ANZAC ANNIVERSARY.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 29 April 1919, Page 1

ANZAC ANNIVERSARY.

LEVIN'S COMMKMOUATIOX. The very short notice {jiv-eii liv the (iovernmen.t of it.s intentions repaid itifi Anzao Day did not allow of any ex-t:>i:-iivt- celebrations locally. A public holiday un.s observed an<f in tlie evetii»i£ ii service wliicli partook of a reiiHifl'iis nature. was hold in the Cent 11 rv Hall. There was a fathering of about 200 per.-oiis. whb entered into .tilt l spirit of 'tiu lii'toric day and listened attentively to tIT.' thoughtful address delivered by the Uev. J. H. Haslam and the racy reminiscences »)f T)r. A. K. Xewman, .\f.l'. The .Mayor (Mr Chas. lilenkhorn) presided, and the Rev. Hawden Harris and Adjutant- Baylis assisted in the devotional exercises. -Mr J. AV. Gibson presided at the organ.

111 the course of his opening remarks the Mayor pointed out hat Anznc Day had ra tiler widened in its character and had now become Soldiers' Day. This year it had, an added significance in that ivo are standing 1011 the threshhokl of what all hoped woiiM be a just and lasting peace .thus realising that the sacrifices and hardships endured by our brave inen had ndt been in vain.

Rev. J. H. Haslain. in the course of his remarks, said 110 would be an ungrateful people if ever in the days of our peace, we forgot what we owed to the men who had secured, for us .so great a victory. ' Living and dead, we owe them a great debt--so great that it is difficult 1W us to estimate it,s greatness. M'e at least know this that it is only through tli-eir efforts and sacrifices that the flag of freedom waves over us." (Speaking of the exploits of the Anzacs Mr Haslain pointed out that we now saw things in a truer perspective. There had been a tendency at one time to extol the Anzacs a-s the greatest heroes of all time. Hut 'the Anzacs themselves had helped us 'to a truer view of tilings. It was they who had pointed to the glorious work of the Twenty .Ninth Division (applause), and it was the Anzacs also who wore the lirst to adniiit that the supreme limit of courage and endurance was not reached 011 Gallipoli, but that their powers wd'o put to a greater test 011 the fields of l'"ran<-e and Belgium. Air Haslam then touched 011 the lessons of the war. In the first place the 'Hun fiction of the degeneracy of the British race had been exploded. Then, the view of the German war writers that an occasional war was necessary to clean up social evils and generally tone up the world had been sadly shattered. While admitting! that a great deal of good had already come out of the iwar, the speaker argued that the British people at least had reached before the war that stage of common sense which held that war for its own sake was a ghastly mistake, and .it had therefore not to find that the effect of war on humanity had been profoundly disturbing. As a regenerating agency war had been a dismal failure. It had to he admitted that the war had an unsettling effect on the soldiers themselves, and 011 (Society generally. 51 r Haslam/urged patience and tact in dealing with the soldiers 011 their return, remembering the abnormal conditions uncVr which they had lived. The menace of Bolshevism was another outcome of the. war and while the speaker had every confidence in tlie future of the human lace, ho pointed out that before the great aim of the Divine Mind is realised the .experience through which races have to pass is sometimes very severe, and it was possible that equilibrium would only be restored after much suffering. Concluding it Ire speaker expressed the* hope that 'the lVace Conference would roach satisfactory conclusions and, that the League of Nations would bo able to give effect to the Conference's decisions. "There is a Scripture which says: 'Through much tribulation one enters the Kingdom of God.' and it would seem that h rough much 'tribulation our seem that through much tribulationoo r

In introducing ,Dr. Newman, tire Mayor apologised liu-r the absence of Mr H. Field. .M.P., stating that ho had arranged for the Doctor to be present. Dr Newman had a son at he front and had visited the scenes of the'great war. being thu« competent to speak 11:11 the question. He had also l taken a promin-

ent part in patriotic matters in the /Dominion.

Dr Newman was received with applause and in the course 1. f a characteristic talk, interspersed with many nrous turn-lies, he contended that Anzac- Day should be widened in character. We ought now to have a day setapart which should be a Soldiers' Day for all our brave men. Dr Newman told the story or how the New Zealanders were sent into the Wytschaete gap when the Germans had broken the British lino, and how magnificently they stayed the seemingly irresistible German advance. He pointed out that while the New Zealand papers made, only passing reference to tliis incident the French press were more delighted with this feat than almost any other in the great crisis of the war. The speaker declared that the behaviour of the boys on leave in Kngland was really splondidw While he was there a ladv said to him: "Why. doctor, they seem all to be gentlemen." To which the speaker replied: "Of course, they are! T hat is the only kind we breed in New Zealand.'' T>r Newman gave an interesting and instructive summary of the work being done by the New Zealand Government at Treuthani and ether places to help back to usefulness the men who had come hack seeminglv permanently maimed and pointed, out that a number of our doctors were being specially trained in the latest methods of nerve 'treatment. Alter an appeal for respectful treatment of the 'English :wives ot our soldiers Dr Newman concluded with an earnest exhortation for "better conditions of living. He sa.id it was absurd to argue that there wore 110 slums in New Zealand and the Government would have to provide homos for the people cheaply. " We must all make up our minds to live bettor lives. There is only one doctrine in the world worth preaching and that is that we must love one another." said 'Dr Newman in conclusion.

The service, which concluded with the National Anthem, was arranged by Mr B. If. Gardener with his accustomed thoroughness.