KEEPING ANZAC DAY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20241, 29 April 1929, Page 13

KEEPING ANZAC DAY.

FORM OF OBSERVANCE,

SUGGESTED EXTENSION. %

PUBLIC CENOTAPH CEREMONY*

SUITABLE SITE IN DOMAIN. Ny GAM.iror.r. While there is no desire among th<s great mass .of eiiizens to change character of Anzac Day, or to give thei slightest opportunity for turning it into( a common holiday, there are many whaj would approve of sonio change in or ex* tension of the public observances.

Speaking for a number of returner! soldiers, some of whom had a voice in' insisting that Anzac Day should be a< day apart and sacred, I should like tQ suggest changes which, our would be to the good.

Under the present system the civit} memorial service in tho Town Hall i$ practically limited to returned the next-of-kin of tho fallen and thet official representatives of foreign the Government and local bodies. Radiq broadcasting, fortunately, has brought in at great unseen audience a3 well, but tha fact remains that tho service, owing to limitations of space and also to religious, boundaries, can be the observance of only a small minority of the body of ihe people. Present Limitations. We have no criticism to make of t.hgnature of the service, even though many people may wonder why the authorities still insist upon singing the second verse of the National Anthem, which is not iu harmony with tho new spirit of peace —• "confound their politics" and similar sentiments —and why the anonymous "Nameless Graves" is sung when grander hymns could be chosen. Particularly for the bereaved the service is a fine expression of the feelings of the people.

The cenotaph ceremonies arc accessory.. To our mind they should bo dominant, the centre of the whole observance. But it is impossible for these ceremonies to be other than they are under present circumstances. The temporary cenotaph is so placed that only the people lining the barriers can see the formal placing of wreaths around its base. The majority of people only hear the music of Ujq massed bands and see the top of the cenotaph in a somewhat depressing setting.

On Thursday many people had taken up front at the cenotaph long before the returned soldiers marched past. It was not until half an hour after noon that the official wreaths began to bo placed. In the interval at ten women fainted. Their wait was too exhausting.

Opportunity For All. Because of these things, and also because to our mind the chief public observance should give opportunity for the mass of tbo people to pay individual tribute, my friends and I urge that in future tho cenotaph should be erected on an eminence in the Domain, perhaps on the site of tho proposed "permanent one in front of the museum, which would be in full view of assembled thousands.

There could be a march past by sailors, returned nurses and soldiers, territorials and cadets, one hymn and one prayer, the playing of the "Dead March" and the "Last Post," and then the formal placing of official wreaths. Then, and this to our mind is most important, the public could file by, the bands playing suitable music the while, and anyone who liked could place a wreath as he passed. Thus there would be opportunity for ten or twenty times the number of people that can be accommodated in the Town Hall to perform a personal act of remembrance.

Such a ceremony could be inspiring and devotional, no one could feel any sense of restraint owing to religious barriers, and there is not the slightest doubt that as great a crowd would welcome it as attended the recent trooping of colours in the Domain. .

Town Hall Service Later. But there is no reason why tho Town Hall service should not bo held at a later hour. There the next-of-kin of the fallen would have seats of honoqr.. as at present, and even if there were uo formal parade of returned soldiers for it, though many would attend becauso they also feel a sense of personal loss for many a gallant comrade—the service would lose nothing of its present character.

The hope of every thoughtful person is to guard the day. Tho best way to do so is to give opportunity for everyone to personally participate in tho observance.Thus we must get beyond walls. We -must hold some ceremony in tho open air where there is space for the multitude. The only possible centre for such a ceremony is a cenotaph, itself an inspiration and an eloquent symbol of all ihat fills one's heart on Anzac Day and all that, wo wish our children to feel. Furthermore, it would enable the individual ta perform a simple personal art of remembrance and gratitude to tho deathless army. «