THE VOLUNTEERS.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 11562, 20 April 1903, Page 2

THE VOLUNTEERS.

I BATTALION CHURCH PARADE. The annual Church parade of the North Canterbury Battalion of volunteer corps took place in the Cathedral yesterday morningi. Tho members of the* District Staff present were:—Colonel Porter, CD. (officer commanding the district), Major Snow, Oaptnin McGee, Captain Dougall, Lieutenant Brown, and Sergeant-Major Farthing. Tlie Battalion staff comprised: —Lieutenant-Colonel Da}', Major Creswell, Captain Merton, Lieutenant-Quartermaster Batchelor, Sergeant-Major Dyer. Quarter-master-Sergeant Slmnn, and Sergeant-Bugle. Molloy. Captain Hobday and Captain Linn (unattached), -were also present. The commanding officers, and tho parade strength of the different corps were as follows: —• Permanent Artillery, Captain Hulme 36 Lyttelton Navals. Captain Curtis ... bO N Battery, Captain Brice ... ... 40 J-' Battery, Captain Treleaven ... 55 Canterbury Mounted Rifles, Lieutenant Beckett 12 Engineers, Captain Jones ... ... 38 City Guanh*, Captain Sand ford ... 33 College Rifles, Captain Harper ... 36 Imperial Rifles, Captain Mathias ... 35 City Rifles, Captain Foster ... ... 30 Linwood Rifle**, Captain Drayton ... 38 Sydenham Rifles, Captain Smith ... 30 Civil Service Rifles, Captain Firher ... 40 Highland Rifles, Captain Stewart ... 25 Native Rifle.o, Captain Oakes ... 32 Cvrl- Corns, Lieutenant Finnisi ... 20 Bearer Corps, Sergeant-Major Woollams __4 Garrison Band, Acting-Bandmaster Tankard ... ... ... 26 Lyttelton Naval Cadets, Captain Wales 34 Total 649 Preceded by the Garrison Band, the volunteers marched from the drill grounds, via Cashel and Colombo streets, to the Cathedral, entered through the west door, and took their seats in the nave. The remaining wating accommodation was quite insufficient for the number of the general public desiring to attend the service. The Bishop of Christchurch, who was the preacher, preached from the text, "Be of good courage, and let us play- the man for our people and for the cities of our God." (11. Samuel, x., 12.) It had become an old custom, he said, for them to worship together in the Cathedral on the first Sunday after Faster, and it was a custom which he trusted might long continue in the days when there would be greater room for those gathered to worship. There were some who viewed a church parade :.lmost with feelings of indignation, and asked what concord cou'.d there be between the Kingdom of God, and the Kingdom of War, who regarded all military affairs as belonging to the evil one, and therefore as beyond recognition by the Church of God. Perhaps that feeling bad been intensified of late by a certain brutal rpirit which had prevailed, especially at Home, and which waa manifested in a very great deal of our popular literature. A great deal of harm, he felt, had been done in this -way to the quiet steadfast spirit of our nation. We had "been called ■j. nation of shopkeepers, and God grunt we always might be, co lone as we did our shopping honestly. Our duty, as ChristiaCe, waa certainly to avoid war aid bloodshed, and to "eeek a more rational means for settling our difference., and the time might come when war should. c*ase in all the earth. But meanwhile wars might be just, wet's often necessary, ond fcven beneficent, cleansing the body of the Mote from those ill-humours which d*e might prove fatal. It was ths btuineta <_£ Uiq..

Church to rake the world as she found ithelping it forward, and influencing it by the grace of God. Christ forbade revenge or the seeking of our lawful claims and rights by force, and bade us, a* Christian men, submit to personal injury, but. He did not so bid tlie State, and if the State were to act in that fashion, she would hegi't a greater harm to the individuals of which she "was comprised. So he too!, it, in short, that his biunnem wns to welcome the volunteers, and as a Christian man, speaking to Christian men. to point out to them those higher principles which underlie their profession of arms. Iho preacher then dealt in detail with each section of the text, and pointed out that the work of the defence force wan to -lofend New Zooland against impurity and dwdionesty. and thc*»e other evils which lie close about. On the return to the drill grounds. Colonel Porter, addressing the Battalion, said that he was gratified at the smart, appearance of the men. That was the first occasion on which he had seen them all together, and he was pleased indeed at the wav in which they had turned out.

Sergeant C. Simpson was on Saturday tlie highest aggre_;a.te Mcorrr for the Kaiapoi Rifle's champion belt. The annual' smoke concert- of the Kaiapoi Rifles takes place this evening. The following are results of annual practise of the Garrison (Naval) Artillery Volunteers for 1902-31 —Vetone 997 points, Lvttelton 988. Ponsunbv 836, Westport 840, N" Battery 836. Dunedin 803. Auckland 715, Devonpoit 633, Wellington 513, Port Chalmers 328.