SACRIFICE AND SERVICE

Southland Times, Issue 23183, 26 April 1937, Page 6

SACRIFICE AND SERVICE

MR W. BELL’S APPEAL AN INSPIRING ADDRESS An inspiring address on sacrifice and service was given by Mr William Bell, of Woodlands, during the special service at the Civic Theatre. There was a big attendance of soldiers, nurses and relatives of fallen men. Mr A. Kynaston, president of the Invercargill Returned Soldiers’ Association, presided, and associated with him on the stage were the Rev. John Chisholm and Mr Bell. After the playing of the march “Land of Hope and Glory” by the Civic Band, the chairman addressed, the gathering and said that there was a special significance about the service that day. It was a Sunday, and it would be remembered by many that the original Anzac service was held on a Sunday. The day was one of remembrance of their noble dead. It was the 16th service held in the theatre and synchronized with the 21st birthday of the New Zealand Returned Soldiers’ Association. It was a pleasant duty for him as president of the Invercargill association to convey the thanks of all returned men to the public who had so nobly responded to the Poppy Day appeal. To the workers who had assisted them every year in their appeal he also offered thanks. “We meet on this 22nd anniversary of the Iqpding at Gallipoli in faithful remembrance of those who laid down their lives in the Great War,” said Mr Bell. “This is essentially a memorial service, and although it may have been customary in the past to make some reference to war incidents such as the Gallipoli landing, it seems to me that it is no longer necessary. Great deeds never die, the doer dies but not the deed. All these war incidents have been compiled and have become part of our national history. Nearly 19 years have elapsed since the ‘cease fire’ sounded. The war has receded into the dim and distant past, and at a service such as this, we should ask ourselves the question ‘Are we worthy of the sacrifice?’ for no sacrifice can be in vain, if those for whom the sacrifice was made prove worthy of it. In very truth there are thousands of people who need no special day of remembrance, because in their hearts there is ‘the ache for the touch of the vanished hand, and the sound of the voice that is still.’ But for others it is well that we should have a day of remembrance. Lest we forget the men who fought And with their lives our freedom bought. Lest we forget those seamen great Who kept our lend inviolate.

Question of War

“This day reminds us that the great question of war is constantly kept before us. All the great nations of the world have a tremendous responsibility placed upon them; but upon no nation is the responsibility so great as that placed upon the great British Commonwealth of Nations, on her clear judgment, and her ability to make her influence felt in the counsels of the nations. There are some people who call themselves pacifists, as if they were the only people who desired peace. They never weary of telling us that war is against all Christian principles. Of course it is. It is not necessary that we should be reminded of that fact; but when we are told that force must not be resisted, I would remind you that Christ himself bade them look upon the right or wrong of any action by the motive underlying it. If this world of ours was a perfect one, there would be no need of force whatever. But, in its present condition, law and force are both essential to support justice and defend the weak. We have a duty to humanity, that is true, but we have a special duty towards our own land. “A good heritage has been handed down to us, first of all by our forefathers who by hard work and selfsacrifice converted a wilderness into a garden. The courage of the pioneer was exemplified in the men of Anzac, France and Palestine. To them we owe the freedom we enjoy today. Our duty then is twofold; our duty towards the past and our duty towards the future, to hand down that heritage unimpaired.

If we followed the example of the extreme pacifist, do you think that that " would be conducive to the good of humanity? Has our country been of so little benefit that our discontinuance

as a free land is not of any great importance? I think we can fairly claim that our country has been the bulwark of freedom. When recently Britain had advocated a policy of disarmament and had shown her sincerity by disarming to the point of weakness, we spoke to other nations of peace but they made themselves ready for war. By all means let us strive strenuously for peace, but remember that war with all its abominations and all the cruelties that follow in its train is a very great horror to be dreaded. Yet I venture to say that there is a greater thing to be dreaded and that is servile bonds and despotic sway, which would undoubtedly come about if we followed the advice of the non-resistance pacifist. I feel certain that if our Empire made any attempt to start a war of aggression that it would be opposed by every returned soldier and also by every sane man and woman in the country; but it is quite a different matter when it is a question of defending the things which every true Britisher holds as precious. Peace, Security and Progress “What do we owe to the men who fought and died? Do we not enjoy the sweetness of freedom that they suffered to secure? Should we not zealously guard the precious liberty which is handed down to us? Our free democratic institutions are our nation’s very life-blood. Peace, security and progress should be our watch word. We have had ample proof of the enduring strength of ideals to which the minds of our Empire statesmen are set. Other nations may choose their own form of government. That is their concern. And while we should encourage internationalism, we must hold fast to those ideals which have made the British Empire the envy of many other nations. Perhaps her influence rests on her disinterestedness. Universal peace should be our main purpose. All sane people agree on that point. How to bring it about is where the differences arise. It is certain, however, that our country cherishes the principles of liberty and in this respect acts are more enduring than words. Our great ideal should be to stimulate uplift, establish and strengthen goodwill among men. “Nearly 1,000,000 British soldiers died in the Great War for an ideal and this little country gave more than its full share in this respect. I venture to say that many today would be prepared to die rather than sacrifice liberty of expression and freedom of speech. We have become accustomed to freedom. It was won for us by hardship, . struggle and sacrifice. It is bred in us and has become the texture of our thoughts. When we are asked the question ‘What did we gain in the Great War?’ We can enumerate all these things which we stand for, and point to them as our gain. If this service of remembrance is to convey a meaning to us, if it is not to become a mere farce, it must be the mainspring of our thoughts and action for the future and for the present. We think of those men today who went forth inspired by ideals of justice, humanity and honesty. They went out to crush the doctrine that might meant right. As one ancient writer has said: ‘When men’s deeds are brave they should be honoured by deeds only.’ Our duty then is, to go forth to glorify the fallen, by deeds, by work, and by achievement, although the ideal of universe peace may seem a long way off, even though the future seems dark and threatening, even though war should again devastate the world. If we go on working for universal peace as an ideal, the sleep of those whose memory we are honouring this afternoon, would, I imagine, be happier and more tranquil. Appeal to Youth

“That youth must be served is fundamentally correct. It is also correct to say that youth must serve. I use the word service in the highest sense of the term, and if we, their elders, ask for that service it is because we realize that the hope of the world is in the energy and inspiration of youth. For although the ghoulish ugliness of recent events can only make us shudder, we have never surrendered the hope begotten of our own youth to make a world fit for self-resnectine men and women to live in. But we need the uplift of another generation’s hope and courage and idealism. If youth will stand by our side its presence will be like a breath of spring in the world’s winter time. Personally, I have every confidence that it will so stand.

“In every city, in every town and district throughout the Empire, monuments have been raised to the memory of the men who died in the Great War. Edinburgh has its shrine, perhaps the greatest in the world. But the greatest honour of all was the burial of the ‘Unknown Warrior’ in Westminster Abbey. I mention this because I am of the opinion that the significance of that ceremony has never been fully realized by the average individual. We don’t know his name, but I hope he was one of the rank and file because, in the rank and file, there were so many unknown heroes, and because they were unknown, they were unsung. I also hope he was the representative of one of the thousands of humble homes throughout the Empire. For never before has the immensity of

sacrifice by the poor been so honoured. This was truly the greatest national ceremony that has ever taken place. In laying the remains of the ‘Unknown Warrior’ in the well-nigh sacred soil of the Abbey, those responsible recognized, the greatness of sacrifice, of renunciation, of daily courage, which one might outline in the»words ‘Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.’ He stands for all those unknown sacrifices, those daily acts of kindness, he stands as the greatest monument to selfsacrifice and loss in the Great War, the vastness of which will never be known. Surely that day they placed in the abbey the remains of one who had a better right than any to be there, not for what he was, or for who he was —we shall never know that—but for what he represented. There has always been in this world a greatness which has never received its reward, nor sought one, nor desired one. It is well that we should reflect occasionally on the significance of that silent tomb. The Sisters and Nurses “I would like to make reference this afternoon to the work of the sisters and nurses,” continued Mr Bell. “I feel specially qualified to do so, being one of those who owe the fact of my being here to their never-failing care and attention. I have no words to express the gratitude I feel, and I know many thousands are like me in that respect. These women had a sympathy and understanding that was wonderful and sympathy is the secret of all lasting good. Not the sympathy which weeps and pets, but the sympathy which sacrifices itself and helps. Their care for the patients under their charge was always their first and last consideration. They gave hope and consolation where hope had almost departed. lam afraid the country has never fully realized how those women laboured for suffering humanity. I hardly think they knew the good they did. That perhaps is the surest sign of real goodness. To those of us who were placed under their care, they will be remembered as the one bright spot in a world that seemed so dark and where everything looked so hopeless. “I am one of those who do not believe that war is inevitable, despite the blustering speeches of the German and Italian dictators. Britain tried to lead the world in the way of peace by reducing armament to a point where we would have been unable to defend ourselves. The lead was not followed, but an opposite course was set. Now it is necessary that we put our house in order. The piling up of armaments by the great nations of Europe is the result of their never-sleeping suspicions of one another. Of these momentous events it is our duty to keep ourselves informed. What can we as a nation and as individual men and women do? We can look forward as well as backward. We should consider the gifts and responsibilities to which we have succeeded lest we fall short of them. Do we' feel our responsibilities and are we doing our full share as citizens of a great country, with a glorious history and enormous world-wide tasks and opportunities? We have the power within our great Commonwealth of Nations to guide the world. That won’t be accomplished in weakness nor by a muddled sentimentalism. I remain an optimist about this so-called coming war, because no one really wants it. No one can profit by it. It means death to many and destruction to all that is best in our national life. I feel that the strength of Britain can be used as a steadying factor, not as weight to be thrown into the scales for one country as against another, but as a means of getting the countries together while there is yet time. The whole world is looking to Britairi. today. Can we rise to the occasion, and prove worthy of that sacred trust reposed in us? I think we can. It may mean that we have to make sacrifices as individuals and as a nation.

“I want to remind you once again of 1,000,009 men who gave all they had to give for the sake of an ideal. No sacrifice on our part can be too great if by sacrifice and service we can maintain and uphold the ideals for which so many of our comrades died.” During the service several hymns were sung. Mr P. Linton Hodge sang Stevenson’s “Requiem,” the Rev. John Chisholm read from the Scriptures and offered up prayer, and Mr E. Hunter sounded the “Last Post” and “Reveille,” assisted by Mr V. Durant on the side drum. A period of silence was observed in memory of the dead. A feature was the setting of the wreaths on the stage.

MANY WREATHS LAID BEAUTIFUL SETTING OF STAGE Many wreaths were laid on the stage at the Civic Theatre, the beautiful setting of which has seldom been excelled. A large wreath of bronze-coloured flowers and foliage in the name of the Mayor, councillors and citizens, occupied a prominent position, and scarlet emblems, notably the Invercargill Returned Soldiers’ Association’s wreath and a cross of flowers inscribed to “The Nine Thousand” were laid in the centre of the stage. A crown inscribed to Imperial ex-servicemen was a notable contribution, while a large cross from Mrs T. Lockerbie had an important position. Other wreaths were received from the Locomotive Engineers’, Firemen’s and Cleaners’ Association, the Invercargill Nursing Division of St. John Ambulance, the Little Pakehas, the Souih, Waikiwi, North, Middle, St. George and Girls’ High Schools, the Invercargill Girl Guides, the Te Rangi North Invercargill Boy Scouts; Mrs M. Glasson, Mr and Mrs T. H. Sandri, Mr and Mrs Clark, Mrs C. McCash, Mr and Mrs James Roberts and the Steel family.