"PASS, ENGLISHMEN"

Evening Post, Volume XCIII, Issue 49, 26 February 1917, Page 2

"PASS, ENGLISHMEN"

THEIR DUTY DONE

IMPRESSIVE MEMORIAL SERVICE

Fully IQOO people attended- a patriotic service held in Wesley Church, Tara-naki-street, yesterday afternoon in me-, mory of New Zealand's fallen soldiers. It was conducted by the President of the Methodist Conference (Rev. F. W. Sinclair), who was assisted by the chaplains of the forces. The servi.ee was avery impressive one.

A stirring address was delivered by the Rev. P. W. Fairclough, who opened by stating that we must recognise war to be a grim fact in human nature. "Wherever you open •history, or dig in the ruins of Empires, or study the blend of races, or trace frontiers on a map," he said, "you come against the great grim cold fact of war. Not a rood of ground but' the ultimate title deed is writ with the sword;- not a throne stands, not a law runs, not a liberty issecure but for force somewhere.' 1 We had almost forgotten that. Looking the facts in the fact, it was quite plain that no nation held so much of the spoils of ■ war as we did. However, he personally regarded the British Empire as containing the promise and potency of' the Kingdom of God in a greater degree than any other political organisation that ever existed. He considered that it was the greatest trust ever reposed in man, and that not to defend it would be treason, to God and the human race; treason to the past and treason to the future—and we very narrowly escaped it. The people allowed their wish 'to be the father of their- thoughts. They stqnod Roberts and put tfjeir trust in Haldane. '■ "WE DO NOT REGRET." " Most gladly would we have averted this world calamity," continued Mr. Fairclough, " but seeing that we had to do or die we do not regret f,h e decision that was taken. , Indeed, \l passed some days! in an agony of suspense lest we should not"do our duty, to the world. But even our most pacific Government,; that rose, to power on the protest against the Boer War, could do no other than they did, and we entered on.: the red. way of sorrows. It has proved longer and redder than we thought possible, but we do not regret." We did not regret because ■we had played pur part with honour; because we had borne misfortunes and sorrows with fortitude and courages worthy of our fathers.; because war had unified our Empire as nothing else would have done. Finally, we did not regret even on account of our heroic dead—though God knew our hearts had ached. Were some afraid for the immortal spirits of those who fell in battle for the right? Was not the core of our religion self- | sacrifice? "If I understand what selfsacrifice is (concluded Mr. Fairclough); these men show it to the full. If I understand, what it is to deny one's self and to take up the bitter cross, then these our brethren have done it! If I understand the meaning of the Redeemer of men when He spoke of that greatest j lpye wh,iph leads a man to lfiy down his life for his. friends, then I bear up before Him my friends who have died for you. I have read of a- dying hero who, in his last mpments, seemed to hear the sentinel's challenge, ' Who goes there?' for he raised himself and cried, 'An Englishman who has done his duty.' , I do heartily believe that'when he answered tho like challenge at the ga.te beyond, the reply would be. ' Pn.ss, Englishman, who lias done his duty.' "