STRIKING EULOGY

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 110, 3 February 1930, Page 11

STRIKING EULOGY

LATE MR. N. E. BURTON Dominion Special Service. Aueidand, February 1. A striking tribute to the life and work of the late Mr. Norman E. Burton was paid by Archbishop Averill at the service in St. George's Church, Epsom, which preceded the burial at Purewa Cemetery. “The church on earth has lost a faithful, a noble and in many senses a unique son in Norman Burton,” the Archbishop said. “His success in his profession as a journalist was due to his own ability, to the depth of his reading and study and to his real broad-mindedness, his being able to see all round a question also. When it was necessary to engage in controversial matters the greatness of Norman Burton was shown; in fact he was never known to hit below the belt. He had definite opinions and he was never afraid to express them, but he was never known to do anything ungenerous. His strength as a Christian journalist lay in the fact that he was deeply read in theological ht®™" ture. Many of us envied the depth or bis knowledge on theological questions. Me know what he did for this diocese as editor of the ‘Church Gazette.’ _ He raised it to a standard that made it almost a model for such papers in the southern hemisphere. As a member of the Church he put his great gifts and powers at the disposal of the Church. All of us who knew him have been struck with the wonderful pluck with which he stuck to Church work in spite of physical disability. Perhaps the greatest thing in his life was the wonderfully calm resignation with which he faced his end. He placed himself in the hands of God, perfectly happy and contented.” His Grace expressed to the bereaved wife and relatives very sincere sympathy in their loss and thankfulness to God for the privilege it had been to know and work with Mr. Burton for many years past. In conclusion, the speaker said: “A great standard-bearer of the Church has fallen, but his ideals will live. I do not think there is any prayer I’ should like to offer more than this: ‘Grant that my last end be like his.’ ”