SPIRIT OF SACRIFICE.

Taranaki Daily News, 28 November 1921, Page 4

SPIRIT OF SACRIFICE.

LESSONS OF THE WAR. UNVEILING OF MEMORIAL TABLET. AN HISTORIC FLAG. The unveiling and dedication of a memorial brass tablet and the dedication of the 2nd Taranaki Company’s flag in St. Mary’s Church, New Plymouth, yesterday, was, carried out in the presence of a largo congregation. The assemblage included Taranaki veterans, a large gathering -of returned soldiers, members of A Company, Territorials, and the Mayor and borough councillors. Tho service was an impressive one. Prior to the unveiling of the tablet, which commemorates the men of the parish who were killed, the flag, which belonged to the Taranaki Company of the 2nd Battalion, W.I.R, was presented by Major Urquhart as a memorial to the men of the company, and was dedicated by the Bishop of the diocese (Dr. A< W. Averill).

The service opened with the singing of the hymn “The Son of God,” and prayers by the Rev. F. G. Harvie (vicar), followed. The lesson was read by the Rev. Young, the text being the 9th verse, 7th chapter, Book of Revelations, St. John. At the presentation of the flag the colors were handed to the vicar by Major Urquhart, were dedicated by His Lordship the Bishop, and afterwards suspended above the Roll of Honor. The unveiling of the tablet was performed by Lieut.-Colonel C. H. Weston, who said: “In grateful memory of the men from this parish, who gave their lives in the great war, I unveil this Roll of Honor.” The Last Post was then sounded. After the dedication prayers by His Lordship, the choir and congregation sahg the hymn “How Bright Those Glorious Spirits Came.” Ih'ayers for the King and Empire, the* Prince of Wales, New Zealand, for the fallen, and for peace, were offered by the vicar. PASSIONS OF NATIONS. His Lorship delivered an appropriate address, and forcefully illustrated the lesson to be drawn from the sacrifices of the war. His text was Isaili 21. 11-12, “Watchman, What of the Night? The Watchman said: The morning cometh and also the night.” Ho quoted Norman Angell’s book “The Great Illusion,” which spoke of modern warfare as being too costly even for the victors, but considered that where the author failed was in considering that minds diseased could be controlled by logic and consequences duly considered in the flush of excitement.

No doubt,*he said, if men stopped to consider the real outcome of war, even to the victor, the inevitable economic and financial stringency, and disruption, to say nothing of the toll of human misery, they would exercise reason and have a truer estimate of values before they plunged the world into the inevit- ' able aftermath of the war. The world to-day was passing through a phase which was inevitable. If they had been told on Armistice Day that at the end of 1921 the world would be in its present unsettled conditions—that they were still waiting for peace, that the trials of criminals would be largely a farce, that the nation which was responsible was scheming to avoid its responsibilities, that the integrity of tho British Empifre was being threatened, and that nations and statesmen were talking openly about the next war—they would have regarded these statements as the outcome of a diseased brain. Even the disarmament conference, from which much was expected, was faced with big problems, and it might be that the world had not yet reac’ d the full darkness of the night. But it was? not time for pessimism or masterly inactivity, for it could not be believed that the enormous sacrifices had been made in vain. POST-WAR STRUGGLE. Thousands and tens of thousands of men, including those whose names were on the memorial tablet, and the men represented by the flag, had given their lives, not only for their King and country, but also for the establishment of saner international relationships, for the suppression of force as the arbiter in the clash of international rivalries, and for the establishment of the peace of the world on the foundations of righteousness and goodwill. At present people found themselves in the midst of the struggle between the revival of pre-war conditions, which were liable to perpetuate much which it was hoped would have been brought to an end, and the birth of post-war conditions. It was the old story of self-interest versus co-operation, class versus class, and nationalism versus internationalism, and until the world abided by the spirit of service and sacrifice, instead of greedy nationalism and class conflict, the people would wait in vain for the fruits of victory. , The Bishop said he was very glad to have the opportunity of joining with the people of New Plymouth in honoring the noble dead and in placing their memorials in their resting place, to speak to the present and future generations of the part which the men of Taranaki played in the great war, and of the sacrifices they made so that others might live in safety and peace. They had helped to ennoble life and rescue it from the somewhat sordid conceptions associated with it before the war. God forbid, however, that familiarity with these war memorials should result in a spirit of indifference towards their real meaning. These sacrifices could only be repaid by regarding our country as a trust, and by endeavoring to “dminxe. ter that trust so that the splendid Dualities of comradeship and service which they exhibited, and the principles of justice, righteousness and freedom for which they fought, were not foi gotten by those who wUre privileged to sur'‘■niia Empire could not live on its past exploits, however great, and the people could not rest oven with honoring the g)orious dead. 'IW wou d have to meet the difficulties of to-day and tomorrow in tlie spirit in which then' heroes met the difficulties of The war was not won by pessnnrats, but bv men who saw and fought for the li’oht beyond the night of Sufienng and de"at.li ’ Earthly pence and the brothelhood of men could only be wonby sacrifice, bv living nobly, unselfishly and usefully,’ and then the night must inevitably pass away, and the day of better things would come. His Lordship concluded by reading the Kina’s favorite hymn 0 Valiant Hearts," us a tribute to the fallen, and

the singing of the! National Anthem concluded the service. THE ROLL OF HONOR. The names on the tablet are: Andrew Allan, Elmo Anstis, Neville H. Arden, Ronald H. Baily, George E. Bendall, Ernest A. Billing, Frederick R. Billing, William J. Bishop, George Bollinger, Herman Bollinger, David B. Brown, Frank. R. Brown, Maurice C. Brown, E. Claude Cook, Percy K. Crann, John K. Crompton, Thomas S. Crompton, Charles Crone, Harold J. Curline, William P. Davidson, Lewis G. Eyre, .lames J. Falconer, Carey Forward, Ernest E. Ginbons, John H. Gilbanks, Heber L. Cordge, Edwin P. Greatbach, Frank Grimmer, William Guild, Vincent J. Baird Hall, Alfred Harding, George W. Henderson, Thomas H. Hudson, John Ingram, David James, Vernon R. Jury, John Kelly, Thomas P. Kelly, Basil M. Kelsey, Guthrie Kidd, Robert D. Kidd, Frank Lander, Harper M. Lepper, Max Lewis, John G. List, Philip Lush, Douglas Mace, Steven R. Main, Cecil A. Alalet, Frank Marfell, Manby Martell, Edward F. Mason, Thomas E. McGonagle, Godfrey G. McKoy, William Millman, Albert E. Morshead, Darcy R. Newell Leslie Newell, L. F. Norman, Francis J, Partridge, Sydney V. Paul, Edward J. H. Perry, Charles H. Potts, Cecil F. Putt, Charles A. Rogers, Arthur P. Kidd, Stuart O. Kidd, Claude S. Russell Carroll T. Russell, George H. Salisbury, Charles A. Salisbury, Neville VV. Simpson, Brian H. Skeet, Basil B. Thomson Edward W. Thrush, Oswald de Witt Vaughan, James E. Way.