MEMORIAL SERVICES.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume III, Issue 867, 20 November 1916, Page 3

MEMORIAL SERVICES.

THE LATE REV. F. W. ISITT. At the Durham Street Methodist I Church yesterday afternoon a special service, in memory of the late Rev. F. W. Isitt was held. Mi- H. Hollaed, Mayor of Christch sreh, sain that, as the result of a ,50 jears' a'qvnintance wit'i the late Mr Isitt, he could pay a tribute to him r.s a great hero. The gap caused by the death of the loyal, sympathetic man, who had so sternly and vigorously fought against the forces of evil, had to be filled, and that meant more work for those thai were left. Mr Isitt had been called by some a fanatic, but it would have been iin measurably better for liie Dominion if people had taken I heed of his advice on the liquor traffic. lie moved that the sympathy of those present be expressed to the deceased gentleman's relatives, and rhat a pledge be given to cany on with increased earnestness and determination the work to which he had devoted his life. The Rev. W. .1. Williams said that he and the iate Mr Isitt had come out to New Zealand together in IS7O, A cord of spiritual sympathy existed between them, and they had remained chums for 46 years. Although not a teetotaller in those days, Mr Isitt was so impressed by a newspaper article he read concerning the deaths of drunkards in the Clutha River that he became converted to total abstinence. Although, too, he could have become a wealthy man by commercialising his gift of eloquence, he was always a poor man, preferring to devote any money he made on the lecture platform to the causes which he espoused. Ho was without fear and without reproach. No man could be more tender when tenderness was called for, but his eyes would flash with righteous anger when he was dealing with those who trafficked in human souls and human degradation. His crusade was an unpopular one, even in the Church circles of those days, but he persisted in his aim to rouse the whole Church of God against a traffic which was, in its results, disastrous to the nation. The results of Mr Isitt's work were apparent. There were 12 districts under no-license. But the temperance people of New Zealand were confronted by an insolent foe. Like the friends of C;esar, let them bathe their swords in the blood of their fallen hero, and carry on the war for the cause. The Rev. John Dawson said that his earliest memories of the late Mr Isitt were associated with the great maritime strike. They were then connected with rival Methodist churches in Nelson, but Mr Isitt extended the hand of friendship, and they soon found themselves in Ghristc.hurch, fighting side by side in the Prohibition army. Mr Isitt was a time patriot, a great teacher, and a loyal prohibitionist. With all his fighting qualities, he was patient, persevering, genial, and gentle. During the service special hymns were sung, and a prayer was offered by the Rev. T. Fee. At a special memorial service in the East Belt Wesley Church in the evening the Rev. W. J. Williams preached an impressive sermon on Mr Isitt's life and example, Mr Isitt having been at one time a minister of that Church.

ANOTHER TRIBUTE;

In the Madras Street Methodist Church last night the Rev. C. E. Ward, made special reference to the life and work of the late Rev. F. W. Isitt. The deceased clergyman, said the speaker, was an able defender of the Christian faith, of which he had a broad and tolerant conception. His aim, at all times a high one, was to gather up the lost and the fallen and the overthrown. Tie had, in his prime, combined his eloquence, his experience, and his influence, and ranged them on the side of drink victims. He spent himself geuerously in the service of the temperance movement, into which he entered under a strong sense of duty. He was, at all times, fair, fearless, and faithful, a man of much capacity, sincerity of purpose, considerable personality, and magnetic influence. He was the soul of honour, courage, loyalty, and integrity, and was associated with men whose influence on the side of righteousness and temperance would live for many a day.