THE SCOTT MEMORIAL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11927, 9 February 1917, Page 6

THE SCOTT MEMORIAL.

mi i LILLy 1 Bid m i uiriOUßi

! TRIBUTES TO THE GREAT EM FIB,

! Ah hough the story '>• the kite Capj tain Scott, and bis companions is trea- ! ;surf.i by a!i parts 'd the Empire as j being a'(Motions addition w, Ih<> luauy I heroic traditions ami deeds of bravely | recorded in the i'r.vnils of th- HriUsh ! race, .Nov.- Zealand, owing lo >'s ge.o» ■ graphical ]>< ;^iii'>ii. has an added mi in AmarciA- cspkroiion and the ! visits to Oliristchur'.-l: <»l ice hue Capj tarn Scold, have rendered his memory i something won- personal than perna;.* ; is felt bv mam- other parts ut the :\m- ; piro- Thai beiim >-o. !r was htmie; I t.li Jit tjio fitv rdmuid desire u> possess I some t.angibie memorial .il'-'Us conneci tinn with ihe -ailniu h-ro. i To achieve thai chp-ei, public MibjscripGcus wore raised, and tins iitter- '' !ioo:i ihe mcmori.d si.itu.e v.;is ioraaliy < unveiled and handed over to the city. '.. The statue a ".id pedestal wore dtsigm J I bv Laciv Scott., widow of tbo ",a|!-,Tt. e.x----i pWor. 'and an- replicas ut :'uoi!ar mo- ! morials erected in Condon and oilier ! parts of the Empire. The s<M.no_ is ' of Carrara, marble, tbo ;.".sb-ta! being of white granite. Tbo Gnitie is beyond I life size, and :=lm\vp t.V> into Captain I Scott in ids Anlarcde costume. Mo is ; racing north. < mhbmm; leal bis yei turn " from i.ll«■ South Pole, and in Ins ! riedit hand is grasped' an ico-stdl. j There i'.ro ihteo stops ro the p-cicst::!, and th" whole forms a welcome adM- ! tion in tbo statu.mw of ( hnstclmroh. | It is llMl-piiv placed !,,- the PaldiS 01 xho Avon, on ihe lawn iVdn:! the Muni- ! ciyvd i"'ham<>o;-s. On the no-Mi side of ! tbo pedestal is an inscribed plat", road- ' " Kobon. Knlron <<;,\l. Caivlain. I Roy:H Navy, who diod roturnio;; from j i.ho South'" I'ole. vii.b .'>., )•;. TVi'son, i if. H. Bower. T,. K. S. Oaies and Iv i I'A-nns. T do not this jonri noy, which sliows ih'tt ..i'liurlisbmoi.' ! can 'endure hard.-diips, h-\)\> one another ! and nioot: doaldi with as great, i'ortii lode a-; ever in tiio nasi. 1 Tim weather for to-day'a ceremony ! was ideal for the occasion, s\nd tb.n'O I wa.s it la.rt'o attendatioe ot i i«e public. I School children. Boy Scour.* and Cadets I wore conspteiious. opaees on the lawn j beint; j-eser\wd for tbcm. | Tl'e <rnard of honour for his ExcolI lonoy wa.s ooiiij)oscd of the Christ's I Collooe (dtdets and ilifdt Sehoo; Catlots. • A.noii;.;sr who oteunioii seats on \ the plaLforni wow. lion ii. I'\ j M.L.C.. Hon Sir (J. llonvn, Ur C. (diil- ! ton, the Mayor of Christi■buroh. Mr i R. H.. l<hof!os ?d.l\, (oionel (diaffos, | O.C.'i'-, M.r A. Hoyio ( nro.ddeoi- of Njh'.v \ Liciitv-aauL-Coloiicl Suoi\. Mr I it. !). Adam] (aetboj.-oiiairnian Hoard | of Governors of Canterbury CoJiege./, i Mr G. 11. Mason (ree,isira.r of Camcji bury Coliojzoi. Mr 11. JC Suitr.li. (lown i clerl\). Mr A. A. Dohson (city eti<:;i----i r r), Mr L. Dirks ((io\ erument. electri- ! cal "niiiiicer;, Messrs ..I. .1. ivinsey, C. ! 11. Gdbv and (>. Seoii. \ dho Ma\<i!\ in opetnno; i.he prooocU- | oorlnu'd tbo circunistaiK'o* under j winch the memorial was erected. The I expedition, witose leafier's memory was thus perpetuated, was of national, al- | most .Imperial importance. The gallant. I band ot discoverers encountered almosu ' datiy treaieiiduus diiliculti.es. hot their i persoverame eiia.'ole<i them to achieve what seemed to be impossibilities. Captain Scot i was a member ot the Royal Navy. Was it any vvondci, when the Navy was oflicered by such men as Captain Scott, that it was abb; '■ u> control the linn navy and prevent ! its appearance upon the Reus. ' Tim Atayor proceeded to relate an in- ' eident of tdie .iutland sea ittid ' recalled some of the notable events in the. h.Mory of Scott's .Atdarctic Expedition, dwelling particularly upon the tragic aiui noide sacriiico made by Captain Gales. -Go quoted from Captain Scott's diary the KaidorA tributes to members of his expedition. Dealing with the forestalling of the polar discovery by Amundsen, the speaker said that this'bad vory probably disheartened the members of the party and contributed in some decree to their tragic fa.low lieu within eleven miles ot safely. lie returned i,ha.)i!>s 10 bis Excellency the Governor for consenting to periorm the- unveiling ceremony, lo Ijaily Scott tor Iter artistic work as sculptor of the statue, and to the New Zealand and Shaw, Savill Shipping Companies and the Department of Otisioma for -assistance in connect.ion with ttio shipment of the memorial. ilis Excellency tbo Governor, in the course of a brief speech, said .that a great number of expeditions bad sot forth both for the Arctic and. Antarctic regions. Probably in the first place there were more expeditions to the Arctic than to the Antarctic, and most of his hearers would recollect the very exciting story of the expedition headed by Sir John Franklin, in the forties. Some of his bearers, doubtless, had person.nl recollections of hearing that story at the time. Dealing with the Scott expedition, his Excellency said that when the news of the disaster to Captain Scott and his party reached New Zealand, he was unveiling a memorial to Captain Cook, and it fell to his duty to announce the, tragic news to the audience. He could see bv their faces how deeply the news affected those present. Christchurch was raising this monument as a memorial of a great explorer, and of .fine- fact that he set out on his last voyage from the port of Lyttelton. Although Captain Scott's expedition was an Empire expedition, the South Ishrnd of New Zealand took it particularly under itis wing, in a manner of speaking, for the peonle of the Island were very closely associated with all the members of the .expedition. Some of those present had seen pictures which had been shown in New Zealand depicting various incidents of the expedition, and these gave some slight impression of the difficulties and dan-

I gers which wore, encountered. Caprain i .'■cell, bad set a noble example. !l s ! soroism and devotion io duty embodied I ::::d imied ihe be.--; traditions of ! :he Mri'ish >'av>' tva.dinons whieh had J i.e. )i h recent- io their minds very forj cibh m '-si'!:: month*. The .speaker I did. not doiib; ihat if Captain Scott. | were alive to-dnv he ivo'.d.l have chosen ;i e:;an:.'--- oi \ eh',; ' ,ad would .have earned i n -h laurels. ill.-;. K\eelleuey then performed tho unreimig cei oniony. Tiie town clerk .Mr H. "I!.. Smith) read the i'oihovaig ivireb>s message he j evevol irom (.;.!»;;,oi »,,vi>, oil the Aurora: '' I'; .lain;.:; as '-\ e -do H'om tin- ,, •■e:je of <'a|iiaiil Scott's ai'ilieVt'meitl s, jve ooeply regret- v. e- are Uoaiile to be jire.-eco. at ihe unvc-iiing ol his me;i'-o----j :i;;i. So- Isi'ias-t SnacKir'mu j'.no- mo ] iit iliaidsing you 10:' your kind icleI '"' J/r Chilton said l.inV- ht> had been i askeu io sn-eak btuau-e iie had been associated w'tth the seteiiihic work oi the late (siplain Scoil. 'lhe main purpo,.e of Captain Sts.n.t's two was st;iei:,;.i.ia, and tho work done bad been groat :n quantity and qnaliiy. Every m.-mber or too la.-, o;:p -. tj r ic-u tva.> beyond praise ho- l it" dexoliou ,-ho,','U by | tli.-m m too: !.--t nig ihe .sCeitiilie rei eortU. thei-.o>y |cs,c;n;>e iheir own ! eliauce.-; of roaeauie salmy. \\ lien Cap- | tain Seoii. wrote Ibe words now iuj ;,; niad on the iissisn iai -si a i tic, he knew ! dial he would n-'v-.-r reaeli his lellowi men tigairi. and yo-;- he wa-; aidi- to say, j"1 do not- regret, this jtuu ney. i; ! Ue;'.was this, diitoojiee i:Oivvee;t the heroism I of tii'- so'dwrs and sailors who had iaiiert i in tho'. prc'-eni. grr-at war ami Hie. tne.n.i hers of' the Seoi t expedition who died. j 'ihe soldiers wore siimulated by a great I national need, and their or-ads were done with, ihe <',\es of the world upon j them, whereas San;.,-; and ids companions worked in siienva, away irom. their fed-low-m-.si. with doitbos r-.1l the time if the story of their solfe-iings Mould ever bo kno'itvt Tb'j- mtmumeni should act as an eneourae-mteni to the citizens oi Ciiristchureh to emulate the spirit of Captain Scott. Mr A. Boyle, president of the Navy .League Christchurch branch, said that those who met- Captain Scott during his visits to Ohnsichiiroh must- have been I impressed with his sterling worth. Had ! ho not died, when he did, he must have I comma tided one of our great battleships j in 'he great world struggle of to-day. i The -'La:-t Posl M was then sounded j by the eoni'mmd Cadets, and the playi ing of ihe National Anthem completed j the ceremony. | Several members of fho committee ! originally set up to further the proposal : to erect a statue to the memory of tho ! lato Captain Scott complain that they ! were not invited to to-day's ceremony, | notwithstanding the fuel, that the corn- ' mittec- has not been disbanded. The | large committee originally set up, after due consideration and after the necessary money bad been secured, appointed what may be termed an inner committee, and. to it delegated the work of completing iho work, and it is the mora- : bars of tiie former commit Ice not in-, ; eluded in the hitter body who complain j that they hare been overlooked. It is I worthy of note, too, thai, some, if not , I the w'jiole of the, members of the Legis- j la tun- for tiie province were overlooked. ! j whilst invitations were issued to others, i who appear hi have less claim for eon-| i .sideration. (