PEACE THANKSGIVING.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVII, Issue 85, 4 November 1918, Page 3

PEACE THANKSGIVING.

THE SURRENDER OF TURKEY. MEETING AT THE TOWN HALL. For, the second occasion within a short period, Stratford residents gathered in the Town Hall to take part in a United Thanksgiving Service, the latter function being held yesterday to celebrate the surrender ol Turkey. The attendance was large, and included the parade of the Municipal Band, B : eturned Soldiers, Fire-. Brigade, Territorials and Cadets. Rev. R. B. Tiusley presided, and was supported by Rev. J. D. Madill, Rev. C. W. Howard and Ensign Campion.

The order of service was as fol-■ lows: National Anthem, Hymn, "Ah People That on Earth do Dwell" j Prayer, Rev. R. B. Tinsley; Scripture, Psalm xxxiv., Ensign Campion; Hymns, "Now Thank We All ' Our God," "Praise to Our Cod"; Prayer, Ensign Campion; Hymn, "Blessed Be Our Everlasting Lord." The Band accompanied the singDuring the service addresses were delivered by Revs- Madill and Howard. Rev. Madill said the coming of tho news the complete surrender pi Turkey had been the signal for. universal thanksgiving throughout the length and breadth of the Allied nations. Tt had been a victory for the British, likewise for the Allies, and he believed also that there had been

a victory for the whole world. The dawn of the emancipation, of all free-dom-loving people had come, «nd there was every reason why they should give thanks to God. They were led to feel that the war was rushing to a close at a cyclonic rate, and ho helieved that shortly they would meet to give thanks to God for a definite and complete victory over our enemies; hut while giving thanks, they should not be unmindful of the brave men who played a part in the victory; of their glorious deeds, and of the campaign of the Ahzacs two or three years ago. When he read the news that the Allied fleets had gone through the Dardanelles he thought it was a fitting conclusion to the magnificent work that was performed by the Anssacs on Gallipoli Peninsula, and of the heroic courage, sublime. devotion and unselfish sacrifice displayed on that memorable occasion. When- the troops triumphantly entered the Holy City, after the successful campaign in Palestine, General Alenby called together the men, and gave tnanvis to Almighty God. The speaker urged his hearers to remember those who could not rejpice and to think of the brave men who, during the last few days, had fallen in the battleline—men who, by their daring and courage, had made the great victory possible, to think of those lying in the shadow of death, a iid those who were suffering pain in body and distress of mind. These had not the energy, and spirit to cheer—they would cheer with the others if. it were possible, hut jt was not, and so in this time of rejoicing, the thoughts of the people would go out to them. Regarding the prisoners iof war, the speaker said he believed that one of the darkest pages of the story-of the war would, be the history of the treatment of tlic brave men in the prison camps oi Germany, Austria and Turkey. He did not think that the news of the victory would be conveyed to our men in enemy countries. If. Germany and Austria had acted as in the past, they would withhold the news that was stirring our hearts to the very depths—news that would so enthuse our men. It, was reported that, of 9,000 prisoners taken at Jyut, oni.y half of them were now left and that of itself proved to the people that the sufferings and privations must have been of. the o: v tremest kind. People should be careful how they rejoiced, on these occasions, lest they injured the feelings of- others who simply could not rejoice, and who were beneath a dark cloud of sorrow, mourning for their departed loved ones. They were longing for the' touch of a vanished hand, and for the j •tones of a voice now still. The tim? was one for giving thanks to Gou» "For H e has done great things for j us, whereof we are gTad,"

:J Rev. Howard, said lie would speak | about Turkey, and put before them '.some of,, the things with which, peri haps, many were not conversant. I Turkey wa,s a far-off. country from ; New Zealand, n nd its history had been shrouded in a»cloud of mystery. Turkey was now up against the Allied nations, because for forty years and more, in the nineteenth century, horrible atrocities were committed on the -people of Bulgaria, which

had made tin; name of Turkey a by-word' throughout the 1 civilised world. In the present war she had gone further in the degrees of atrocities and the things done among the Armenians were beyond description. She pursued a policy of massacring those who did not see eye-to-eye with her in affairs of Government. How did it come about that human beings strove to exterminate a race of people? Mohammed, the founder of their religion, took as the basis of his teaching certain facts which he learned while in Abyssinia, and was the author of the Goran, which was one of the most extraordinary books in the world and the bible of the Mohammedan Church.; It was adverse to our bible in toto, and was unprogressive. The teaching of Mohammed had made slavery exist for very many people; it had degraded the position of womanhood amongst their people in a way which could not be understood till a person had been amongst them. The, propagation of the faith by the power of tlie sword: was also sanctioned. It was the latter point that Germany took advantage of. The German rulers pretended to be the protector of the Mahommedan religion and drew over the Turk to their side. However, the religion had some good points. The mosques were always open for prayer, but prayer was of the most mechanical kind. There was no distinction between rich and poor in the mosque, though outside there was a tremendous distinction. The central fact about Mahommed and his propagation of tlie faith in the East was that he was human, and, like all human beings, had a bias in tlie wrong direction. When he found that his own life was falling from his own commendments, Mahommed tried to square his conscience with the mani ner in which he was living. A deceptive vein had run through the Turkish—Mahommedan race ever since it had sprung out' of tlie desert. No doubt the outcome of teaching of Mohammed had been the atrocities committed. The great lesson to learn ! was that even in the English race } there was a tendency for a person to try and square his actions and manner of business with his conscience. There were many things in our business transactions, and among Englishpromoted companies which, if brought to the bar of judgment, could not be reconciled with a Christian conscience. It was very easy to lose the moral concepts and think things wore alright and did not matter, but they should realise that only. as< long as a man was acting, according to the light of the conscience that God'had given -him \ would he have peace and in no other way, and what Was the use of the peace that they were longing for if they, did Inot have peace'in their,own: lives?

The meeting was' concluded with, the Benediction, pronounced by Rev. Tinsley.