ST. DAVID'S

Auckland Star, Issue 23, 28 January 1901, Page 3

ST. DAVID'S

At St. David's Presbyterian Church, Symonds-street, special mourning: services were held. The church was draped in black, streamers running along; the side walls to the pulpit, which was covered with black drapings, on which the Imperial monogram was placed in white characters, with a white crown above and a star at fhe apex At the morning- service the preacher, Eev. W. Gray-Dixon, M.A., took as his text Psalm 21, 3—5, "Thou presentest him with the blessing of goodness; Thou settest a crown of pure gold on his head. He asked life of Thee, and Thou gayest it him, even length of days for ever and ever. His glory is great in Thy salvation, honour and majesty has Thou laid upon him." The preacher took as the basis of his discourse the remark "I will be good," made by the Princess Victoria when, at the age of twelve, she was told to what majesty she was to rise. He traced her life at home and at the court, showing how well, under the guidance of God, she had carried out her determination. The minister described the early home

life of the Queen, showing- how carefully she had been brought up" by her gentle mother, the Duchess of Kent. He said that when in Scotland the Queen had more than kept her oath to uphold the Church of Scotland. She was never more at home when in the little parish church at Craigie the sacrament of the Lord's supper was celebrated in the sweetly simple and reverent fashion of the Scottish nation. And their communion ws* more sacred and beautiful for the remembrance of her as their fellow communicant. The Queen had been for the world the outstanding type of motherhood and the people seemed to be conscious of this august motherhood of their Queen as one of the abiding ordinances of God. What seemed an abiding motherhood over all was now no more, and it was hard to believe it, some essential element in the oversight and comfort of the people's lives, some pure inspiration that they needed to inhale appeared to have vanished from the social firmament, Nand they marvelled almost as much as they mourned. At the evening service the reverend preacher took as his text 11. Samuel xxiii. 3-4: "There shall be one that ruleth over men righteously, that ruleth in the fear of God. And it shall be as the lio-ht of the morning when the sun riseth, a morning without clouds; when the tender grass springeth out of the earth, through clear shining after rain." In this discourse he dealt with the blessings of the Victorian era, and the relations to it of the Queen. At the conclusion of each service the "Dead March" in "Saul", was played by the organist, Mr J. B. Warner, the congregations standing, while at the evening service the anthem "Sleep On, Beloved," was sung by the choir. ■ '