NEW PLYMOUTH MEMORIAL SERVICE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 8139, 22 June 1906, Page 2

NEW PLYMOUTH MEMORIAL SERVICE.

A GREAT GATHERING. There was an assemblage of fully three thousand people in the Recreation Grounds on Thursday afternoon, when a united memorial service wai held. The band rotunda was occupied hy the ministers of. religion, and reprelontatiycs of publio and quasi-publio institutions, and was unrounded bytre "auks of tho Taranaki Rifles, Taranaki Guards, tho Central Sohool and Wert End School Cadets, the Now Plymouth Piro Brigade, pupils of the Central School, and the Taranaki Garrison Band, who had marched in procession' to tho grounds. There wore on the |)litfjrm : —His Honor Mr Juitioe Edwards and Mui Edwards) MrW,

ft 'Brooking, actmg-Mnyor of Now Plymouth; Mr R, Cock, ox-Mayor .if Jihw Plymouth ; Messrs G, W. Bmwh* and W. A Col! ; s, New Ply. month Borough Councillors j Mr G. V. JWt, Chairman Taraaak : County Council; Mr W. Ambury, );cc-presid.mt Taraniki Ch imber of Commerce ; Mr James Wade, Chairman of the Tatanaki Education Board; Mr N. K. MacDiarmid, Chairman of the £ -w Plymouth High School Board >f Governors : Mr G. Tisoh, Ow'-mor »f the Taranaki Hospital Board; r OTiOUßttlin, representing the lUi' v ifcpartmenl; Mr C. E. Bellrii , Resident of the Primitive Moth t Conference j .Key. S. S. Osborne (1 shytenan), «ev. VT. G. Woolley d Her. Dew (Baptist), Rev. J. Nixon I Rev. Doherty (Primitive Method ), Eev. T. G. Brooke and ttev. Cannell (Methodist), Adjutant Miesulay ana Lieut. Jenkins (S.ilvaii.n Army). A united choir occupied the steps of the rotunda on the western side.

The proceedings were opened by singing the hymn "Our God, Our Help in Ages Past," the Garrison Band leading the singing under the baton of Mr H. White. ' Bev. W. Cannell read the first lesson from Psalm 90. On the invitation of Bey. Osborne, a few minutes were given to silent Wayer, after whioh the "Lord's Prayer" was repeated. After the assemblage had joined in the hy m ".Lead, Kindly Light," the Ecv. Osborne addressed the gathering He Was pleased that so many were able to meet that afternoon in those • beautiful grounds. They all knew that the whole earth was consecrated to Almighty God There were no specially sabred places, and God would be with them here. They had gathered at the command or injunction of the Chief Magistrate of the town on, this occasion. God had come into our midst and removed a great man from New Zealand in a most tragic and pathetic manner. Did it not impress on all the uncertainty of life, and 'bring to mind the verse from Holy Scripture, " What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose Jus own bouIP" The lesson to be ■' drawn from the sudden death of our greatest statesman was the necessity , for making peaee with God, and mak- , }ng their calling and election sure. ... They were gathered to do honor to bun who had gone from us, to show ' Our Christian sympathy with the widow and children,, and to pray that God would be a husband to the widow, a father to the fatherless. Adjutant Macaulay read the New Testament lesson, and Rev. Nixon offered up prayer. The third congregational hymn was "Brief life is here our portion, brief sorrow, short - lived care," after whicli the Bev. T. G. Brooke pronounced a fervent and impassioned eulogium on the late Premier, that was eloquent, forceful and powerful to a degree. He ' stood there, he said, as a plain man to •peak of a plain man—a man • wli > forty years ago came to this colony in the prime of his young manhood. Al the stock he had in life was his cle.iii . manhood, a brainy head, and a strong frame; and he lived out his fori,.' years in our colony. All knew witlt what results. If there was one thin-; specially marked the late Premier it was that from the beginning to the end be Was simply a man. With all •bis great opportunities, the great ; influence that he wielded, and the great ' positions he occupie . ' they 'found him ever as in I beginning and right through the end, the same true, straight m Whether the people had grown '. understand him aright it was diflki. to say, but posterity would judge mc .- : truly of JrJB greatness and of his wor than we wbo have been so long and s closely related to him; and his e.> ample would be an inspiration for a certain class. of legislation for many / years tcVcome. The same year that the late Bichard John Seddon landed in this co'oriy there landed another '-' plain, straight man, who found his borne in the neighboring city of Wanganui. Both men were withoot exceptional advantages. Their only ■ stock-in-trade was in their hands and beads, 'ihey set to work to do the - - best for-themselves, and ultimately for the benefit of the colony. There was a remarkable parallel in the way in which both these men, steadily, steadily, in their local affairs, step by step from the realms of local polifa to Parliament, rose aboye t.e beads of their fellow men; fro a Parliament to Ministry, and ultimately each became Premier. And then, after displaying exceptional ability at the head of the Government, came another parallel when the life of' the first went out suddenly, leaving belrad him a magnificent, programme. He had his ideals for the i welfare and prosperity of the country. - - When they were placed before the House and the country, there were some who feared the results. But there were others who saw in them the dawning of a day of reformation and increasing prosperity, and a prospect of adding untold happiness to the people of New Zealand. They saw the programme taken up by the man who followed him, and what John Ballance proposedj-Bichard John Seddon put into destination. In the thirteen years be had sat at the bead of the Government—let even bis bitterest political opponents bear testimony—he Had held the «ejn*ief power and glided the progress of the colony in a manner which, judged even by his him to go out with clean hands and an honored name for magnificent works that would bear fruit in the years to eome. Bev. Brooke esteemed it an honor and a privilege to be allowed to say a few words touching the life's work of such a man. What could be said ? He had been called "Bight Honorable," and be was Bight Honorable because he bad been called to be His Majesty's Privy Councillor, to give His Majesty advice should occasion require it. Let them think of the plain Kichard John Beddon of forty years ago, and the' Bichard John fleddon who in his last days occupied this magnificent position, and they would recognise he was right honorable, and worthy to. fill the posrion. Not only was he Bight Honorable in His Majesty's dominions but he was " Honorable " in our own Cilony. He had proved his right lo the position. It had been question d Whether be was a man to seize his pirtunities for the advantage of . erantry. The speaker would not - that the unparalleled prosperity of pist fourteen year was due to legislation, but the late Premier .1 such a firm hand on the conduc 1 affairs, that with the general p •■ .pirity had come a great upliftin; J the people. The best fruits of _us labor benefited the aged fathers and aged mothers, who had born the heat and burden of days gone by, and had nit become even comfortably situated ii respect to this world's goods. In many cases the evening of life had closed around the worthiest without any provision for their old age. Thank God. there was provision now; that the honest old people were now lifted aboye the cares of poverty, able to stand shoulder to shoulder with! their fellow colonists, and end their days in peace. If in the thirteen years of his Premiership the late Bichard John t'eddon had done nothing else, he showed there that he deserved his title "honourable," and the fact .hat the system was being copied i - all parts of the world was a sufficient tribute to the man who had instituted that legislation. One of our oldest universities had recoijnised the abilities of our late Premier and made him a Doctor of Laws and Logic. He ba' earned amtlier name that he could not get from, the patent rights of a uni versity, and one that could not bi conferred on him by his King or the Legislature, but which If had earned by his lift-, was " L">-e of the People." He was "mc.--honourable" in the sight of tae people. While tbe hundreds were assembled here to show their respect to Ins memory, and thousands were similarly gathered in all parts of the colony ; anil while away in Wellington, there they might even now be saying " Kartii to earth, ashes to ashes, and dust to dust," and whilst they stood by and in their

uujin-itijn looked down intj the opeu tomb, tluy would roaliso t'nt " lie is not dial, but liveth," that he lives to day, and that foe many years will his name an 1 memory live in our hearts. Hoiv g.v.ir, how u?eful this m m had been as he laboured amongst us ! He had o h ; s God. It was pleasing to know ibit behind the stress of his political 'ife was a strong lovo of the religious life, a id that he was found with the congregations in worship. Better still, he had been found in the house of sorrow. The words weretruo to-day as ever, "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto the least of these my children, ye have done it unto Me." The God who had looked with satis'action on lum who had compassion on him ~-h) had fallen amon,'thieves, looked to-day with satisfaction on him who helped the paor and the sick. "Lot us thank God that he has lived, and pray that the blessing of Almighty bodkin be with the widow yonder—and," he added fervently, "it is a widow's son who prayes this prayer Pray that the blessing of God will be with the fatherless, and that the life of their father will be an inspiration through all the years to come, that (heir lives may ba as useful to the colony as was their fathom's, and to Eternal God be the praise." The troops reversed arms, and the cadets and Fire Brigade stood at the .salute as the Garrison Band played the " Dead March " in " Saul."

.Rev. Osborne pronounced tke Benediction, and, led off by the band, all present joined in singing the " National Anthem."

ST. MARY'S. A memorial service was held in St. Mary's Church. There was a very fair congregation. The Rev. F. Latter gave an admirable address, dealing with tke life of the late Premier. The Rev. F. G. Evans read the lessons, and the Bev. A. M. Bradbury the prayers. Approprinte hymns were sung by the choir, and at tke close of tke service, Mr A. E. Fletcher played tko " Dead March," the choir and congregation standing.