinner to make one for tho 65th, a , regiment which had done long and distinguished service, and of which a , large number of men had settled in the ( district, This was done, and the (

hatchment having received Buch kind recognition from all who were interested in it, a general wish was ex- : pressed that the rest of the corps which had taken part in the war should be similarly commemorated. As there ' seemed to be no one else to do the work j 1 volunteered to continue the series, ion the understanding that the vsatry' would provide the panels and materials. This arrangement being suitable to all puties, I was able in 1899 to contribute an instalment of f >ur, viz : the 18th Royal Irish, then 70?, h Surrey, the Royal Marine Light Infantry, and | the Taranaki Militia and Volunteer?, i the two latter incorporated in one de-! sign. The work was interrupted by a year's absence from New Zealand, but was resumed on my return, an 1 I have tbe pleasure to-day of presenting the 14th Buckinghamshire, 40th 2nd Somersetshire, 57th West Middlesex, and 58th Rutlandshire, and if health and eyesight are preserved, I hope to continue until the whole series i 3 completed, which will comprise the 12 "h, 50th and 68th Regiments, the Royal Engineers and Artillery, H.M.S. Niger, and last;, but not least, the contingent ef friendly Maoris. It will be understood, however, that I cannot promise any definite time, as the painting has to be done in tbe intervals of professional work. In conclusion, I would like to state that I feel very proud that my work has received such kind appreciation, and that it occupies such a prominent place in your beautiful church. I I would also take the opportunity of { thanking all who have given me assis'anee in carrying it out, and especially Mr W. H. Skinner, who has conducted the correspondence with the different regimental authorities and gathered the data necessary for making the de&igas. Nor must I omit to express my gratitude to your vicar for kindly permitting me to make tbe presentation in person, though I would gladly have seen the duty placed in mora 1 capable hands. I dow hand over these four hatchments to the authorities of Mary's G'barch to be held in ttust : for the people of Taranaki, with the i humble intention that they may set forth the glory of God, and help and perpetuate the memory of the mem- . bers of the regiments whose colours they bear. And I pray Almighty God that while, if need should arise, this i country may never be wanting in bave and gallant defenders, he may i so rule in tbe minds of our rulers and ! so dwell in the hearts of our people i that ws may not be led away by thoughts of strife and vain glory, but may ever strive to be a natioa fearing i Him—in unity among ourselves and at peace with our neighbours. The unveiling of the hatchments ' then took place, in the following order —l4tb, Buckinghamshire (Prince of 1 Wales' Own), unveiled by Lieutenant- ' Colonel Ellis (representing Hon, Captain Russell, who was unable to attend); : 40tb, Second Somersetshire, by Mr. 1 John Oasey; 57th, West Middlesex, by i Mr. W. Bosworth; 58th, Rutlandshire, i by Mr, Wm. Free. The Venerable Archdeacon Govett read the • Dedication Prayer, i A special offertory was then laksn i up, for tbe purpose of a. fund to erect a i suitable monument to Taranaki men i who have fallen in the South African i campaign. During the collection the Garrison Band played the "Easter Tide."

After the singing of the " Old B undredtb," the Benediotion was pronounced by Archdeacon Govett, and the service concluded with the National Anthem.

The Volunteers were then marched back through the town, and dismissed in Currie-street.

The parade states of the various com pa ni s present at the ceremoni. s were as follows:—Veterans, 24, under Captain F. W. Webster; Rifle?, 37, under Lieutenants Cock and Hooker; Guards, 30, under L eutenants Co.ik and Ho'mes; Cadets 25, undtr Captain Dempaey and Lieutenant Gray; Garrison Band 20, under Bandmatter Haigh. [The actual Band muster was about 30, but only 20 are recognised in the Government parade state,] The Battalion officers present were Lieu-tenant-Colonel Ellis, Major Okey, and Adjutant-Captain Taunton. So far as we qould gather the list of veterans present'was: 57th -Musketry Inspector Pennington, Sergernts J. 0, Peach, Bos»ortb, and McCartney, Messrs John Mac Gee, Thos. furlong, [M. Moore; §§6h —Sergeant Free, Messrs Wood house, and J. Hart; 40th—Mr John Carey, '' here were also present representatives of tbe 70th, 18th, 65 th, and 43rd Regiment*, Royal Horse Artillery, and Army Hospital Corps, and several who belonged to the Colonial Forces, including Captains F. L. Webster, A. Scandish, F. J. Mace, J, S. McKellsr. Most of the veterans wore medals, and two of them—Captain Mace and Mr Antinio Roderiques had also the New Zealand Cross, tbe New Zealand equivalent of the Victoria Cross.

Telegrams were received from his Excellency the Governor, the Premier, and Major-General Sir Hector MaoDonald, regretting tbeir inability to attend the ceremonies.