AN ACTION OF DEEP MEANING

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23616, 28 March 1940, Page 10

AN ACTION OF DEEP MEANING

Into the- hush that rules now so many hearts, under' the shadow of a sorrow intimately personal, comes a special recollection of the anxious days that ended in a death deeply lamented. Hope of the Prime Minister's restoration to health was still held ; none could willingly let it go. Just then, when his life was in the balance that mortal lingers are ever eager yet hesitant to touch, a suggestion was made to Mr. Fraser, whose duty to his chief had acquired a new find terrible weight, that prayer should be made for Mr. Savage's recovery. Best of all would it be. (lie suggestion urged, if on the approaching Sunday, in their respective places of worship, people of all denominations shared this act of religious faith and practice. At once Mr. Fraser got into touch with heads of churches--as many as could be reached in a necessarily limited time—making the wish his own. The response was as immediate, ardent and unanimous as he expected ; already some, anticipating general desire, had made arrangements to serve it thus,. So it happened, on the appointed day, that religion had, as it often has, an eminent and gracious influence amid the sorrowing of a whole community, made one by a common solicitude. In (his same fashion Australia was moved when Mr. Lyons, its Prime Minister, lay nigh to death. Such experiences are unforgettable, so wonderfully do they tend to purify and uplift the spirit of a people. The particular petition may not be granted, but the prayer is ever answered, if only in the sen.se of Barrio's word about rising from prayer a better man. It is in hours when "all the world a solemn stillness holds" that the great realities become triumphantly clear, to leave an enriching touch that is more than a memory. Oft as Mr. Savage's passing is recalled, this turning to religion will be noted as of value for all times. It was full of meaning.