EMPIRE IDEALS.

Wairarapa Age, 25 May 1936, Page 4

EMPIRE IDEALS.

SERVICE AT ST. MATTHEW’S CHURCH. ADDRESS BY REV. E. J. RICH. I CHALLENGE TO EVERY MAN. A very large attendance at the Empire Day service conducted in St. Matthew’s Church last evening by the Vicar, the Rev. E. J. Rich, included many returned soldiers. Amongst those present were the Mayor (Mr. T. Jordan) and members of the Borough Council, the chairman (Mr. W. I. Armstrong) and other members of the Masterton County Council, members of the Trust Lands Trust and of various lodges and other organisations.

“On Empire Day, as we review the present 'in the light of the past,’’ said Mr. Rich, in the course of his address, “we see that the men of our race who faced crisis and danger in days gone by were men of character with a strong conviction of the destiny of our Empire, and they acted in that belief. There are latent in people to-day powers and capacities no whit behind those of their forefathers in love of Empire, and in willingness to spend and be spent in her But those latent powers must be brought into the realm of action, and in face of modern world problems, in face of fear, greed of nations ’ drunk with right of power’ we must show forth to the world the powers and the ideals for which the Empire stands. “Those ideals are two—justice and service. To-day the Empire has been weakened in actual power in an honest attempt to bear the burden not only of her own part, but that of other nations. Yet in spite of that weakness the Empire stands out in moral strength, the hope of smaller nations, the repository of a trust which should make us proud of the blood that flows through our veins. In the troubled years through which we have passed, the Empire has been ready to honour her word, true to her bond. The world cries aloud for justice, the thing for which the Empire stands. But justice is an attribute of God. It comes from Him. As the peoples of our Empire are true to Him, the spirit of justice will ever be characteristic of our race. “So too with service. Christ revolutionised the idea of human labour. His ideal of service has characterised the great Empire builders. There is no greatness to-day save the greatness of those who serve. Ours is a great heritage, but great privileges bring great duties with them. It has seemed to many that there has been of recent vears a weakening of the moral fibre of our race. The world looks to us to show in international affairs justice and service, but those things will not be characteristic of national life unless they are found in the individuals who make up the Empire. So the responsibility, and the destiny. of Empire, is personal. Thus Empire Day comes with a challenge to every man to keep his own standard high. Justice and service come from God. They stand for a Christian spirit which is in our keeping. By our faithfulness, the Empire will be the minister of God’s blessing to all mankind. ’ ’ ■