The Church Parade.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 6626, 19 February 1900, Page 3

The Church Parade.

On Sunday morning the Volunteers paraded at the camp for the purpose of attending divine service at the Broadstreet "Wesleyan Church. The Company was in charge of Captain Mounsey and Lieutenant Watt.

The service was of a special nature and appropriate hymns were sung. While the offertory was being taken up the choir rendered the anthem " Onward Christian. Soldiers," and "at the conclusion of the sermon the National Anthem was sung. Prayers were offered for the speedy relief of the beleaguered towns in South Africa, the success of the ! British armies, the protection,. of the New Zealand contingents, and thanksgivings for the relief of Kiniberley. The Rev. Mr Beck conducted the service, and said he would endeavour to answer the question " Is the Transvaal war justifiable ?" and he took his text | from Ecclesiastics, chap. 8, verse 8, " A time of war and a time of peace." He said that for many years past the corrupt and tyrannical Government which obtained at Pretoria had been well-known to all Englishmen for the unjust way in which those Transvaal residents who did not happen to be of Dutch descent, had been treated. The first principles of Christianity were equality, liberty and justice, and these had been denied the Englishmen in the Transvaal, and, therefore, the Boers i could not claim to have right and the God of Battles on their side, and the war must ultimately end in the triumph of the British arms. Though he would gladly hasten the time when the Prince of Peace should rule the nations of the earth, as at the present day there was no way in which nations could settle a dispute except by a resort to arms, and until the time when peace would reign, war was unavoidable. They had all read of the horrors of war, but at the same time some of the noblest traits of the human nature had been brought out and it was with admiration they read of the unselfishness and uncomplaining selfsacrifices being displayed on the South African battlefields. Great Britain had always been the friend and champion of the opprepsed and weak, and on this occasion she had been challenged to take the part of the Outlandersby the corrupt Boer Government. If, therefore, she had failed to take up the cudgels on behalf of her subjects, and had not fulfilled what he believed was her Godgiven destiny, in that hour would her Empire and her supremacy over the nations of the earth pass away. Prosperity and happiness had followed the British conquest of India and Egypt, and they would do so in the present case. In reference to the reverses which England had sustained, he qiroted the opinion of the Rev. Hugh Price Hughes • —that they were England's punishment for not interfering in the Armenian massacres, but that ultimately the cause of Right must triumph. He also referred to the condition of the natives under Boer laws and expressed the opinion that, when the war was over, Briton, Boer and native would live in fraternity, liberty and equality. Mr Beck concluded with an earnest appeal to his hearers not to give in to the temptations which surrounded them without resistance ; but, like the men at Nicholsen's Nek, not to surrender until the last cartridge was fired.

The address was delivered in a masterly manner and at times was most eloquent.

The collection in aid of the Relief Fund amounted to .£6 15s 2d.