A LIFE OF SERVICE.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 31, 7 February 1927, Page 11

A LIFE OF SERVICE.

LATE SIR HENRY BRETT. THE CHURCH'S TRIBUTE, MEMORIAL SERVICE IX CATHEDRAL. A service to the memory of the late I Sir Henry Brett was held in St. Marys! Cathedral, Parnell, last evening, when [ there was a large congregation, niauv , prominent citizens of Auckland being, present. ~ I It is well for us in Auckland to re-1 member that we owe a debt of gratitude ' to the late Henrv Brett. not f tri wba r he did, but for what he wjs." said" Archbishop Averiil, in the course of hi- I sermon. "•Whether we are conscious of! t.io fact or not, this city of Auckland is j all the richer to-day for the ideal:- audi character of Henry Brett. | "At_ this memorial service we are I thanking God for the lite and service of! Henry Brett/" continued his Grace, who added that he had intended to expre-s h's appreciation on the day of the funeral, but had been prevented from doing so because the wi-ither was so unfavourable. "It is beeiuse I believe that the name of Henry Brett tuv be included in the category of the great, as defined by our Blessed Lorl, the Revealer of Eternal Truth, that I consider that his passing on to the greater and wider life of service in Paradise calls for more than a passing expression of regret.' His Grace said there was no need for him to dwell upon the many and varied incidents in the long and honourable career of Henry Brett, for they were known to most. No city could" possibly have a greater asset than the character of its public men and prominent citizens, and the real greatness of any city or country in the Empire depended far more upon its high-souled and public-spirited men and women than upon its environment, however beautiful. or upon its trade and commerce, however great. "One of Auckland's Great Men." "Every city, country and empire is dependent upon the vision, the usefulness, the disinterestedness and the service of its citizens, and perhaps' the world would not be in such a state of turmoil and unrest to-day if nations would only realise the fact that greatness is not the outcome of the power of exploitation, the right of self-deter-mination, or even national progress, but rather of the will and. capacity to serve. Perhaps," continued his Grace, "there would be far less industrial strife and class-consciousness in the world to-dav if the Christ spirit of service was more universally recognised. Henry Brett has made a greater contribution than most men to the true ideals of citizenship, brotherhood and Empire stability, because his life was based on the prin-1 ciple of service. He has been one of Auckland's great men, and has left behind him more even than an honoured name. We shall always remember Henrv Brett as an upright and Godfearing man —a man whose life and character contributed much to the power in the world making for righteousness. Spiritual Interests Never Neglected. '"We have realised that Henrv Brett attained to the honourable position which..he occupied in the community because he was a man of vision, deter-" mination. perseverance, high ' ideals, honour, kindness, generosity and loyalty. His position was recognised by the honour conferred upon him by his Sovereign, and which was universally j acknowledged as well deserved by all his fellow citizens. One of the great lessons of his life is the fact that, though he was so keen and successful a business man, so closely associated with the material side of life, he never lost | his soul in the multitude of his material | interests. j "Material success too often is allowed j to blunt and deaden the spiritual and aesthetic side of life, and many a successful man has lost his soul through absorption in the exercise of his business faculty. Not so Henry Brett. His whole life and his keen interest in the higher things of life, in the aesthetic and the beautiful, music and horticulture, in the social and moral uplift of mankind, the care of the orphan and destitute children: in the spiritual— his devotion to his Church and religion— all witness to the fact that he had a high sense of duty to his God and his fellow creatures, a real sense of stewardship and a deep sense of the need to cultivate the higher faculties of the soul which feed upon the true and noble aud beautiful in life. "He fully realised that 'man cannot live by bread alone,' and that if men allow their spiritual faculties to become atrophied by absorption in the material they cease to be whole and complete men in God's sight. Only by fearing God and keeping His Commandment does man become whole and complete. The True End of Life. "When the spirit of a man returns to God who gave it, what is essential in a man and not what is accidental is the thing which really matters. A man's last robe has no pockets. Man is gradually building up a character as he wends; his way through the mazes of this mortal life. That character is impressed upon his soul, and that soul, which is his real self, is immortal. A man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth, but in the character which has grown up arouud his soul. "We cannot but believe that Henry Brett has made good use of his opportunities and talents, that he has realised the true meaning and purpose and end of earthly existence: that he has built up a character which God in His own ways will continue to use. and that he has passed through the lower learning school of mortal life to the fuller realisation of himself and his God-given talents and faculties in the nearer presence of his God and Saviour. J The Evidence of Trae Greatness. "We can unreservedly thank God for | the life and unobtrusive service of • Henry Brett," his Grace concluded. "We j are thankful that he was spared to re- j tain his wonderful faculties to a ripe old age and to die in harness. He has left behind him not only the evidence of an i upright and honourable business man. 1 but also the evidence and marks of real and true greatness as outlined and taught and lived by the highest authority of all —the Lord Jesus Christ. To those near and dear to him we offer our loving sympathy. But to them also we would express thankfulness that we have "Been permitted to benefit by his life, his j example and his character. May the i shadow from our lives be as helpful as; that which has fallen from the life of. Henry Brett." | The Dead March was played by the | organist, Mr. Edgar Randal. The ser-, vice and sermon were broadcasted bv IYA and heard by thousands of people j ia Auckland and other centres. I