THE CHILDREN'S KING.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 821, 21 May 1910, Page 6

THE CHILDREN'S KING.

UNITED MEMORIAL SERVICE. King. Edward VII was the only Sovereign most of his child subjects over knew, so fresh in the minds ■ of grown-up peoplo is the memory of the public mourning for Queen Victoria,

that day by day during tho past fortnight they have compared events with those of the fortnight succeeding her death, and they have not realised that the little citizens of Wellington knew nothing of such comparison, that for them there had been but one Sovereign, and he was dead, But, looking at the thousands of children gathered in the Basin Reserve yesterday, children from all the school standards, and children by the score who would not for years to come dream of school. Ono knew that in a way, dimly, this memorial service meant more to them even than to their parents. Most of them had not been alive when Edward VII came to the Throne, and few of the older ones had ever joined in singing "God Save the Queen." . It was fitting that a special service should bo held for tho children. And this service in the Basin Reserve was tho first of such services to bo held throughout the Empire on May 20. Tho dragging hours had not brought Thursday, May 19, to its close in London, before, under a blue sky, half-veiled with soft, grey-clouds, tho children of this over-seas Dominion gathered with as much solemnity as a large concourse of children could know, to celebrate the obsequies of the Empire's King, to raise tho first etrains of those hymns of mourning, that were to roll through English-speaking countries, and culminate hours later in tho solemn requiems chanted around the Royal bier at Windsor. . The children did their part bravely. They were not all of an age or disposition to bo impressed with the significance of the occasion, on the outskirts of the crowd there were even some who, regardless of the meaning of the gathering, played and laughed and chattered, but these were only a few, and the others, standing quietly fox' what to a child must have seemed a very long time, listened attentively to the hymns, and reading, and to the addresses, both of which wore short. Perhaps they did not know the first three hymns chosen: "When Our Heads Are Bowed With. Woo," and "Nearer My God to Thee" are not children's hymns, so few of them joined in, but "Abide With Me" is a hymn that children love; their voices rose clear in the last verses, and distinctly one heard the triumphant climax," sung by hundreds of childish .Again they found they could join in when sentence by sentence the Lord's Prayer was repeated, and gradually more and more joined in, till hundreds were Baying solemnly "Deliver us from evil, for Thine is the Kingdom and the power, and the glory for ever." One felt that perhaps this last prayer was to ■the children the heart of tho service.

How many children there wero no one knew exactly, but there were probably 600 cadets and 200 scouts, and probably 400,0 or 000 more boys and girls. Tho scouts and cadets surrounded the platform set out on the turf, and kept the long line from there to the fate, while all around, closely packed, wero tho children from the day schools and tho Sunday schools, and, beyond, tho hillside, and tho grandstand, and tho lovel back from the fenco, -wera crowded with grown-up peoplo, and still more children, the audience steadily. increasing, till thore were anything from 8000 to n>ooo peoplo present. Among those on tho platform were: Sir Joseph and Lady Ward, Dr. and Mrs. Findlay, tho Hon. T. and Mrs. Mackenzie, tho Hon. R. M'Keiizio, the Hon. George Fowlds, tho Honl C. M.Lukc, tho Mayor (Mr. Wilford), Mr. J. P. Luke, and representatives of different churches. The Mission Band, stationed in front of tho platform, accompanied all tho hymns. Mr. W. Hoplrirk, vice-president of tho Sunday School tfnion,' the Rev. A. Dewdney, tho Rev. Macdonald Aspland, and the Rov. P. J. Cossuin gave out tho hymns in order, and portions of tho burial service were read by the Rev. S. J- Serpcll and tho Rev. AV. Shirer. Mr. G. Flex delivered a brief ad-aa-fe text tie jiatomfiak.

published in tho daily press that King Edward had died in harness, and impressing on the children the supreme importance of earnest, faithful work. Mr. H. N. Holmes, secretary of the Y.M.C.A., eulogised tholate King, and told the children how, even ae they mourned, children, black, white, and yellow, in distant parts of the Empire were sharing in their sorrow for a groat King gone. No other English King had ever left so glorious and splendid a heritage, tho greatest Empire since the world began, at no time had the Throne of England been bo loved, so respected, and so enshrined in the hearts of the people as to-day. The King had nobly followed his mother, and perpetuated the ancient glories, the noblest traditions, and the dignity and purity of Victoria's reign bad continued with undimmed lustre.

Thore wore qualities in the King that made the people love him. His manliness made him a King among Kings, his personality made his throne tho greatest throne in Europe. He was kingly in sympathy, dignity, and courtesy. Mr. Holmes closed with a reference to the Mother Queen, the "saddest woman in the Empire." Afterwards Mr. Mathieson recited the Lord's Prayer, tho congregation joining in, and tbe benediction was; pronounced by the Rev, J. Gibson Smith. The funeral March, "A Garland of Flowers," was played by the Central Mission Band, and then the children quietly dispersed. ON H.M.S. PIONEER. Between 1 p.m. and 2 pjn. yesterday the crew of Jtt.M.S. Pioneer assembled on deck, and tho Rev. D. C. Bates, who attended at the invitation of tho officer commanding, read portion of the burial service. During the same hour

the Roman Catholic members of tho crew held service in another part of the ship. THE ARTILLERY SALUTE. On the heights, at Kelburue Park, tho four 15-poundor guns of the D Battery, of New Zealand Field Artillery pointed their brown muzzles across at Mount Victoria, their squads standing at attention waiting to add the final touch to the ceremonial. At '3.31 p.m. exactly—6B minutes before sunset —No. 1 gun thundered across the harbour the first of the 69 minute guns which were the artillerymen's tribute to the dead monarch. There was a fairly largo gathering of spectators at the park—it is not often that the 15-pound-ers speak so near the city, and the whole of the salute was watched with greatest interest. Then the drivers brought up the gun teams, hooked in, and tho battery rattled off to its quarters in Buckle Street. There was an excellent muster of the battery, there being 122 on parade. Major Petherick was in command. LOWER HUTT. There were about 300 people present at the memorial service,. hold on tho Recreation Ground at Lower Hntt, yesterday afternoon. Mr. Baldwin, Dep-uty-Mayor) opened tho proceedings with an appropriate speech. The order of service was as follows. —-Hymn, "Oh God Our Help"'; prayer, the Rev. B. F. Rothwell; Psalm xe, the Rev. Bow-den-Harris; hymn, "Days and Moments Quickly Flying"; Scripture reading (1 Cor., xv, 35-38), the Rev. J. Joneshymn, "Nearer My God, to'Thoo" ; address, tho Rev. J. M'Caw; hymn, "Abide with Me"; closing prayer and benediction, the Rev. J. Jones. PETONE. An impressive memorial service was held, at Potone yesterday. A procession was formed up at tlie station and marched to tho Recreation Ground, in tho following order: —Petone Fire Brigade, Potoue Band, Petono • Navals, School Cadets, Boy Scouts, Hutt and Petone Citizens' Band, and local friendly societies. Arriving on tho Recreation Ground (where some 2000 people had assembled). Tho singing was led by both bands and the massed choirs. Tho Rev. Mr. Thomson then offered a prayer, after which the Rev. T. A. Williams read Psalm xc. "Days and Moments Quickly Flying" was the next hymn, after which Adjutant Greene read from 2 Cor., 5). Prayer was offered by the Rev. H. Cottom, followed by tho hymn "Nea-ror My God to Thee." The Rov. J. D. Russell, in his address, said the hymn. "Nearer My-God to Thee," which they had just sung, would be sung by myriads of other voices, and true sympathy always must draw people nearer to God. Sir. Russell based his address on an acrostic on the word "King." His first point was the "kingliness of their departed Sovereign", he had been "every inch a King" in the best sense of the word. Thou he had set before him noble "ideals," and had lived up to them to a degree. Queen Victoria had resolved on her accession, "I will bo good"; Edward had set as his first ideal to follow his mothor's example.. His second ideal was to relievo sickness and suffering. His third great ideal was to do all in his power to promote' and maintain peace in tho world. Mr. Russell's third point was tho great "National value" of such a Sovereign. The Empire had lost its greatest diplomatist. The last point made by tho speaker was that King Edward had shown himself a true /'gentleman"; he had earned tho honoured title of "tho first gentleman of Europe." The closing hymn, "When tho Day of Toil is Done," was then sung, after which the Rov. H. H. Heron pronounced. the Benediction.