'DECLARATION DAY'

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2533, 6 August 1915, Page 5

'DECLARATION DAY'

WAR ANNIVERSARY SERVICE ■ ; AT ST. PAUL'S A MEMORABLE SCENE " QUIT YOU LIKE MEN" 'By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright . London, August 4. Crowds gathered at St. Paul's for tho * Intercessory Service. At 8 o'clock the thoroughfares were barricaded by the police, assisted by hundreds of special . constables.' Crowds also gathered at Buckingham X'aiace. - At 10 o'clock the King, dressed in khaki, in the uniform of a FieldMarshal, aiid other Royal persons, wero greeted with an immeoise cheer, the crowd waving hats and handkerchiefs. The King drove in an Open carriage, preceded by a single galloping constable. Six thousand people wore admitted to tho nave,'the Royal party being seated under tho dome. ■ Thousands of people remained in tho streets during the service', ® despite showers, of rain, and joined :iii the National 'Anthem, which concluded the service. The Stock Exchange suspended business at noon, aud'sang the National Anthem. A Simple Service. " . • The keynote of the intercessory service at St. Paul's was simplicity. Thero was no procession. The King walked from the north door betweeii the Bishop ' and the Dean to a seat in the centre '. transept. Queens Mary and Alexandra ■ and tho princesses followed; then came the rest of the clergy. .The congregation included the Grand, Duke Michael of Russia, Their Royal Highnesses the Duchesses of Fifo and Albany, Lord Kitchener, numerous generals and. officers iii khaki, Cabinet High Commissioners for the Dominions, Aus- "> tralian Agents-General, and Sir Robert Borden (Canadian Premier). Most of tho, ladies wore dark dresses. A touching sight was tho'numerous wounded men, some in blue hospital ■ STiits, others iii 1 khaki, mostly with heads, amis, or legs bandaged. There were numerous nurses in attendance in. the Cathedral. ■Thousands of the public were turned away. Queues were formed oarly in the morning. The Primate's Address. The Archbishop of Canterbury took for- his text the 16th chapter of the Ist Epistle to the Corinthians, 13th verse: "Watch ye, stand fast'in the faith, .quit you like men, ,be strong."' He . >said:_ '.'To the men and women of the Empire has come the trust of bearing a_ part in a conflict, on - an absolutely gigantic scale. Every month adds a proof that we judged right a- year ago, when, after exhausting every effort we could honourably, make' to avert a; coufiict. wo unsheathed the,.sword .in ~ a cause which we can witlr a "clear, con-. '. - sciencevcommend to' God. ; -It remains ' for us to put into, the -furtherance ofthe right every ounce of strength and tho .hardest perseveranco'that ,we can muster and sustain. 'Theworld's wellbeing in. the centuries unborn may,tiirn upon our righj/.use'.of this momentous.' decisive hour." His ■ Grace, exhorted tho nation to hold and use .what .man-, hood stands .for. _ "The women of tho .. Empire are contributing service which the manhood cannot rival. We acclaim with grateful confidence and high hope the buoyaut gallantry of those whom we should have called quite ordinary who. have passed straight from the J ' paths of, common life to»mail ■ P.' with "dauntless courage".'an Aegean precipice or a shell-swept trench, offering their .lives with simplicity; even ''with gladness for the country's cause." The; Archbishop quoted the words . "Greater love hath 110 man than this, that lie lay down his life fcir his friend," •'arid proceeded: "Since wo have set our hands to this fearful task, we have learned much, we have giveii oiir very best and. bravest, and before God we believe it to be worth while. We now realise better than we did last August our country's claim on us all. Please .... 1 God. no man or woman here is going t<j ■ leave it unanswered or! unfulfilled." Enormous crowds accorded an ovation to the .King and the other Royal • personages as they were leaving the Cathedral, and cheered the wounded soldiers—especially the Australians, New Zealanders, and Canadians—as they drove away in motor-cars. PATRIOTIC DEMONSTRATIONS ' , SPEECHES BY POLITICAL .'. LEADERS STIRRING ORATION BY MR. BALFOUR By Telegraph-Press' Association-Copyright (Rcc. August 5,. 10.55 p.ni.) . . London, August 4. Patriotic demonstrations were held throughout the Kingdom. Dover initiated a . "self-denial day." and hundreds ' went to tho Town Hall and gave jewels and money , for the Red Cross. • A Cri- ■ mean veteran gavo his war medal. One thousand troops paraded in Victoria Square, Birmingham, where ' the Bishop conducted a drumhead service. Recruiting parades were held at Glasgow, Chatham, and elsewhere.. One hundred thousand people attended the Town Hall Square at Portsmouth, and carried a resolution to fight on to victory. .. _ ; The Hon. B._ R. Wise, at a meeting ■ '-of;the Australian Natives' Association, said that the Empire would not be the same after the war. The Dominions and India.had fouglit.sido by sido with' ? Britons, thus forging links of Imperial union which would never bo broken. ■'.'.Little Australianism, which was the product of intense local'patriotism, and was never very strong, is as dead as Little Englandism., A Ringing Challenge,. The Marquis of Crewe presided, at a great gathering at the Opera House, Kingsway, the Primate, many Peers, and members of the House of Commons, and diplomatists being prosent. The New Zealand Higli Commissioner. (Mr. T. Mackenzie) was-amongst the number. '■Mr. Balfour (First Lord of. the Admiralty) said: "The resolve of tho nation to pursue this great controversy to the end. is stronger than over. Our confidence in the ultimate' issue 'is even surer than in_ tho earlier days. Despite all his painstaking ability, there is Bo miscalculation that tho enemy has not made except regarding tlio value of ammunition and great guns." Mr. Bonar Law (Minister for the Colonies), addressing <1 great meeting at Folkestone said: "My hop© and prayer is that the result of the war will make it impossible for one man, or group of men, ever - again to plunge tho world 1 into war." Aftor a glowing tribute t<i - the Australians and New. Zealanders. the speaker said: "When the time comes for the peaco negotiations, the Dominion Governments will have a say in the negotiations." Ho believed l that as x result of the war the time would come,, and come soon, when the wholo of the .self-governing Dominions, in proportion to their populations and resources, ■ would take a part in the duties and honour of governing the British Empire. Mr. Bonar Law added that'it was un--1 fair to suggest that Britain was playing at war. If ho could only stato the number of men they bad in training, the figure would delight their, friends . and. surprise their enemies.

Mr. Balfour continued: "Therein the Germans were more right than their opponents. But their diplomacy was wrong, their calculation of-tho forces, opposed to tlicm was wrong. Everything was based' 011 a first knock-out blow wliicli liad been prepared for relatively unequipped and unprepared enemies. The Germans were coniplotely wrong in b°lit>ving that the clan of tho French soldiery had been dimmed by tho memory of their 1870 defeats.. 'An onciny which miscalculated for a- year may miscalculate until the end of the war. . "Tliero is no spectacle more moving to generous spectators than that presented by the contest between men and munitions which is now going on 111 Ea6t Europe. Wns there evor greater heroism shown, or power of resistance moro splendidly exhibited. Wo can look forward with supremo confidence to the time when the artificial mechanical inequalities between Russia and Austrd(Jormany will be swept away, and the moment of final triumph reached. Britain's Part. . Regarding Britain's part, I look back to a few hours before the declaration of war, when it huug iii the balaiico whether Britain would join those, to whom she was bound, not by treaty, but by friendship, in supporting the common rights of humanity. Tho world watched in doubtful fear, .but the right decision was made. You will search the records of 'history in vain to find a more critical decision regarding , this future of humanity. I believe that tho decision of the British Government saved civilisation. Without tho British Navy I do not believe the struggle could have been possible for our Allies'. Britain nevpr profesGed to have a great' standing Army; and her Allies gladly accepted the help of our 160,000 men.: Yet our casualties to our gallant men are already thrice the original force. What has been done is only a. part of what we are going to do. Ave have not yet shot our bolt or put forth our full strength. We, \ who are immemorial champions of freedom, knew oilrselves that we were engaged in a sacred cause'. '. ; Sir. Balfour then moved .the 1 resolution that the people of London record their inflexible determination to continue the struggle to a victorious end.Sir : Robert Borden (Canadian Premier), in seconding the motion, said: '.'The Empire is better worth dying for than it was. a year ago." Tho Marquis of Crewe applauded, detailing the services of the in Flanders, and the' Australians' and New. Zealanders in the Dardanelles. \ .

OTHER SERVICES IN THE COUNTRY . CONTINUOUS TIME-TABLE , OF PRAYERS London, August 4. Services were held at ■ hundreds; of places, of worship. There was' a continuous time-table of prayers at many of the churches during, the entire day. . Public meetings wero held in the afternoon and evening. Tlie Arclibishop of York' • (Most Rev. Cosmo Gordon Lang), preaching at Hull)' said. ,that the Government ought to, take'eourage' and test: the - people's real' strength and capacity for. sacrifice. There were still thousands miserably shirking and ready to sell their , birthright for a mess of pottage. IMPRESSIVE SERVICES IN INDIA. Simla, August 4. There were impressive anniversary services throughout India, invoking tho aid of God to prosper the efforts of outforces. - . Maiiy meetings organised by, Indians recorded an inflexible resolve to continue the struggle to a victorious eiid. TRIBUTE TO BRITAIN FROM LEADING FOREIGN STATESMEN *; London, 'August, 4. : Leading foreign statesmen have telegraphed to London newspapers tributes to Britain's share iu tho war. - -- Mi SazonofE (Russian Foreign Minister), in a message, states:—"We admire the way the British Empire has responded to their country's call. Russians have been impressed by the tremendous power of the British Navy, so remarkably exemplified in the complete effacsment of the enemy's ifleet;" M. Picliou (the French statesman) states tbat the British Army has added a million men to the French,-apart from the British Fleet securing the freedom of tho seas. ANNIVERSARY FOUNDED ON THE "ENTENTE CORDIAL'S." ("Times" and Sydney "Sun" Services.) (Rec. August 5, 5.20 p.m.) London, August. 4. ' The "Times" correspondent says that Franco lias taken practical steps in the celebration of an anniversary "founded on the Entente Cordiale." A somtnittee, with M. Boutreux as, president, and many distinguished members, lias issued a manifesto outlining its intention to collaborate and .supplement FrancoBritish material and moral development. THE KAISER'S MANIFESTO . A BOMBAST THAT FELL FLAT. ("Times" and Sydney "Sun" Services.) London, August 4. Danish papers . assort ,that the Kaiser's speech has fallen rather flat. The "Vorwaerts" sa^'s:— I "The war is terrible. All the parties-are so strong that there is no question of tho destruction 1 of any of them. Everybody should try to got an early peace." WAR ANNIVERSARY DAY IN AUSTRALIA ' THE IMPERIAL RESOLVE. Sydney, August 5. An Anniversary Day mass meeting .at the Town Hall passed' a' resolution expressing inflexible determination to carry tlio war to a successful issue. Tho same' resolution was carried in all the other States. (Rec. Agust 5, 10 p.m.) Sydney, August 5. Enthusiastic demonstrations took place throughout the Commonwealth lii celebration of the anniversary of the declaration of war. Orators held possession of tho streots and halls, pushing the recruiting campaign with excelcont results. In New South Wales, at ten o'clock, work stopped, and trains and tramß were held up for five minutes, whidh were dovoted to the singing of the National Anthem and other patriotic acts. ■ GREAT GATHERING AT SUVA. Suva, 'August 4. There was a record gathering at the Town Hall. Suva, to-day, when tlio anniversary "Declaration" motion was carried. His Excellency tho Governor was present, aud the .speakers included the Hon. Mr. Scott, tho president of tlie Chambor of Commerce, tho Hon. Mr. Marks, Hon. Mr. Hedstrom, and the Bishop of Polynesia. It was an enthusiastic meeting. COTTON AS CONTRABAND By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright London, August 4. Tho Manchester City Council lias passed a resolution calling upon the Government to declare cotton contraband. 1