H.M.S. PROMETHEUS.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13491, 13 January 1908, Page 2

H.M.S. PROMETHEUS.

CHURCH PARADE. A beautiful sunny morning ytsterday favoured an interesting noveity in the Sunday liie of Timaru; a Naval Church Parade. Oflicers and men of H.M.S. l-rometheus, tfow in harbour, came ashore to attend morning service at different churches, and a considerable number of people assembled at the harbour to we thein land and march away. About 12J ofliceis and men landed, and divided into three; parties. The first, a small one, was to break up to attend various churches in small numbers; the largest company,, headed by the Garrison Band, marched to St. Mary's; the third, about forty, were led by the Marine Band to the Catholic Church. About sixty blue jackets with several officers, anil a dozen red-coated, white-helmeted mariwt> attended St. Mary's,' where there was a congregation •tilling tlie building. The men-o'-war's men were seated in a body at the wtst end of the church, and were, supplied with printed slips of the hymns to be sung. \VeIJ-known tunes were selected, and it was observed that many of the visiti-n; writ- quit.- familiar with them, and did a good t-.hare of the congregational i;inging. And this was observed at the. other churches also. After the services the men were foinied up again, and marched back to the harbour by the bands, and accompanied by many (icople inteieVted in tlie. unwonted sight here ol blue jacket.; on the march.

The Ven. Archdeacon Harper conducted the service at St. Mary's, and preached tin interesting Germon from the text, Eph. vi., 5, "Finally my brethren, be strong in the Lord." If every person w.i-c promised by an adequate power the fulfilment of his one highest wish, thrivwould, he said, be great diversity in the choice that would be made. 'lhe wise choice would be, not wealth, fame, success-, or power, but something persona!— strength of body, mind ,and spirit, that could not be kot. There was nothing that a man admired more sincerely in another than a strong j>ersonality, a stable diameter, more valuable than all the gold and jewels in the wrrld. He thought of that in connection with the fact that they were that morning -welcoming to! their service representatives of the splendid British navy, the great merit of which was its pergonal character. It was this, and not the material navy, that counted. It was tliis that had counted throughout the long history of the British navy. For the beginning of that history they must go back over a thousand yean;, to the days of King Alfred, when Great Britain was very much a wilderness, as South Canterbury was fifty or sixty years ago. !n those days the fierce Northmen of Denmark descended upon the. land, in their long, single-sail-d boats, and ravaged the coasts of the east, south and west, becoming mi-.wtt-is of the land because they were iii;.o.-=-iv of the sea. In the midst of the distr.ss of the country God raised up a mighty in.iii great in skill, in courage, in character. King Alfred, one of the greatest kings Britain has known. He built tihip*. trained men <n shore, and in a short, time swept the sea clear of .northmen, and by the skill of lib sailor.- allowed Great J>ritain for many a long year to go on in peace and prosjJerity. K.ng Alfred was not only a great .-Inpbttii.ier, warrior, strategist ; lie was also a man of deeply leligious character, and was spoken of with incieasing emphasis, as Sailor, as King, as Father of his People, as the Truth-teller; and pie-eminentfy as Alfred the Good. That was not the place or the time' to tell the long stoiy subsequent history of the British Navy, or to show the need for a navy for the protection of the national life, but ha would remind them of the greater need for a powerful navy in the case of an Empire comprising many lands scattered over the wide oceans. A writer of Queen Elizabeth's time was quoted, on the importance of the command of the seas as the security for national liberty—and the more important in view of Britain's possessions in the two Indies. How much greater was this importance now, -when Britain had manifold possessions all over the world, was perhaps better understood by New Zealanders than by people at Home, ffhe necessity for maintaining a strong navy could not be denied, for the old proverb was undoubtedly true: "If you want peace, be ready for war." Thai was as true to-day as in the days of King Alfred. And in her splendid and übiquitous navy. Great Britain was applying that proverb. What was wanted most in the navy was strength, material and personal. They had the material strength, in the best ships that could be built, the most powerful longrange guns, everything in fact that science could devise" or skill construct, combinations that King Alfred, or even Nelson, could they'see them, would think .«u|>erhuman. "They had also the personal strength, in character and discipline, which would give the victory over superior material force that lacked that strength. The character he spoke «.f was not the result of drill, not- mere mechanical ol>edience. It was what- St. Paul was thinking of when he said "be si long in (he Lord." It was a result of

true religion, by which soldier or sailor, officer or bluejacket, sovereign or subjectruled his bodv in temperance sobriety, his whole life "in self-iespeet. controlling animal instincts, keeping a- light band upon all passions; full of self-respect, because of the fear of Cod. and unforgelful thai, man is destined for a future life. In perils of storm, in horrors of war, many examples had been given of calm fortitude bv men who in that spirit hud devoted their lives to the service of their countrv. and this was possible to everyone and the duty of everyone, called to any position whatever in the service of the Kmpire. on land or sea. in the navy in the annv. or in civil life. Let- each and all. finally, "be strong in the Lord.