New Zealand

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 195, 26 January 1915, Page 5

New Zealand

"THE SOLDIER'S DYING VISION." A PLEA FOR SELF-SACRIFICIS. POWERFUL ADDRESS BY BISHOP AVERILL. • ARE WE PLAYING OUR PART? Auckland, Last Night. "Can you picture the soldier's dying vision?" Bishop Averill asked his congregation at St. Mary's Cathedral last night. 'What would help him most—a vision of careless, pleasure-seeking, indifferent people, or a vision of self-sacri-fice, of sympathetic, prayerful people, who realised that the men who are dying in thousands at the front are doing so for their safety at home? It is no honor to a country at su«h a time to pride itself in keeping up its race meetings and cricket matches, with blood flowing freely at the front for the very existence of our Empire." ■Bishop Averill said it was surprising to him that God had so insignificant a place in the thoughts of men at such a time. If We were satisfied that our cause was a just one, why were not more prayers offered up for the success of our armies? One could almost imagine that men were afraid to approach the throne of the Almighty and appeal for victory. He was surprised that men did not at this time value more the Com-1 nmnion services, that they did not crowd the special services of intercession. "We are all keen critics of Germany and the German side," said the Bishop, "for its sins are obvious enough, but are we not suffering from overmuch wisdom in ourselves} Are we not playing our part in keeping back the dawn of better and truer days, days of stable international relations, because we are wanting in vision? (After the Napoleonic wars there seemed to be such hope, and there seemed to bo Buch opportunity, for truer internal onal relations, but mean jealousies crept in, in place of the seizure cf the opportunities God gave us. The great man is not the man who sees faults in hie neigh-

bor, but the man who is ready to aft Cli mit his own weaknesses. > V'pf '•lf Pridian.' militarism has over-M r:..lowwl the German He so. that J] and justice and brother* *jf h jod scciu to be eclipsed, and might and \ ■'ripire and ulavery substituted li'.cir place, would it not appear that'l Oo Brit|sh naval strength, commercial-/ might, and comfort have somewhat % blinded our own eyes to the real Vo- A spbnsibilities of world-empire? & "Have we been wise in our own con- yfc coit ?" the preacher went on. "Have not regarded our Empire as tftc darling ?S of the gods, and forgotten one (Jod, the ". Father of all? Have we not been guilty ': of Empire selfishness? Of course, all -,j realise that the slow progress of the- '§ war is the result of the small force we '•• arc able to put in the field, la there ; nothing.deeper? God had to wait for ''.} years before St. Paul's eyes were ■'* opened, -ve is waiting for our eyes to -1 be opened, and for our souls to be ;! awakened. *

"Perhaps we are too satisfied with the ",' little we have done in this country, and j perhaps some of us have required a good ,» deal of patting on the back for that,' '| My friends, the meaning and horrors of '.''-« tliis titanic struggle have hardly come 4 at all to us yet. We aro interested' ■ ';' spectators at a safe distance, ,Jstthßr : than participators in this terrible' * struggle. Judging by the totalisator. ''i investments, we have not given to tho ,*, extent of self-sacrifice personally. Much , } as I respect the high tone of journalism.. ,i m this country, I am sometimes disappointed that the papers do riot rise,ft! higher, and sound a loftier note of warning at this time, and give a clearer call to self-sacrifice in this country. i "I ask you, as honest men and women, '.■ arc we going without any comfort tOf,,\ bring ourselves into sympathet'o touch fl with those at the front, with t' .> e who '$ are giving their lives for our !.. ;}" >■!■] The Bishop, proceeding, said could ■ \ not but admire the movement . i Eng-',[3j land for total abstinence during the, >i continuance of the war for two rear ,"'| sons—that the movement had been ,'| taken up among all classes of the com- ' 3 munity, first as a protest, and secondly ■! as an act of sympathy. It was a prp.test against the iniquitous practice of ' \ "treating" men in uniform, making '% them a disgrace to the King whom they <* served, and a disgrace to their own; ,'5 manhood. He sometimes wished thai; 'i some pf our own soldiers in this country J could evolve a deeper sense of regard ■■ •' for the King's uniform, if they could 2& not fOr themselves. In this way, too, J one might bring himself into sympa* iJ thetic touch with those who were $& standing in the trenches. Many seemed ,;S to forget that they all had to ."g their part in this war. The universal >i character of self-sacrifice of the people 1 behind tie uniformed battalions Was, .in , his opinion, the chief line of defence. If, the people of New Zealand and of the "j Empire would voluntarily curtail even 'j, part of their amusements in order to J put themselves in sympathy with t'.ie jj men who were fighting and dying fop./j them, the moral effect upon the soldiers v at the front, and upon New Zealand,(j would be tremendous. ><& i CARGO ON INTERNED VESSELS. ''] ACTION 01? CONSIGNEES. 4

W«H ! iuj»'i:, Last Might ■<]{ It was recently decided that Gpllht j| and Co. should represent Wellington con.' 'a signees at the conference held in Sydney ;.J regarding the cargo on interned ships. Gollln and 00. have cabled their i| Wellington branch as follows:—The -A conference has decided to send a repre- | sentative to deal with all interned .h steamers, with full power to_ act u J necessary. Will all consignees pre him ,| authority to sign, if necessary, the full' j power of attorney? Preliminary ex- .j, penses will be 1 per cent, of the value g of the cargo, and possibly a further 1% m per cent. Reply promptly. Signatures .| of consignees imperative." • J Later, by advertisement, Mr. •H, Jfc\ j Vickery, secretary of the Chamber Commerce, requests that all consignees ■ i will send to him at once all papers, bills' || of lading insurance policies, and other Jj documents relating to the cargo. 'A'hs.fi committee acting for the which body met to-day, fully that unless united action is taken, the ■ g consignees will experience extreme diffi-1 culty in obtaining their cargo, the German shipping companies will, do | nothing in regard to delivering indlvi-'4 dual consignments. , " '|

THE NAVAL QUESTION. 3 THE WORK OF THE BRITISH FLEET. DOMINION CO-OPERATION URGED. | Auckland, Last Night; .Jj In reference to the important Vftim played in the present wax by the British; J Navy, Mr Alfred Deakin, ex-Prunfc| Minister of the Australian Commons! wealth, when interviewed by a Heraldi reporter, remarked that if the situation , developed on its present lines the navj£ would probably govern some of the important Btages of the campaign, Al-i ready it had played a great part in de-:1 stroying the enemy cruisers which were/ preying on our shipping- "The peace; that reigns in the Pacific at the time," he added, "is largely due, not only* to the splendidly effective work of the;/ vessels of the dome fleet, but also inj some measure to the operations of thai Australian squadron, which they were! naturally proud to be able to say, hasJ lived up to the traditions of the navy. With such results as those achieve ed by the navy before us, the develop! ment of what may be termed a wide naval policy will yet be looked forJ by those who lay to heart the illtwlj trations given us. Australia, Canadi£| and New Zealand will have their part tOJ play, and how better could they do m than by co-operating with a '4ji| tablishing an effective Pacific fleet thail would keep our lands protected &nc|| leave the British navy free to cope wrffl| the great work lying nearer home" ■ 11