AN APPEAL BY THE GOVERNMENT.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXVII, Issue LXXVII, 4 January 1918, Page 5

AN APPEAL BY THE GOVERNMENT.

"THAT THIS WAR MAY END WAR."

The Minister" of Internal Affairs, Hon. G. VV. Russell, referring to the above message from His Majesty the King, makes the following appeal to the people of the Dominion: "It will not De out of place if I give a reminder to the population of the Dominion that next Sunday,- the first Sunday in the New Year, has been set aside by His Majesty as a day of special prayer throughout the Empire in connection with the war — a communication to that effect having been made by His Excellency the Governor-General, the Earl of Liver-1 pool. The King's instructions have been carried out by the. Government, and copies of the proclamation have been forwarded to the heads of all churches and religious communions in New Zealand; and I am thankful to say the response from the churches has been universal. Our Empire is a Christian one. Probably our greatest national hymn is that which begins 'O God, Our Help in Ages Past.' We are at a critical time of the war; and, however earnestly we prepare, however bravely our soldiers and sailors fight, however skilful the •strategy which lies behind the guns, we as a people recognise that there is a God of Battles; and to Him we look for strength and success. "I feel sure that the people of New Zealand will faithfully obey the King's command, and in their respective places of worship on Sunday next, seek from the Almighty the success for our arms which -we believe as a people He jvill grant, because our cause is just. "It is to us as Britishers a matter of profound thankfulness- that our Empire entered upon this war with clean hands. There has been no lust of conquest in our hearts. On the contrary, it has been the desire of our statesmen throughout to uphold liberty, justice, truth, the sacredness of treaties, and the liberties of the smaller nations of Europe. Therefore we may hope and, I believe with con-1 fidence, pray that the blessing of { God may during the year be given to the efforts of our soldiers, sailors and' statesmen, to bring about a success- j ful and permanent peace, so that this war may end war."