"STONE OF WITNESS."

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20425, 29 November 1929, Page 15

"STONE OF WITNESS."

DEDICATION OF CENOTAPJ-4.

AN IMPRESSIVE CEREMONY

THE ARCHBISHOP'S PRAYER

Silence fell over the multitude assembled round the memorial to Auckland's dead when, at (lie invitation of Mr. A. S. Bankart, jHis Grace the Archbishop of New Zealand walked from the dais to the Cenotaph, there to dedicate those blocks of stone to the memory of those who fought and fell. It was the most impressive part of the entire ceremony. Fiags Muttered in the breeze as the Primate, in his robes of white and scarlet, accompanied by Archdeacons G. Mac Murray, W. J. Simkin unci H. A. Hawkins, arid the Moderator of the Auckland Presbytery, the Rev. W. D. Morrison-Sutherland, stood apart at the foot of the empty tomb, which gle/trned white in the warm summer sun.

The band crashed into the majestic old hymn, "0 God, Our Help in Ages Past," and when the final notes had died away, Mr. Morrison-Sutherland read the famous passage from the Apocryphal Book of Ecclesiasticus, beginning, "Let us now praise famous men." There followed a reading from the seventh chapter of Revelation, and then Archbishop Avorill conducted the service of consecration. His dedicatory prayer rang with nobility of sentiment, ill glory and honour to (lie dead. Purpose of the' Cenotaph. "Accept, we beseech 'I lice. Almighty God, the purpose and intention of those who have erected this Cenotaph to Thy praise and honour in loving memory of the men and women from tins province who laid down their lives in the Great War.

"May it be a constant reminder to present and future generations of those who heard the call to service and sacrifice in defence of the sacredness of treaty obligations and "who 'went out not knowing whither they went' save only that a sense of honour and duty constrained them to play their part manfully in face of the challenge to the fundamental principles of justice and righteousness in the world!

"May this 'stone of witness' ever stand as a monument, eloquent in its silence irid sanctity, of our deep-rooted gratitude to those who died that others might live in peace and security, and of our duty to complete the great work for which thov laid down their lives, so that lasting peace may bo established upon the earth!

"May this Cenotaph be a link between the dead and the living and a solemn appeal to present and future to remember the past and give honour to whom honour is due!

"May it be a constant reminder of the price paid for our freedom and an incentive to nobler living, lest we lose or abuse that dearlybought freedom!

"May it make its silent appeal to all men and women of goodwill to realise more fully the obligations of human brotherhood, and to labour for truer international relationships, so that wars and the causes which contribute to wars may cease on the earth, .and peace and friendship be consolidated on an abiding foundation.

"May it' be a witness to the relatives and comrades of the departed that the service and sacrifice of those here commemorated will be held in everlasting remembrance and*- that the contiibutton which they have made to the conception and realisation of a new and better world will never be forgotten!

"Mav this Cenotaph stand as a shrine 'of holy memories—and a monument of loving gratitude to thoso who interpreted life in terms of loyalty, service - and sacrifice, and so laid hold on the life which is life indeed P 'They live whom we call dead!'

"In proud thanksgiving, 0 Ileavenlv Father, we dedicate the Cenotaph and separate it from all "common and profane uses. As we gaze upon it may we be led to 'think and thank,' and know that 'Thou art not the God of the Aad, but of the living, for all live unto Thee,' without end. Amen." Sounding of "The Last Post." »In clear tones, the archbishop consecrated the Cenotaph in the name of the Holy Trinity, and the silence was shattered by the clear, poignaiit notes of "The Last Post," sounded by the trumpeters of the King's College Cadets. They, floated over the still, silent gathering, bringing a flood of memories in their train, and the guard of honour from H.M.S. Philomel stood like pieces of statuary with their arms at the present. The notes faded, a sharp order rang out, and Kipling's sublime "Recessional" gave the people an opportunity of echoing in some of the finest phrases in the English tongue the sentiment which so adequately fitted the occasion. "The Cenotaph, the empty tomb, is a. fitting emblem <xf our faith .in the resurrection," said Mr. Bankart, turning to His Excellency, the GovernorGeneral. "In future years, when we are j gathered round it, may we ever remember that wo are surrounded by a multitude of witnesses by whose sacrifice we were saved. I ask Your Excellency to pass on to the city this gift, in memory of those who fought and died in tho causo of honour and of righteousness."