A SEEDON MEMORIAL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 9116, 23 December 1907, Page 4

A SEEDON MEMORIAL.

ST MAIU'S BELLS. CEREMONY "AT ADDINOTON. EULOGY BY~THE PIIKMIKJt. Yesterday the peal of U«ll« «n*Uttl in a new beffry *t. M'"'* " Church, Addingloa, . in imwiK.ry of vlio late Premier, . wua <<v dicated, and a .mwnor.nl Übl«a ™ the belfry was unvoiied by th« IW mier theHonSirJ. (i. VVard. T h<; ,«■«> was a very largo uttomlan«i>. Urn Volunteers paraded, to tlio miinbor of over five hundred, in coniumml «»l Jimiii-tenant-Colom;! HawkiiiH, ami warn drawn up in front of tlio luw wooden belfry which stands a whorl, <Unlnnw from the west end of tho church. Shortly before fcho ceremony bojptn tfio little 'boll which h«s tor ycai-H <Lont» service in calling tho congregation to worship rang for a lew nun u lon, for the lost time . With the Premier there arrived Mra Seddon, Miss Soddon; Mrs W. S. Bean, Lady Ward, «n<l Cuptaia S<sddon, and among other vi«itor« wore tho Hon'T. Y Duncan, and Messrs T. H. Davoy, M.P., Jl. U. EU, M.P., 0. M. Gray, M.P., and G. Witty, M.P. Bishop Julius conducted tho dedication ceremony, and the Garrison Band assisted in th© musical portion of tho service. At tho conclusion of tho service, his Lordship delivered an address on the subject of the memorial. Despite the many be&utioa <>t New Zealand, no said, ono thing was wanting. Tho country could not rival the older, countries of tho world, however plain! and homely their scenery might be, in their wealth of association- New Zealand had no history worth talking about as yet. It took a thousand years to make a history for a country, and a thousand years to fill it with thoso monuments and associations that gave it an enduring interest. Therefore he rejoiced, whenever an opportunity offered for raising a memorial to anyone who had done good and faithful work for God and his country, for, though their growth was slow, it was sure. For a long time past they Ijad been content with putting the names of leading men to mountains and rivers, mixing them up with Maori names and others that had no meaning at all. But gradually memorijals of a more or less lasting nature were being put up, and after a thousand years or more had passed, New Zealand would have every acre of her landj telling some story of those who had served her faithfully. They were dedicating the ! memorial to the memory of one of the greatest names New Zealand had known, and it had a very special significance. Why was the memorial erected in Addington? Mr Seddon was Premier of the colony, and was known throughout th<? colony, and visited it in all part:;. It was not because he was a leading (statesman, or because of his great public services, but because of the more private associations that linked him to the locality. He was drawn to Addington by his affection fpr his sons and daughters, and there he could get away fr. a the turmoil and rush of political work for a period, and find a little rest. If liis name was to be held in honour in New Zealand, it should be not least held <so fox the high estate in. which he placed family life. The speaker honoured him for his work as a statesman, and fox his care for the welfare of the masses; but he honoured him more for the steady faithfulness he showed in his family life and for the affection he showed for those near to him. Modern theorists, socialistic and others, had a tendency to loosen the ties of family life. Socialism made little of them, and so did the individualist, and tho more honour was due to tie man who recognised them as a divine institution and not a human one, as the root of the greatness of a country, and did his best to maintain them. The bells, besides being dedicated to the memory of the late Premier, were dedicated to the glory of God. He had just been told that when Mr Seddon heard th© little bell which has just rung for the last time, and which was stolen, or borrowed, or smuggled from the Addington Workshops, he said it was time there were some bells at Addington worth ringing. His hint was i&k-arx, and it was pleasant to think that his memorial embodied one of his wishes. Men came and went, doing their work; strong brains quieted down ; busy workers ceased their labours ; all things passed away save Him who ordered and directed all, and in whose hands the statesman now being honoured was one. His Lordship then asked the Premier to unveil the memorial tablet on the north wall of the belfry. The Premier said that the occasion was to him a very happy, yet in many ways a very sad one. One had to rejoice at the fact that the late Premier had so enshrined himself in the people's hearts that all classes were anxious to be present at the ceremony. One of the laeb matters that had engaged Mr Seddon's attention when he had been on the West Coast had been in connection with providing a set of bells, and lie had beeri very anxious in his efforts to institute a movement /for the erection of a ohime for his son'-m---law's ohuroh at Addington. Mr Seddon had again concerned himself with the subject in Australia, and in that respect Mrs Sed-don had thus shown excellent taste in the choice of a memorial to him. In literature, many most pathetic references were made to bells, and there was no one who had not some idea of the way in winch they could be touched by the memories of those who had gone, touched by th© chimes of bells. Bells made, therofore, a very fitting and worthy memorial to Mr Seddon. And it was a very happy circumstance tiiat that portion of the world that Mr Seddon was fond of referring to as " tho dear old county Palatine," Lancashire, through the Besses o' th' Barn band, should by their generosity and admiration for him have done so much to commemorate his memory. Mr Seddon, one of the greatest men who had come from Lancashire, had stamped the impression of his mark not only in New Zealand, but far beyond its shores. He bad shown in the truest manner possible that a great democrat could be also a great Imperial statesman, and had combined those phases in a way never before seen in New Zealand. Ono of the earliest things his countryman did after the/ arrived in the dominion ivae to express the desire that some effort by them should be used to assist in honouring his name. To those who had the great privilege to be associated with him for long periods in public life, Mr Seddon presented a many-sided character, but standing out as one of the greatest characteristics of his big mature was his devotedness to his wife and family. Ho was a good husband, a good father, and a good friend in the truest sense of the term. From a Parliamentary stand-

....-....,...., .z^M^^nm^m, jxiiiii. li»-» whs r««««u«l<'(l by all Tiw>n of nil \i\uu\m id opinion an u arwit man and a. Wut, U-wUw, Qua of hi» carwtant VL'itUiliwonla wim '"/unlity of raprescntaliou iurn)M^ (ill nluHHm of tho cornMHjtiii.y, llm nl^hkJ for manhood »uffr«(/,o In il* tvid«M; w,hw>, mid humunil.i)iwuti«i») »tr»«| |M'o^j'ffHft woro always in liih pro^rAinfim, jn ynrioiiM places mem<u'inl« ww«* nmv lifting erected in or<l«r.l;o ram iml tho pwplo visibly that Mr HtuUhn wm omw iirnotig thorn. Ho bcjiov'-'i Umf. Um «mrto»i followed in Kti{/ ( lw.»i4 <«id Ktmrpn of paying tri-buU-a U> ttj"«jtt irxu) Ixjforo thoy passed uwjiy Imkl «t good <|<>d,l to commend it. In a i'A>nn\.ty rw> young an Now Zealund, w)uu<\ liiHl.ory had not had time U> form, it* <Ji<> liiahop had pointed out, tho m<*fchf>fl« followed muKt bo different from tfwfto Jn old or countries: and if in thy lifa-timo of Mr Soddon, tho country had paid him a groat tribute of respect arid put on record tho community n opinion of him. irrewpoetivo of party foi'Jing, ifc would huvo boon of great valuo and help to tho man. Those KUKod in tho public lifo of tho country know Mr Hoddon to bo a strenuous man. who always overworked himself, making ovory «u<;j'i/ico for what ho believed would forward tho general interests of tho community. Ifc wa» one of tbo regrettable aspect** of hw career that what was expected of him by the publie had boon tho means of making great inroads upon hi» physique and removing him all too eoon. Sir Joseph Ward then withdrew the flag which veiled the tablet, exposing the handsome marble plate with ite inscription : " He? being dead yet epeaketh. This belfry is erected by friends, parishioners and the Lancashire Besses o' th' Barn Band to tho memory of New Zealand's great statesman and humanist, Richard John Seddon, P.O. LL.'D., thirteen years (1893-1906) Prime Minister of this colony. Born June 22, 1845, at Eccleston Hill. Lancashire; died at sea, lat. 35deg Somin S., long. 15deg .08rain E., s.a. Oswestry Grange, Sunday, June 21, 1906; arfcat sixty-one. ' Love the Brotherhood, .fear God honour the King.' " ; ; Soon after the unveiling, the chime was rung officially for the first time, in several changes; and some hymn tunes were played. The belfry is a fine wooden structure, built of jarrah and totara, and stands on. a stepped concrete base 18in above th« ground. The structure is twelve feet square at the foot, and ten feet square at the bell chamber, the floor of which is twenty-five" feet from the ground. The whole belfry is forty feet high, and its proportions, general design and colouring give it an excellent effect. The peal consists of eight bells, which are rung by an improved Ellescombe chiming apparatus. They were made by James Barwell, of Birmingham. The chime is. in B-flat major, and the weights and diameters of the respective bells are as follow: — B flat, lewt lqr 21b, lft 6in; A, lewS Iqv 241b, lft 7Un ; G, lewt 3qr 181b, lft 9in; P, 2cwt 2qr 21b; lft lliri; E-flat, 2cwt 3qr 81b, 2ft lin ; D, 3cwt.2qr olb, 2ft 2*in; C, 3cwt 3qr 211b 2ft 4*in; B-flat, scwt 3qr 261b, 2ft 9in. The largest bell has cast on it in raised letters, "R. J. Seddon." The memorial tablet, which is of white marble, and is richly ornamented, was made by Mr J. Hunter, of Christchurch. The belfry' was designed by Mr A. Schwartz and built by Mr R. H. Webb at a cost of £152. The High Commissioner in London and Mr Kennaway took a great deal of trouble in securing' the bells; Mr J. Joyce, London, supervised the contract, and tho New Zealand Shipping Company brought the bells to the colony free of charge.