WORDS OF FAREWELL.

Gisborne Times, Volume LXV, Issue 10392, 9 May 1927, Page 8 (Supplement)

WORDS OF FAREWELL.

DEMISE OF BISHOP V.*. WILLIAMS. grief of poverty bay NATIVES. • ■either of poverty bay TRIBES.’-’ No more sorrowful gatiirimg "'as ever held in Poverty Bay than that at Raukalnkatea. at the home of Archdeacon B. Williams, wiiea the • Natives of Poverty Bay to. v. moled to express their grief at t.:e ueath of Bishop Y\ • Williams, vrim. in the course of the addresses. » ic-ierred - to as -‘The Father o. the Poverty Day tribes."’ Varied and generous were me tributes paid to the late Bishop. The hoys and the girls whom he had taught came with their eiuers to join in the weeping. It was especially stressed that he had alwav» wen kind to the old people oi tue takes.. Although the Bishop had cti.-u at Napier. the Natives here saia they could not hold their grief I rent his soil: it must lie allowed to Uirst mrtU to him. They wept aloud in ence of the Europeans and s.Vru ‘imj did not feel ashamed to Icy their sorrow he seen by them. Men. women and children svept piteously. When the weeping had pintly ceased, Archdeacon \\ illiams stood up and said: — “I will speak to you concerning your own custom oi weeping for tiie death and will say: ‘come. 0 come, sous and daughters (those who were taught by the late Bishop) and weep for our father. He has gone to the true home. His Saviour, Christ, has called him to Himself. And he is now sitt.ng in the presence of Ins Lord and saviour, where he is uniting to greet us on our arrival there. It is rightthat we should show our sorrow for him, but our sorrow should urge us to go to Christ and obey his Commands. Our sorrow should lead us to obey the Gospel as preached to us by him. Ho will not come back to us; we shall go tohim.’

Bishop Stuart also addressed tue gathering, urging one and a!', to live up to the principles of the True Faith. . Rutenc Ahnnukn AiiJ it was good that they should weep as the k.suop had been a father to them ah. Tamibana asked Bishop Stuart to send a European minister to n iS tribe. ... , Ha mi Mataora said: “iou say the Bishop died a happy death: then IVO shall not feel sorrow on Ins accountas be is now in the borne of quiet amt peace. Wc may weep toy him m respect to the death of his body, out we shall not weep for his soul, as it is now at rest with God. But we can follow his teaching and t-y to act in the way lie taught us. If wo no then such acts cn our part will shov our love and remembrance of nun. They sadly needed a minister to help them.'’ .!L Anaru iMatete said: “Go. 0, father: go on the road you so mtfy know. Tt is the road that is tail or light, H', our father, brought tue Word of God to all these parts, bo let him rest. _ Hirini Te Kani and Paora Rate wore too. grieved to rise and acid their personal tributes.