ARMISTICE DAY

Greymouth Evening Star, 10 November 1923, Page 3

ARMISTICE DAY

LOCAL OBSERVANCES. In common with the rest of the Do minion and the Empire generally Greymouth will to-morrow carry ou the formal observance of the fifth an niversary of Armistice. Day. Largely this observance, as befits its fallin; on the Sabbath, will be of a religion nature, but the civic side is not for gotten. When the hour of elevei strikes, bells will toll throughout th town, and the Mayor (Mr W. H. Par fitt) enjoins every citizen to carry ou the wishes of the Government and ob serve two. minutes.’ complete silence. To-morrow will be the first Armis tice Day anniversary on which th Cenotaph is available as the centre o the public’s debt of commemoration and the opportunity will be taken b; the Mayoress (Mrs W. H. Parfitt) t place, on behalf of the citizens o Greymouth, a wreath at the foot of th memorial. On behalf of the retufnei soldiers of Greymouth, the Presiden of the R.S.A. (Mr A. H. McKane will also place a wreath there. Thi will complete the public observance. All the churches have made arrange ments for the due observance of th< occasion. / The chief celebration o Mass at £>t. Patrick’s Church is at 1( o’clock so that the silence will be ob served at the termination of the Hob Sacrifice, which will be about 1! o’clock. Other churches will begii their chief morning services at 10.45 fifteen minutes earlier than usual. POEM BY RUDYARD KIPLING. (Australian and N.Z. Cabla Association. LONDON, November 8. Mr Rudyard Kipling has handei the Australian Press Association th following poem, written for the Ceno taph ceremonial on Armistice Day. I comprises seven verses, of four line each, the eighth verse having fiv lines. The second line is exactly tin same in all the verses. The title ( is “LONDON .STONE.’’ When you come to London town, [Grieving!—Grieving I] Bring your flowers and lay them down, At the place of grieving. I When you come to London stone, [Grieving I —Grieving I] Bow your head and mourn your own With the others grieving. For those minutes let it wake—[Grieving ! —Grieving !J All the empty heart and ache' That isn’t cured by grieving. For those minutes, tell no lie: — [Grieving!—-Grieving !] “Grave, this is thy victory: And the sting of death is grieving. Where’s our help from earth or Heaven [Grieving!—Grieving!] To comfort us for what we’ve given, And only gained the grieving? Heaven’s too far, and earth too near, [Grieving!—Grieving !J But our neighbour’s standing here Grieving as we’re grieving. What’s this burden every day? [Grieving!—Grieving !] Nothing mine can count or weigh, But loss and love’s own grieving.

What’s the tie betwixt us two, [Grieving'; —Grieving!] That must last our whole life through. “As I suffer so do you.” That may ease the grieving. —RUDYARD KIPLING. [Copyright, 1923, by Rudyard Kipling in the U.S.A.]