FROM NEW ZEALAND TO ST. PAUL'S

Evening Post, Volume XC, Issue 77, 29 September 1915, Page 11

FROM NEW ZEALAND TO ST. PAUL'S

- MEMORIES AND HOPES. Twelve tho_u6and miles away in New Zealand there is a slate-roofed, ivy-cov-ered college chapel, where, almost a year ago^ every seat in chancel and nave was occupied by pupils past or present "A Wounded New Zealander" in the London Times). The masters in iood and surplice, the choir-boys in their • black cassocks, filled the back benches, and"in front privates and officers sang for the last time the end of term hymn and listened to the farewell sermon. These men were on the eve of departure, volunteers going without question to succour a land most of them had never seen. " Then the scattering of all shadows, , And the end of toil and_ gloom." The notes echoed in the chapel rafters, and. from the lectern the hopeful words of the Benediction fell on the bended heads of the men. Not a year has elapsed, and many of those present that evening are lying in nameless graves among the dwarf oaks of GaUipoli. Yesterday, one of those who had passed through the Valley of the Shadow heard the words of the same hymn sung beneath the dome of Eng-. land's greatest Cathedral. • They awakened sad memories, but soon* the majesty of the scene and service, almost' oppressive in ceremonial grandeur,' filled mind, and eye. Personal loss and pain both were forgotten, _and, in their place, camo a sense of immeasurable pride and thankfulness, pride in being a citizen of so great an Empire, thankfulness for the steadfast courage of England iri her dark days. To many of these men from' overseas the magnificence and solemnity of the ceremony was overwhelming. *To them all the pageantry and panoply tnat pass almost unnoticed in a great Imperial city were strange. The intensity of their patriotism, the fervour of their loyalty, had been fostered by no such outward show. So it was that the splendour of the grand old church, the pealing organ, the angel-voices that soared to the misty roof, the gathering of the greatest in the Empire, formed never-to-be-forgotten impressions that will be handed down as heirlooms. Ignorant of Monarchy, the New Zealander looked almost reverently on the khalri-clad figure of him for whom he had fought, well content with the quiet dignity that gives such confidence. The National Anthem, which now means so much more than it did a year ago, was sung with thrilling fervour, and its t passionate fkitriotism and loyalty must have in some measure compensated for the anxieties and responsibilities that beset a Throne. Midway thi'ough the service, as the Archbishop's fervent prayer arose, a ray of sunlight flooded the 'gloom, striking into sudden brightness the ring on his lifted hand. A whisper of good omen was heard as the shadows fled before the sunbeams. God grant that it may be co, and that before long Prince and people may again meet in thanksgiving for a peace which, when we had it, we did not value. Never have the ties of Empire been so close. They, are cemented with the life-blood of the Colonies, and so the King rules> over an undivided dominion — God save the King ! ADD WAI-EONGOA TO YOUR . WHISKY AND IMPROVE IT. It blends beautifully with spirits. It lightens and brightens them, adds flavour, oparkle, life. Wai-Rongoa Natural Mineral Water acts upon kidneys, purifies blood, expek uric »cid. Taken solely before breakfast or at meal times, it is enjoyable, hcalthiul. Clubs, hotels, stores, chemiste. — Advt.