LAID AT REST

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 15 May 1925, Page 5

LAID AT REST

(By Telegraph—Special to the Star). WELLINGTON, May 14. Heavy clouds hung over the capital city to-day, a fitting pall for the late leader of the country, who, with all the impressiveness-of ceremonial, was laid to rest in a gun pit of the fort on Point Halswell. The amplitude and smoothness of all official arrangements gave the sad ceremony a complete dignity, but it was in the great mass of silent, bareheaded spectators, through which the cortege passed for several miles, that one found testimony to the public sorrow and respect. The long queue of the public desiring to pass through the vestibule where Mr Massey’s body lay in state was maintained throughout the morning, and actually increased in extent during some heavy rain, showing that it was something stronger than curiosity which had brought this silent procession nation’s legislative chamber. MAORI LAMENT. At noon the queue of people had perforce to end. and the silence of the darkened vestibule was dramatically broken by the loud tones of a Maori lament.for the dead. Along a corridor came a party of representative Maoris, headed by Mita Taupopoki (of Rotorua), representing the Arawas; Tamaiwhitia Rawiri (of Thames), and' Rere Nicholson (representing the Ngati Ruakawa tribe.. On one side stood the Ministers of the Crown, and on the other side of the vestibule were-.gath-ered in silent reverence members of the legislature. Mita Taupopoki wore the rich mats of a chieftain, and carried the taiaha. Standing for a moment with bowed head, as statuesque as the soldiers and sailors -who formed the guard around the bier, the aged Maori then proceeded to utter in thrilling tones, which rang out startinglv, an ancient lament for the dead, which was only used for chieftains of the highest rank, a'nd which was slightly adapted for this occasion: “Ye sons departed Prime Minister (referring to Sir Maui Pomare and Mr Coates), we greet you who remain. Great is the grief of the Maori race on this day because of the old man who lies here. His noble works for the/’Maori and.pakeha alike will ever remain. Farewell, O greatest of Prime Ministers, in love, in action, in law-making and in all the attributes which make a great man. Farewell! Farewell! Farewell!” These were the opening sentences of a long oration, during which Mita Taupopoki occasionally paused, bending with closed eyes over his taiaha, then straightening himself like a. soldier to continue his eloquent eulogy of the dead chief, ending with sorrowful regret that his spirit had. departed from mortal sphere. Finally the orator took from his shoulders two beautiful Maori cloaks, which he handed to Sir Maui Pomare and Mr Coates, Native Minister, to be placed on the casket. Rere Nicholson joined in the farewell, and the Maoris, with wailing and tears, showed their great grief at the loss of a. leader who was also a friend. They quietly gave place to Europeans, and the burial service was commenced on the. steps of Parliament Buildings, where members of the Ministry, legislators and ex-members, representatives of the King, and the official services stood facing a great concourse. There were four ex-Prime Ministers in the official group—Sir Robert Stout, Sir Joseph Ward; Sir Edwin Mitehelson, and Sir Wm. Hall-Tones. IMPRESSIVE SERVICE.

The beautiful opening passages of the burial service were clearly read by the Moderator of the Presbyterian General Assembly, Rev. George Miller, who'followed with an eloquent tribute to the departed Prime Minister. His theme was not of sorrow, but of the Christian faith in life immortal. “He whose body we arc to lay in the grave to-day is not dead. H** is alive. He has ieft the land of dying and has entered into the land of the living. The late Prime Minister had a good upbringing: he was taught to reverence God and His Word, and that means a very great deal in any man’s life. Impressions were made upon his heart that never left him. The reverend way in which he quoted the Scriptures revealed his familiarity with the pages of Holy Writ. We do not sorrow today as those who have no hope; we believe that he rested upon the everlasting arms of God; that is, by faith die grasped, the unfailing hand of Christ, and that. by the saving power of the Son of God he has been lifted up into the heavenly places. We do not then

LAST SAD SCENES. FUNERAL OF Rt. HON. W. F. MASSEY. TRIBUTES TO HIS MEMORY. NEW ZEALAND SAYS FAREWELL. \ TO BELOVED LEADER. Thousands of New Zealanders paid their last silent tribute to their great leader yesterday, when the mortal remains of their beloved Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. W. F. Massey, were conveyed from Parliament Buildings to their last resting place on Point Halswell at Wellington. The day broke dull and showery, and by 10 o’clock heavy rain was falling. Throughout the morning messengers carrying floral tributes wended their way to Parliament House. There were an enormous number of wreaths, the floral testimony to the memory of the dead Prime Minister being magnificent. Despite the rain, many hundreds passed by the catafalque in the morning to pay their last respects to the dead. Ail shops and business places closed, and the whole city was in mourning for the dead. It was a day when even the heavens wept. The clouds hung over the city as a pall as the great leader of New Zealand was borne from the scene of his life’s labour. The heavy rain of the forenoon by midday had given place to calm, and the busy, bustling city had suddenly become quiet with the shuttered silence of a Sabbath morning, broken only by the sound of people moving quietly towards Parliament House.

think of him as dead; he is not- dead, but alive for evermore. There is no death. What seems so is transition. This life of the mortal breath Is but the suburb of the life elysiau, Whose portal we call death. FAITHFUL PUBLIC SERVICE.

“The whole of the Dominion,” continued the Moderator, mourns to-day the loss of a great statesman wholoved the land of his adoption, who laboured assiduously and devotedly for her good, who, for over thirty years, gave to this Dominion faithful public service, /and for thirteen years used those splendid gifts of leadership with which God endowed him for the advancement of the Dominions and the honour and prestige of y the Empire. His has done a noble service; no man has done greater. He was steadfast and courageous; he had strength of character and nobleness of spirit; he bore through all his political life a-n unsullied record; he was thoroughly honest and loyal to his convictions; he was faithful to his friends, generous to his lues. A courageous fighter, he had unswerving determination, and yet with all was generous and tolerant. The Dominion owes him a. debt of gratitude which it is impossible to repay. He came to the end of a long and honourable career with unsullied chaaretei I ', with an honour and glory of which any man might be justly proud.” A prayer by the Rev. J. GibsonSmith ended this portion of the so'emn service. Ministers and mourners reentered the vestible, and presently, to the strains of the Dead March in .Saul, the funeral procession emerged. Naval men bore the casket down the steps, the colleagues of the dead Prime Minister forming an escort. Punctually at one o’clock the cortege commenced slowly to move away. The vain had cleared, though the weather conditions fitted Avell with the mood of the great assembly. Veterans of the South African and European wars formed up on either side of the route in the. Parliament grounds, and walked with the ororesison of motors as it reached them. In this wav they provided through the principal streets of the citv a fitting guard of honour for one who was so proud of New Zealand’s manhood. At Courtnev Place the veterans stood to attention wlii’e the remainder of the cortege passed them. MILES OF SPECTATORS.

Those who participated in the funeral must have numbered over a thousand, while it was estimated that over thirty thousand members of the public lined the route, showing a decorum and respect which constituted the finest of t <» tributes to the dead leader. There seemed no diminution in the mass of the crowd until the procession had covered II miles. Then it thinned out, oulv to he renewed in populous Newtown. whe"e another mile of spectators naid their respectful tribute. Seven bands were stationed along the route taken by the cortege. First the mourners heard the strains of the “Dead March in Saul”; on Lambton Quay wa« a band playing “The Garland of Flowers,” and the Post Office clock hell tolled once each minute, for the 69 years of the late Prime Minister’s life: a pipe band at the entrance to Government House p’ayed a Highland lament. THE GRAVESIDE REACHED. Surmounting Constable Street hill, the piocession was able to increase its pace,’ a necessary plan, because Point Halswell lay three miles ahead. Evans Ray, a deep indentation of Wellington harbour, runs o n the western side of the ridge which terminates in Point Hale well. The route of the piocession lay along a military rpad which fringes this bank, and here came a unique escort ro|- the cortege; crowded ferry steamers and launches slowly kept pace, proceeding head on against a choppy sea of leaden hue. When within ha if a mile of the point, the hearse and leading cars in the cortege left the main route to climb the ridge. This brought them high above the plateau overlooking the point. A road had been constructed amid the folds of the hills, dropping several hundred feet to the level of the grave site. The main body of mourners took a shorter route from the beach to the plateau, and there awaited the arrival of the gun carriage bearing the casket. It was first drawn by a party of twentythree non-commissioned officers of tli9 Royal New Zealand Artillery and the New Zealand Permanent Staff. The pall-bearers followed behind. This section of the route was traversed at a slow march and took nearly half an hour. The watchers at the grave saw the sad procession o n the top of the ridge, and saw it disappear behind a knoll on the promontory. The band’s instruments were visible, but no sound

could be heard except the break of the waves on the cliffs below the fort. Then just before three o’clock the sad procession drew near, anti a naval detachment relieved their military colleagues, hearing the casket to the grave. Their task completed, a military band commenced to play sweetly, and in subdued tones, the late Prime Minister’s favourite hymn, “Nearer My God to Thee.” The moment was poignant. The surroundings were solemnly appropriate—a dense circle of the relatives of the dead leader; his old political friends and opponents paying a sincere tribute to his memory; the sympathy of the spectators in large groups on the hillside for a mile around, and crowded vessels lying off the Point. THE LAST SCENE.

The final passages of the burial service were heard from the Moderator and from the Rev) M. Gib-son-Smith, aiql the casket was reverently lowered into the gun nit and a bugler took his stand at the head of the grave. The clear notes of the

“Last Post” sounded out over the harbour; the bugler came swiftly to atten. tion, and the simple ceremony ended on this impressive note. A brief pause enabled members of the Masonic fraternity to reach the graveside and participate in the Masonic ritual over their departed Grand Master. The Rev. Bro. IV. Shirer, and Bro. Oliver Nicholson, of Auckland, were the leading, participants in the ceremony, the final act of which was the throwing of acacia branches upon the casket, wdiile the Masons with uplifted hands commended the soul of their departed brother to Him who gave it. '

ARRANGEMENTS PASS WITHOUT HITCH.

ELOQUENT MAORI CEREMONY

WELLINGTON, May 15.

Airnngements for yesterday’s funeral passed off without hitch throughout, despite the jength of the procession, which Included about three hundred motor-ears and eight large- lorries laden with floral tributes. A great amount of organiastion was needed to handle the traffic and the allocation of cars to respective interests represented, especially in view of the heavy rain immediate'y preceding the start.

It was estimated that fully seventy thousand Deople viewed the procession on the way to Point Halswell. It certainly .seemed as if three-quarters of Wellington’s population were jii the streets. All were most reverent in their mein, and there was an entire absence of untoward incident. Ambulances were placed at intervals along the route, but their services were fortunately not required The Maori farewell ceremony in Parliament Buildings prior to the beginning of the pakelia rites, was generally conceded by those privileged to be present to be the most impressive part of the whole proceedings. Wonderful eloquence. clothed in the beautiful words of the Native poetic mind, throwing all t.he white man’s orations into the shade of cold formality by contrast. The chiefs breathed love and reverence for the white chief who-had gone to his rest, and thankfulness for the benefits the native race had reaped through his labours.

The Loyal Kanonga Lodge, 1.0.0. F., M.U., are holding a memorial service at the Methodist Church, Kanonga, on Sunday next at 7.m., and request all members and visiting members to attend.