HONOURING PIONEERS.

Auckland Star, Volume LI, Issue 249, 18 October 1920, Page 7

HONOURING PIONEERS.

OLD COLONISTS' REUNION. GRAND WORK OF EARLY SETTLERS. ■ After having been inconvenienced by a I postponement due to the stoppage of the I tramway service, the organisers of the ; , Ulcl Colonists' Reunion were rewarded » j yesterday with a beautifully fine day, • I and consequently there was a good • , gathering at the Town Hall. It is just 118 years ago since the arrival of the I slTipa Diichese of Argyle and Jane Giflurd. and these reunions are the desceni dants of the decennial celebrations that ' used to be held by the colonists who , arrived in the ships, colonists who had a ■ great influence in moulding the destiny ■j of New Zealand. Fortunately tor us I I they were settlers of a splendid'type, and i the future of the Dominion would be a • very pleasant thing to contemplate if we could be sure that the sterling qual,----i tics of the "old standards" were unini- ! paired in their offspring. The proceedings opened with prayer by ■ the Rev. C. H. Laws, B.A. THE OLD AND THE NEW. The Mayor (Mr. J. H. Sunwon) who , presided, in emphasising the. importance of the gathering, said it commeinoiT.t 3<l . the past, and gave an inspiration for , present and future endeavour. lie spoke ( of the splendid example set by the first pioneers, who had passed away, but left a memory and an example to posterity, and the name of Sir John Logan Campbell was singled out as that of a man to whom Auckland owed much. At the request of his Worship the audience rose and remained standing in silence for some moments in tribute to the memory I of those who have "passed on." A vivid . picture was drawn by the flavor of the contrast between the old pioneering days and the present times, and he said people did not always realise how much the lot of the toilers had improved. The early settlers of New Zealand, with their firm belief in God, had helped in that general betterment. Notwithstanding ' the unrest that was noticeable on every *■ ] side to-day the Mayor said he believed ' i the people at heart were religious, and 1 j that the improvement Btill went on. The '■ hand of God still held the helm, j COLONISTS' CHARTER. 1 The Venerable Archdeacon G. MacMurray spoke of 'God's command to be , fruitful and multiply and subdue the c earth as the colonist's first charter. The . 'command implied industry, thrift, and j fellowship—not only with "man, but with God. He gave striking instances of the 'j remarkable capacity of the British people to colonise, and mentioned the t great work of such men as Marsden and Selwyn. The archdeacon said we of the ' present day should be thankful to the God-fearing men and women who toiled and laboured to lay the foundations of ' the colony of New Zealand. They had 0 not laboured in vain, and we were shar- '" ing the benefits of their work. Speaking c of-the unrest of to-day, he pointed out '• that a country could develop materially \ more rripidly than it developed morally ' and spiritually, and if that were the caso there was disaster ahead. The old ? colonists should see that the young gen--1 eration grew up with the virtues and c habits that marked the old pioneers. ~ THEY DID THEIR DUTY. , The Rev. R. Walker (St. . James' Presbyterian Church) suggested j as a motto fo» the young colonists: j "Thou ehalt rise up before the hoary \ head, and honour the face of the old J j man, and fear God." He paid a high ( tribute to the old pioneers, whose memory it was very fitting should thus be honoured once a year by such gatherings. The early colonists had come out to benefit themselves and their families, but in toiling as they had done they had founded better than they knew. They had achieved what they had in simply doing their duty, and the message to us of to-day was to also do our duty in - the same simple, fearless manner, and - when we passed away it might be found i that we had also done better than we . knew. > The choir, under Mr. J. H. Phillpot, 3 led the singing of the National Anthem, 3 the "Old Hundredth," and the hymn, "0 3 God Our Help in Ages Past," and also : gave an anthem composed by Mr. John r Hartnell, and dedicated to Mr. William i Culpan. Mr. J. Maughan Barnett was ) the organist, and also played a volun--1 tary during the offertory. Miss Laura i Stone sang "Abide With Mc," and "The Lost Chord"; Master Atkinson ,r Nearer r My God to Thee," and Mr. Hubert , J Carter "Be Thou Faithful Unto Death." 3 The Benediction was pronounced by the - Rev. R. Somerville. 'During the proceedings the Mayor - presented Mr. J. Bain with a cheque for i £5. donated out of the funds left by the t late Mr. J. M. McLachlan in memory of i his mother. Mrs. McLachlan was a pasf sencer by the chip Brilliant, which - arrfved in the ManuT<au 79 years ago, • and to perpetuate her memory her oim 3 left a bequest so that at each annual c gathering of old colonists the oldest sur- . vivor of the Brilliant's passengers should ■ receive a cheque for £5-