A Statesman’s Funeral

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1023, 14 July 1930, Page 10

A Statesman’s Funeral

SIR JOSEPH WARD BURIED Solemn Ceremony at Bluff GREAT CROWDS PRESENT Prctss Association INVERCARGILL, Sunday. SIR JOSEPH WARD sleeps where lie would have chosen, beside his loved ones in' the picturesque little cemetery on Bluff Hill. He was buried this afternoon with full military honours in the presence of the highest and the lowliest in the land. All Saturday his body lay in state before the altar of St. Mary’s Basilica, where many hundreds came silently and reverently to do him homage. On Sunday morning the Bishop of Dunedin, his Ministers and the people offered prayers for the repose of his sou', amid the majestic ceremonial of the Roman Catholic Church, and in the afternoon he fared forth to his last resting-place on Bluff Hill.

As his body was lowered into the grave the low-descending sun coloured the sea and sky until it seemed that the hillside must always be bathed in the glory of him who lay buried there. The thousands of mourners thronging the streets of Invercargill and Bluff and watching the last rites testified to the affection and esteem in which their dead leader was held, and made it impossible not to realise that though he had passed away, his name would ever stand in the forefront of the immortals of New Zealand. Long before midday residents from the country districts began to arrive in Invercargill, the main roads carrying a constant stream of people anxious to pay their last tribute to the great man who, from humble beginnings in the most southerly province of his adopted country, had risen to the greatest heights of statesmanship. The presence at his funeral of such a huge crowd of people, representing all interests and communities, was an eloquent testimony to the high esteem in which he was held. Their attendance was a public acknowledgment of the great benefits which their departed chief had conferred upon his people by his political efforts, and a sign that by many, spread widely through the country, he was regarded as a close friend. So it was that those who gathered to pay homage to the great statesman numbered many who reckoned his personal worth greater than his political achievements, and on the occasion of his funeral felt it their duty to give a final tribute to his memory. JOURNEY FROM BASILICA A softly tolling bell, ringing at short intervals from the convent beside the Basilica, heralded the departure of the cortege for the station. A parade of returned soldiers formed a guard of honour from the portals of the church to the hearse. The Prime Minister and his colleagues, who acted as pallbearers. walked beside the coffin, which was followed by Captain Sjr John Hanham, who represented the Gover-nor-General. Then came Sir Cyril and Lady Ward. Mr. and Mrs. B. B. Wood. Mr. and Mrs. Vincent Ward, Mr. and Mrs. Gladstone Ward, Mr. Pat Ward, Mr. Joseph G. Ward and Mr. Cyril J. Ward, sons of feir Cyril Ward, Mr. C. A. Tipping. Miss Kathleen Tipping, Miss Kileen Tipping, Mr.. Walter Henderson, Miss Lulu Henderson, Sir Francis and Lady Boys and Mr. lan Boys. The procession, on leaving the Basilica, was led by the civic band and an escort of returned soldiers. Upon its arrival at the railway station the casket was carried to the mortuary van and was conveyed to the little town of Bluff. Along the route at each station were crowds of mourners, who bared their heads in tribute as the train passed. At the more distant spots isolated groups had .assembled, hut everywhere there was apparent profound sorrow. SCENE ON STATION The main street and the station at Bluff were thronged as the train steamed quietly in. As the casket was brought on to the station platform, a woman’s voice raised in the opening cries of a tangi wail was heard and a compact body of Maoris, garlanded and with their heads bowed, came close. Two chieftainesses of the Ngahuirapa tribe broke into plaintive laments iri which their companions joined in a resounding chant. the voices rising and falling in sweeping cadences The casket was placed on a guncarriage and the last journey was begun, the route to the cemetery being lined with spectators. At the gates the cortege was met by a clerical procession of Acolytes, clergy and the Bishop of Dunedin. The casket was removed from the gun-carriage and carried to the graveside by residents of Bluff, who had been personal friends of the late statesman, the cortege passing betwen the guard of honour. At the grave, the funeral rites were performed by the Bishop of Dunedin and as the casket was lowered into the grave, the firing party fired three volleys and the plaintive notes of the La«t Post rang out, followed by the reveille. A quartette of pipers played “The Flowers of the Forest,” and the military escort then filed past the grave, depositing tho huge number of floral tributes which had been received. Soon they were piled high on the grave, a mound of fragrent colour that filled the air with scent long rlfter the last mourners had departed and the grave was deserted. LAST MASS CELEBRATED SCENE IN INVERCARGILL BASILICA BISHOP WHYTE’S PANEGYRIC Press Association INVERCARGILL, Sunday. Never has there been a more impressive service in Invercargill than that in the Basilica this morning, when with all the deep significance of the Roman Catholic Church, Solemn Pontifical Requiem High Mass was celebrated for Sir Joseph Ward. The Governor-General was represented by Sir John Hanham and the Prime Minister and members of the Cabinet, the Leaders of the Opposition and of the Labour Party, members of Parliament and representatives of local bodies were present. In the reverent hush preceding the beginning of the service, all eyes were turned toward the casket, which lay before the altar and round which candles burned steadily. Many in the congregation were devoutly kneeling, offering prayers for the soul of him who lay in the coffin before them. The Bishop of Dunedin, the Right Rev. Dr. Whyte, was the celebrant of tho mass and he delivered the panegyric. “We are assembled this morning round the mortal remains of a great statesman and an earnest Christian,” he said. “We are here to pray for the immortal part of him, his soul,

which has already appeared before the judgment seat of its creator. The mortal part will eventually put on immortality, in the words of St. Paul.. and the corruptible will put on incorruption. Prayer alone, especially Holy Mass, will avail him now. Praise will be of no benefit to him, but it may help and encourage others to imitate his noble example. ‘During: the past few dajs one harmonious chorus of praise has sounded throughout the Dominion from Auckland to the town he lifted out of obscurity in the morning of his publiclife. Maori and Pakelia, Pressmen and politicians, civil and military and church authorities all have lamented the loss suffered by our young country through the death of its renowned citizen. All have lauded his ability, his integrity, his courtesy. At the council chambers of the Umpire his opinions were listened to with attention and New Zealand acquired through him fame out of all proportion to her size and population. In the progressive nay daring, legislation which also contributed to the fame of this country, Sir Joseph took a conspicuous part. “BOWED DOWN WITH GRIEF” “It is no wonder then that New Zealand is today bowed down with grief at losing a son who has written his name so large on her history in the past half century. The man was truly great in whom fame and modesty "ere so beautifully blended. Very many people nowadays sadly need the silent rebuke that is administered to the irreligious by men who are at onco Christian believers and men of renown. Sir Joseph’s Christian life offers such a reproof to those who are carried away by every wind of scientific doctrine. “Our chief concern this morning, however, is not to praise him, but to pray for him. Hence the Church brings out of her rich treasury of prayers petitions for the welfare of his soul. fcShe sprinkles his bodv with holy water, asking that his soul be cleansed from sin and be made ready for that Kingdom into which nothing stained is admitted. The fragrance of floating incense is symbolic of prayer rising in its sweetness to the Throne of God. “While w© mourn the loss of so worthy a man wo can thank God for ha-\ ing given him to this voung country as a model of patriotism and uprightness. Ilis reputation as a gentle. ho bore his honours meekly and I who never failed in courtesy or geneiositv to the poor will be recalled even after his political triumphs have been forgotten. By Homan Catholics lie will be remembered where remem - brance is sweetest, at the altar rails and within the sanctuary the many aged people whom lie assisted wiil raise their hands to heaven appealing for mercy on his soul and orphans up and down through the land will lisp their simple prayers for him. Our religious communities of men and of women praying in their little oratories when the world is still abed will put him on their list of benefactors. Wo bishops and priests of New Zealand, grateful to him that his edifying life * nc l death will serve as a lamp to the leet of our people, will bear him in mind when every morning at the altar we ask our Lord to be merciful to those who are gone before us with the sign of faith and who rest in the sleep of peace. “LIFE OF HIGH IDEALS” GOVERNOR-GENERAL’S TRIBUTE t Prcss Association CHRISTCHURCH, Sunday. The life and achievement of Sir Joseph Ward was cited as an example to all young New Zealanders by the Governor-General, Lord Bledisloe when addressing the students of Lincoln College yesterday. “In the person of Sir Joseph Ward,” said his Excellency, “one of the outstanding public men of this country has passed to his rest. “’From humble beginnings he rose to become New Zealand’s best-known statesman. His life is a splendid example of what young New Zealanders -can do. What were the outstanding qualities of his character? I should say that he was pre-eminently a straightforward, just, patriotic and persevering man. That last quality is important, because I imagine tha t there are many otherwise successful citizens who fail to achieve what they aim for just because of lack of perseverance. There is no better example of the presence of this quality in the veteran statesman than his final entry into politics at the head of the Administration of this country. “What are the secrets of such a man’s life?” said his Excellency. “One was his high ideals, with no deviation into anything sordid or unworthy. Another was self-discipline. There is no quality more desirable among those who wish to serve their country well than self-discipline. During the war years we were all under intense selfdiscipline. and were we any the worse for it? Since then there has been a. tendency to relax that hold over self.” TRIBUTE IN THE CHURCHES Clergy of all denominations made reference to the late Sir Joseph Ward during services yesterday. Speakers paid tribute to the long life in the public service for the advancement of the Dominion which had characterised the career of the deceased statesman. At the conclusion of the morning service in St. Paul’s Anglican Church the organist Dr. W. E. Thomas, played the “Dead March” in Saul. Commemoration services were held in St. Mary's Cathedral and St. Matthew's Church, where special addresses were given by Archdeacon G. Mac Murray and Canon C. H. Grant Cowen respectively. Special reference to Sir Jospeh was made in the Pitt Street Methodist Church by the Rev. W. Walker, and by the moderator of the Presbyterian General Assembly, the Rev. George Budd, at St. Paul’s Church. Devonport. where the congregation carried a resolution of appreciation of the services of the deceased statesman. Tribute was also paid on Saturday morning at the Synagogue, where an address was delivered by the Rev. S. A. Goldstein,