MR SEODON'S FUNERAL

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 10724, 22 June 1906, Page 4

MR SEODON'S FUNERAL

IMPRESSIVE CEREMONIAL AT WELLINGTON.

MANY MEMORIAL SERVICES. (Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, last night. Tho funeral of the late Premier took place to-day. Immense crowds of people thronged the route taken by the cortege from the Parliamentary Buildings to Sydeny street cemetery, whero the interment took place. Shortly before eight o'clock this morning the collin was removed from deceased's lato residence m Molcsworth street to tho main lobby of Parliament Buildings, where the hundreds of floral tributes received by the family during the past week had been arranged. Those representatives of tho Maori race who had assembled from all parts of the colony held an impressive tangi. "The sun has set," said the Native Minister, speaking m the Maori tongue lo the mourners of his race ; "the people have lost their provider — the totara tree . of the forest has fallen. Come, tread where ho trod while alive. Death is no respecter of persons. Man is like a butterfly." Mr Carroll then read an address to Mrs Seddon, which he handed to Captain Seddon, who with his two brothers stood by the coffin. Following this, laments wore delivered, the women keeping up a continuous wailing, mats and other tokens being 5 placed by the coffin! After tho doors of the building were f thrown open to the public, and m the succeeding hours a stream of people filed through tho lobby, paying their last re spect to the memory of the deceased Over thirty thousand* people thus viewec the collin. By noon the streets m the vicinity ol Parliament and Government Building! were thronged. Every point of vantage was crowded. On the lawn m front ol ' the House of Representatives stood i detachment of military and the bands men, and at two o'clock the coffin wa; removed from the building and placet on a gun carriage, around which tin i Ministers of the Crown stood as pal bearers. _ In a few minutes the gun sounded and the procession moved towards St Paul's Cathedral, the band playing th< Dead March from Saul. Mrs Seddon, Captain R. J. Seddon Mr Y. T. Seddon, Master Stuart Sect s don, Misses Mary S. - Seddon, May E Seddon, and Ruby Seddon, the Rev. anc Mrs Bean, Mr T. and Mrs Dyer, Dr f and Mrs Morice (daughters and sons-in \ law), Mr E. Seddon (brother), Mrs Cun liffe and Mrs McKay (sisters), Mr G Spotswoocl (Mrs Seddon's brother), Cap tain Honnah and Mrs Hennah (Mrs Sect 3 don's sister), Mr W. S. Hennah (Mn , Seddon's nephew), and Mrs Hennah, Mi \ Hennah (Mrs Seddon's nephew), Mis: ; Elsie Hennah (Mrs Seddon's niece), Mi •" Reed and Mrs Reed (Mrs Seddon*! niece), Mr N. Seddon (Mr Seddon's cou * sin), and Mrs N. Sedelon were the chiei mourners. After members of tho family followec ! His Excellency the Governor's carria'gi ; representative of His Excellency, th< Admiral, Sir J. G. Ward's carriage, tin Commandant of the New Zealand Forces Judges and ex-Judges of the Suprenu Court, the Speaker and members of thi Legislative Council, the Speaker anc members of the House of Representa tives, ex-Ministers of the Crown, ex members of Parliament, foreign Consuls representatives of other colonies, m eluding representatives of New Zealand ers m Sydney,. and, following these, re presentative men from all parts of Nev . Zealand. ■ At the church the remains were mci ,by Dr Wallis, Bishop of Wellington and other clergy. When the Bishop hae ; read the usual text, the choir sanghymi No. 231, the 90th Psalm, and then hynu 27, "Abide with Me.". On the completion of the service tin cortege moved off, the choir chanting : the "Nunc Dimittis." Leaving the church the cortege turn ed out of Mulgrave street with a semi circular movement to Pipitea street past the Girls' High School, and acrosi Hobson street, into Davis street, amic ever the same cordon of watching thous ands held back by the lines of volun teers , Highlanders, Maori Corps, Nortl Canterbury Mounted Rifles, and sundry others, not forgetting; the school cadets The same unimpeded progress, withow hitch, saw tho cortege pass along Thorn don quay m Lambton quay, whore thi ' crowd began to thicken, and the viev opening out, showed the bend of Wei lington Terrace some distance ahead lin ed with spectators, who had chosen thi! spot for a distant but commanding viev point. But it was on entering Bowen street which rises ■ gradually from Lambtoi quay, that the greatest press and thi most striking sight was witnessed. Hen on the rise at the top of the street wen gathered so many people that they pre f. sented a sea of human heads, rising gal lery wise from the level of the process ion to the top of the eminence on whicl ■_■ they stood. But m the middle of th< human sea, like something stretchee across it, appeared a quivering band o: green — something that lived and movec and seemed to beckon to the cortege. Ai it drew up it was seen to be the greet wreaths of the Maoris, now wavec m the hand m the manner of the poi and quivering m unison with their wile native chant. It was a master stroke o effect, both visually and orally, and om not to be forgotten. For a moment th< procession lingered. Then on it went t( its destination, via Museum street anc Sydney street, and so to the cemetery gates. Here was gathered now the ful force of the mighty crowd, requiring al the authority of law and order, backet up by the volunteers, to keep the humai wave m check. This was, however, done At the cemetery gates the body wai received by representatives of the head quarters staff, Colonel Webb, Maj'oi Joyce, and Major A. R. Hislop, V.D.A = A detachment of blue jackets from tin cruisers Encounter and Pioneer, undei Lieut. Fremen, of the former vessel formed a guard at the graveside, and i gun party, 23 men from the Encounter the gun crew of 18, and six bearers un „ ded warrant officer Wearing, awaitec the body at the entrance to the ceme tery. The nine-foot wide winding gravel patl from the Sydney street gates to the sum , mit of the hill where tho grave is situat ed was lined with naval volunteers. A detachment of marines from the Encounter formed a line on the north side oi the grave under marine Lieut. Skafe. The Garrison Band, which headed the cortege, drew past the cemetery gates to permit the artillery gun carriage to pull up close to the Encounter's twelvepounder Armstrong field gun carriage and limber. The transfer of the coffin to the smaller gun carriage occupied less than two minutes and the men-of-wars-nien started up tho hill at a smart walking pace. It was necessary for all other vehicles to be abandoned, owing to the narrowness of the pathway and the procession proceeded up the hill, headed by the Bishop. Soon the graveside was reached, and the body of New Zealand's great statesman lay above the tomb. The chief mourners gathered around, with members of Parliament and others, and Bishop Wallis commenced his duties. It was first necessary to consecrate the ground, which was done m the following words ; "In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, I solemnly consecrate this burial ground, and pray that His blessing may ever be upon this place, and sanctify it and keep it holy that it may be a fit resting place for the bodies of His servants until the day of tho Lord Jesus when He shall come to judge the quick and the dead. — Amen." - The grew winter afternoon was waning, fitful watery clouds were passing, and the wind sang mournfully among the trees as Bishop Wallis, m clear voice, commenced the short but beautiful "concluding service of the Anglican Church for the burial of tho dead. "Man that is born of women hath but a short time to live, and is full of misery. Hecometh up and is cut down like a flower." A few raindrops fell at this moment. It seemed that Nature was - attuned to the circumstances. Deliberately the Bishop proceeded with the impressive service, and the hearts of the listeners wore full of grief as he spako the words, "We therefore , commit his body to the grave ; earth tc earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust; ithe sure and certain hope of resurrection to eternal life." Then came the Lord's . prayer, wliicli was repeated by the vast congregation. A few more sentences familiar to all, but perhaps never listened to by many of those present under such significant circumstances, and the Bishop concluded, "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost, be with us all for evermore, Amen." A very brief Masonic service was gone through. Bro. Malcolm Niccol, Grand Secretary, and a Past Grand Master ol the Grand Lodge of New Zealand, conducted the service, concluding with a prayer, and the customary dropping iii the grave of the late Brother a sprig ol acacia, the Masonic emblem of immortality. Thus the religious portion of the ceremonial was over, amid the ill-suppressed sobs of tear-stained mourners, and con- ' eluded to the accompaniment of the weeping of women. But there was one more token of respect to be paid to the departed. In the course of his busj life Mr Seddon carried out the duties oi Minister of Defence, and he was there fore honored by the firing of three volleys by a detachment of the Permanent Force. Tho men were drawn up on the eastern side of the grave, and as soon as the devotional service was over the firing took place. ' After the first and sec ond volleys a bugler sounded a bar ol _ "Tho Sunset," and afterwards "The T , Last Post," the ceremony was over.

SYDNEY, Juno 21. [ - Flags were half-masted at the Admir- : 1 alty depot at Garden Island and on all public buildings and shipping. At noon a large congregation assembled at St. Andrew's Cathedral to pay, m unison i with those taking part m tho funeral rites at Welington, a last tribute to Mr : Seddon. The building was draped m * purple and black, the altar being decked I with white flowers, the Union Jack suspended from the arching pillars. The service was choral. As tho congregation gathered tho organist played, "I know . that My Redeemer Liveth." The opening \ i hymn was "Brief life is here our por- . j tion." Then followed the service for 5 ' tho dead , impressively sung by tho choir, 3 \ concluding with the anthem "Crossing I tlio Bar," to Woodward's music. The . ■ solemn service terminated with tho sing- . : ing of the hymn, "Ten thousand Times, 1 Ten Thousand," the organ playing the t ■ "Dead March" m Saul, and Beethoven's j "Funeral March." Archdeacon Gunther -, officiated, assisted by Canons Langley, * Sharp, and Boyce. j Among those present were : Lord s Northcote, Sir Henry Rawson, Mr Hogue (Chief Secretary), the Lord Mayor, 2 Captain Stokes, Mr Reed (representing c the Navy), Messrs O'Sullivan, Donne, c Jackson . (Union Company), Pike c (Bank of New Zealand), ancl a largo I number of New Zealanders. : 0 There was half-masting of flags on public buildings, ancl other tokens of respect for the late Mr Seddon throughout j the Commonwealth. 0 MELBOURNE, June 21. Flags were half-masted on all public ._ and many private buildings out of "resg pect for the late Mr Seddon. His former connection with the Victorian railb way was signalised m a special manner. The railway authorities issued a special c order to the employees of the Newport shop that all works should cease oet- , ween three and five minutes past, dur- \ [ ing which time all engines sounded j whistles at minute intervals. They further directed that each man at his post j should maintain perfect silence during ' the five minutes interval. j 'I AUCKLAND, last night. ! |f All business was suspended m Auck- i land this afternoon when several memo. ' j_ rial services were held. The official miliiS tary service was held m St. Matthew's t j Church, the great building .being crowded c m every part with soldiers, magistrates, jj representatives of public bodies, and Go. vernment institutions, and the general 1 public. Bishop Noligun gave a most elo- [.* quent and impressive address, and there g were also crowded congregations at the services held by the Ministers' Associa. j tion, tlie Masons, and friendly societies, j' and service was also held m the Jewish j_ synagogue. Tlie city was crowded, there j being a large influx of visitors from coun- - t try districts. Many memorial servicer ,' were also held m country towns. ,1 ROTORUA. last night, j. A mass memorial meeting was held to- ,[ day m. the Sanatorium grounds, m which [. all denominations took part, a (special . s feature of the service being an ancient r requiem pnvtioulavly well sung m Maori iS by a large number of leading natives. The ■- local band concluded the impressive 6er- ' s vice by playing the Dead March. „ CHRIS'J'OHURCH. last night, ,f This afternoon resembled a Sunday, all the shops, offices, and hotels being closed. c i A memorial service was held m the Cathe. ,q dral, and a military service m Cranmcr \ e square. In addition massed bands played ie the Dead March m Victoria square. All 3 the services were very largely attended. !_ INVERCARGILL, last night. Ie After a wet forenoon the weather was d fine for the Seddon memorial service, x . which was held m the Garrison Hall, c . which could 1 not contain one-fourth of the s, people who desired to attend. The cere, i. moiiial, which was of the same order as 1- those m other centres, was preceded by 3 . a procession, m which volunteers, cadets, w friendly societies, and other miblic bodies took part. The playing of funeral marit dies by the Garrison and Municipal Bands i was a marked feature of the proceedings. c { HOKITIKA. last night, n Reports from all parts of Westland go n to show that m every town, village, and settlement people congregated at the apie pointed time for the funeral to pay their g tribute of respect to their beloved representative. Services were held eveaywhere, i- the clergy and laity delivering eloquent '. sermons and speeches, stress heing laid t, on the late Mr Seddon's sterling religious i 5 belief. d In Hokitika, m spite of most wretched s- weather, large crowds assembled at the i- drillshed, where tlie volunteers, cadets, h and returned! troopers, headed by two y bands, proceeded to the various churches, 3. where crowded congregations were as\i sembled. i- WESTPORT, last night, ie A general holiday was observed m vt Westport to-day, and during the afternoon 1- a very largely attended memorial service i- was field m Victoria Theatre, a large is number of people being uaible to enter v. the hall. The service was conducted by tne local clergymen. A choir of 75 b, voices, with the city bands, led the sing. n ing. The service closed with the Dead ie . March impressively played by the band, ■c NELSON, last night. •c Between four and five thousand citizens, »- volunteers, and cadets attended the 1. memorial service at the central school s- ; grounds this afternoon. Tho ' ceremony h was very impressive, and the Bishop of te Nelson delivered an eloquent panegyric d ou the deceased statesman. Business was if entirely suspended after noon, the hotels d also being closed, and the chief post office, .s municipal buildings, and some shops "were n draped. Similar services were held at d takaka, Motueka, Richmond, and other i, parts of the district. d NEW PLYMOUTH, last night, »f Business was entirely suspended all day. Ie Memorial services were held at St. Mary's, ie also a uuited service m the recreation ■o grounds at the hour di the funeral, which d tho military attended. It is estimated y there were four thousand present. Ad--11 dresses and prayers were delivered by 11 several clergymen, including a sterling d . panegyric by the Rev. Brooke, President n of the Methodist Conference. Appropriate '• hymns were sung, and hands played the ls "Dead March m Saul." Similar united 1- services were held at. Inglewood, Stvrat)r ford, Eltham, Hawera, and practically ■-• every township, in the province. te TDIARU, last night. ir All businesses closed ancl all work ceas- *> ed m tlie town at noon. Beautiful wea. a ther favored the open-air memorial serr > vice m Alexandra 6quarc. Consequently J " the gathering was one of the largest ever " seen m Timaru. All Protestant MinisJ " ters took part m reading tlie English bur- - ial service. There was a good muster of n volunteers and school cadets. The Marl" me Band led tlio procession of two fire '" brigades and others from the Post Office, !^ and the Battalion Band played the Dead L " March at- the close of the service. . * j [Similar reports conic, from Wanganui, • Marton, Ashburton, Thames, and Feilde h'g-] ° j (Special to Herald.) 1 DUNEDIN, this day. '* Astronomically the shortest day of the c ' year, the weather to-day was as mild as n I midsummer. Dunedin presented the aps pearance of a city of the dead. The '" { closed doors, the shuttered shops, drawn " I blinds, smokeless flues, absence of traffic, r i amid glorious sunshine, emphasised better 3 perhaps than the more ostentations and " customary tributes that an event beyond f~ the common had fallen upon the life and heart of the people. Days of sadness * there have been. Wonderful proces- " sions have. passed down our streets, build- * ings have been draped m black, men and ■ ; women have gathered together, as they " did when tho great and good Queen Vie- j toria laid down the burdens of Empire, | 0 but none of these has constituted so ' unique a tribvite to the name and fame , * o the departed as did a contrast be- , V tween the Dunedin of to-day and thart of V yesterday. The turnout of volunteers '. s "and cadets was the largest that has asV sembled on parade since the visit of the . 8 Imperial troops. The men mustered at £ 1.15. and fifty minutes later marched to ° t the Octagon, where they separated into six battalions, so as to attend the military services appointed to be held m the > various churches. Tlie band played the . "Dead March," while the Town Hall and r church bells were pealed. Even the - back blocks m Otago paid their tribute, a the memorial service at Owakui being especially impressive, Mr Seddon's visit of t last year, when he drove a cattle team - through the main street, being fresh m c the memory of the inhabitants. Speaking more particularly to the *■ cadets at Knox Church, tho Rev. Hewit--0 son said : "Tlie lads here know something of a romantic story told m 'From Log '1 i Cabin to White House,' of a poor boy c who rose to be tho President of the great f United States Republic. There is a roe ■ niance similar m kind, if not so great m o j degree, m the way m which Mr Seddon n forged his path from a digger's cottage n to a. position- m the councils of the British Empire. Without education or li wealth, or social position to help him, he won for himself a name that attracted !j the attention of the English-speaking y world, and his death has evoked exprest sions of sorrow and loss by all classes '■, from the King on the throne to small t groups of unknown men m out-of-the-way c places m our own land. I was freqrently surprised on my recent, travels c m meeting with men who were interested d m JSIr Seddon and the legislation connect■f ed with his name. A well-read skipper , i- of a small steamer on the coast of Gey- ; a lon, a member of the House of Commons h visiting Lidia, a distinguished educationf alist resident m that groat dependency, •- a gentleman I met m Palestine, a professor of an American State University, !- j with some thousands of students, another i A professor m one of tne greatest of Am- | i- I ericau private universities — all these men j c were watching with keen interest wliat ' c is being done. in our remote islands, and c were quite familiar with the name of Mr y Seddon. Oue day, m Rome, I was asf tonished and pleased to see m an English s- tea-room a bust of the familiar figure 1- and features of the Premier. This great t eminence, you will notice, has been at- j c tamed by hard and nmremitting work. • s Mr Seddon was a Herculean worker. •- There is something ironical m the fact :- that while he was connected with, movcf ments that limit a day's work to eight c hours, "he himself was a man who workI ed -without time limit, and many days I probably worked for eighteen hours. He

strained hi* powers to the breaking point, and tho last month of his life, when ho j was supposed to be taking some rest, ; < was one of the hardest he ever spent, i It is clear that work like Mr Seddon's 1 cannot bo done by anyone who "works i with his eye on tlio clock and says so ] much work for so much pay. For his i expenditure of energy and brain power j lie received no monetary equivalent. The work of Mr Seddon was possible only to a man with a strong body and a resolute i will. Honors and distinction did noth- i ing to 'estrange Mr Seddon from his old i comrades, nor to destroy his sympathy ' with the views and hopes of the common i people. His speech to tho last was . • flavored with tho dialect of his nativo '. English county and the language of obscim'e people, of whom he was one- m liis curlier years. He spoke flue rally, and I thought naturally and sincerely. The last thing 1 have to say to you is that Mr Seddon loved our nation. He was an enthusiastic New Zealander. Ho was ! also an enthusiiustac: Rriton and a great limpcrialist. He was deeply interested m matters that concern the whole Empire, and yoiii have seen how, when m [ Australia, he joined with tho Federal Premier m speaking about British control m tho Now Hebrides. All the stirring events that have happened m recent years, the conference m London, ; tho change of Sovereign owing to the death of Queen Victoria, the accession of King Edward, the Boer war, all were used to make \m feel that we were part of a great Empire. In quickening our j national sense and feeling, and m advocating measures that lend to promote unity of the Empire, he has done one | of his greatest services. j In the Triangle, where an open-air memorial service was held under the auspices of the Council of the Churches, at the close of the church service an immense throng assembled, variously esti- ■ mated at from 12,000 to 15,000. ' There 1 was a sea of heads, extending from the Daily Times office, 'at the foot of Dowl- ' ing street io the telegraph ollice. | Chaplain-Major Ounson-Siggers, adj dressing the volunteers m St. Matthews' i Church, said : "We have met to-day to i pay our last tribute of respect to* the ■ memory of the greatest figuro m New : Zealand history. ■ Great as have been . some of our earlier statesmen and hu- • mane their policies, yet none came- up to ' Mr Seddon, cither for largeness of their sympathies with the. struggling works and sufferings, or for power to think Imperially m all important questions. Our departed statesman, as much as ho loved New Zealand, always looked beyond New : Zealand, desiring that his measivcs might I commend themselves to answer the needs •of other lands. It Avas the gift of think- : ing .Tmpciinlly that dilFercntiated Mr Seddon from all other Australasian politicians of note. The workers and toilers of Australasia will ever hold his memory dear. For the removal of that enormous waste of capital and wage-earning pawer ; commonly called strikes, the Arbitration i Aot stands m, the forefront of his legislation as what might be called a distinctive Christian Socialist measure. Whatever inconveniences may have been produced by the interpretation of the Act. the principle of the Act is absolutely right, and forms a glorious monument of i tho "wisdom and humanity of its author, j When we para to such questions as old ; age pensions, maternity homes, and phil- ! anthrnpic projects, some of which the Premier did not" live to see effected, we - opine that his memory will ever bt cherished by the si'iffering and the aged. : Now that he has gone we are to perpetuate his memory, ' and this we can best dc by carrying on his work- m what way we \ can by making it compulsory for every wage-earner to be insured for a pension, and making the rate paid by unmarried higher 'in proportion to that by married men, by making wages earned by anj man attachable m the interest of his wife and family, by making any mortgagc--1 of a homo or policy for a pension illegal and void without the formal consent of 1 the wife as well as husband, by extend- , ing further benefits to tha?e settled on j the land, so as to encourage land sottle- ; ment. In these and other waj-s we can best .keep green the memory and work of our departed leader. The volunteers, as well as the citizens, can take a lesson from the thoroughness with which the late Premier carried through anything lie took m hand. Mi* Seddon is a landmark m the changes of oivr legislators. He is the milestone showing that days of legis(lation by men of leisure and culture, os : distinct from men of toil, are - past. j Henceforth the men who know what is J wanted for the workers will bo men who liave toiled themselves, and not of culture." Speakiiiig m Trinity Church, and taking as his text, 'He being dead, yet speaketh,' the Rev. D. J. Murray, an exj president of the Methodist Conference, • said : ''This is New Zealand's hour of . sorrow. By the providence of God we ' are called to mourn the loss and reverently to lay to rest our greatest and ablest : man that ever oocupiea the position of - Minister of tho Crown m this colony. Verily a great man has fallen m Now Zealand — one who for years labored most assiduously for the colony's good, a pillar which, supported and a capital which adorned the temple of our State. The future of New Zealand, we know, is upheld by loftier hands than the loftiest that ever swayed her counsels here on earth, and the basis of her greatness rests upon a foundation more stable than the life and powers of the ablest or greatest \ of her statesmen, but yet no thoughtful ' -person who has his coimitry's good at i heart, and who looks forth into the future, but feels that the loosening- of this long and Avell-tried stone from tho national fabric, the removal of this buttress to our constitution,, has given a shock to the whole structure, which time only will show how it will recover, or whether the new material will be fit to take its place." The sen-ice which was announced for St. Joseph's was held m the Christian Brothers schoolroom. Seemingly no ■ memorial service can be held m a Catho- , lie Cathedral except where the deceased .is a member of that community. The . Rev. Father Coffey, administrator of the diocese, m the course of his tribute to the memory of the late Premier, said : "By liis indomitable energy, and iron will ho raised himself to the highest position m the land. He had honors showered vtpon him by Ids fellow-countrymen, by statesmen m other colonies, and even by . hi s . Ki"gj y°t to companions of his earlier years he was ever the- Dick of the mm ! ing days. He was never known to desert an old friend, and when opportunity offered nothing gave him greater pleasure than to seek out and have a talk with an old miner whom he met, not m the spirit of condescension, but as 'man to man.' Strong m his own opinions, he was ever tolerant to those who differed from him. Hard things may have been said, bwt they were not remembered. His heart -was good enough, and his mind was large enough to allow for difference of opinions. He loved the people, and therefore he was anxious to aid as far as cir cumstances permitted any work calculated to make their homes happier aiid their lives brighter, without distinction of class or creed. Indeed, religious prejudice seeks m vain for a home m such minds. as Ids. To my mind, the brightest jewel m his crown was his exemplary home life. This is not the time for prying eyes to penetrate, the sanctity of the home. Evidences exist on all sides, showing what that home life was like. In the midst of all worry of State, and under all the plaudits of the people, he never forgot that the most sacred spot on earth was his home with his beloved wife, for years the faithful sharer of his ! trials and triumphs, and with his loved I and loving children. Most of "liis legislation of recent years was inspired by ' the desire to make the homes of his • people like to his own— sanctuaries ot peace and happiness. New Zealand today smiles through her tears because by identifying herself with the' life of her late first citizen, she feels honored, and nghly honored, by the honor paid to him. *