DECLARATION DAY.

Waipawa Mail, Volume XXXVII, Issue 7915, 7 August 1917, Page 3

DECLARATION DAY.

tor,TA,T <a SEEiT v . .hortly after the outbreak of k August, 1914, the late Lord * r publicly stated th»t he was h nr for a three years' conflict, ,rl y. n( ,rally considered that be * C toofar » head - Time has (hat his preparations were ne- ® j or w e have passed the third 2* rv and the end seems almost f as ever. But Britishers arc * Ld to see it through to a vic--9 end and New Zealand will not "hind ' <)n Saturday meetings ' ht |d throughout the length and Ith of the Dominion with the ob- [ carry ing a resolution expressJ inflexible determination of the I to fight on, and nowhere is lay s'R" of "'avering, despite the

fmeeting of citizens of Wailed in the Municipal Thentre itarday night, was largely attend- : . )ro ceedings opened with the of the National Anthem. , Mayor, Mr W. I. Limbrick, * (I plained the purpose of the L and moved the following reion:— Pjxt, on this the third anniver„f the declaration of a right,ar, this meeting of citizens opis its inflexible determination continue to a victorious end the |e in maintenance of those Jof liberty and justice which Ihe common and sacred cause the Allies. dking to the motion the Mayor it hardly seemed a year ago since ppplo assembled for the same The war was still raging, and | the present outlook there was , indication that they would meet , twelve months hence to pass a „ resolution. But there was not jihcr, he ventured to assert, who jlxy down his arms unless he jjtlint the peace to be concluded [he entirely satisfactory to the c (Applause). ,i.K. dull said it afforded him I pleasure to again support the hiinn, hut it seemed to him ne- ,, to do a little more than pass preview the ideals and aspirathat were prompting the British a and the Allies in their prose,of the war. Germany’s ideal, jon record by her public men, u ideal of world domination, an of force, to push their ideal I the unwilling throats of those renld thwart them. The ideal of I Britain was to group all the fly Powers, the spreading of ii'tion and the uplifting of lily. WORLD DOMINATION, i question of world dominance, the speaker, was not a new one. nages old. They could go back t earliest times and find the domination in the records of i, of Babylon, and of Alexander treat, who at an early age wept is he had no further worldß to in. Home and Carthage had lay. Then there was the period gin, when hut for the activities ml Britain and the Netherlands iUfte Charles the Fifth would keen omnipotent ruler of the i world. It was strangely signiIthat the people who helped to Frederick the Great on his i should be lighting so strenuto depose his successor. Napotoo, but for Great Britain, would fcminated the world and been abr master of Europe. ‘ ‘ Such a t,"snid the speaker, “is neceslo allow that Great Britain has (past, just as she is in the prefiniggle, been compelled to free iiirld from the power that sought

ire its dominance. Germany years ago sought to impose its «the whole world, and Britain Intake up the cudgels again, ft for the navy she was unpreI tor the conest. The leaders of it thought had sought to meet reparations of Germany for war sang peace resolutions, and lioldlipe Conferences, and Germany dat the puny efforts we were ag to meet her. But we have the strain of three years of war ire we downhearted 1 (“ No! ’') re to seek to evade our obligaI The very fact that we are fires imposes the obligation re to continue. The position is Ij different to what it was last We have gained n new ally in Ufa, with its hundred millions of k and actuated by the same lot liberty and freedom as BriAlthough the clouds are hangkv over Russia to-day and the fiis liy no means reassuring the Nil find that we are not preIto lay down our arms until we achieved something worth the he already ruade. (Applause), fiance of Britain—the chance of non who in the last three l« of the game, by perseverance geit, snatches victory from Pponeut. There is a tide in the *of nations as well as men ki taken at the flood leads on to omitted all the voyages of •tell nrc hound in shallows and ire. IVe must take the current it serves or lose our chance.' ’ wise). was carried by acelaj*t and the audience heartily the singing of “Rule, BriII ” The National Anthem closed *etinp. fULPIT REFERENCES. ® NEED FOR SACRIFICE. [be course of his sermon at St. ’* Church m Sunday evening ***oll Cullwick made reference Anniversary. The vicar, taking *k*t Zecli. iv., (>, and sketching kumstnnees of its historical conQB » K®ve it as a message to our ®*nd Empire at the present time. * *>Uapse of Russia, our at one Powerful ally, and the apparent r ,on of France were, notwithD F America’s entry, easting the ** °f the war more and more ourselves and calling for ■ sacrifices. The calling up of division would soon be in *" n * a further restriction on our *** and comforts, on our liber*nd on even the necessaries of ®nst be expected and would tax e utmost our powers of endur“°w, then, are we to face the

future! The ordeal of those final stages of the war which will deterinine our title to victory! It will certainly not be by hiding behind our latest great ally—not by going back on our word—by slackening our efforts and reducing our reinforcements. There must, indeed, be the ‘might’ and ‘power’—the men, money and munitions—but if patriotism is to be sustained in times of storm and stress, and in its turn sustain the spirit of the race, it must have a religious inmust be founded on everdeepening faith in the God of our fathers. In tracing the history of this war we find a wonderful confirmation of the truth which the prophet 's message gives. By all the rules which govern the natural order of things we ought to have been beaten long ago. The Belgian nation lost its all, but found its soul in the part it played. French’s array was a ‘contemptible little array,’ yet it has immortalised itself by the share it took in stemming the tide of German invasion and rolling it back from the gates of the French capital. Men, money and munitions we must have, but to keep on finding them and producing them as we drag on towards the last stage of exhaustion demands the deep religious spirit which consecrates our patriotism, spiritualises our efforts and gives us the power to make the supreme sacrifice. The war has surely given the death blow to pure materialism and the worship of the intellect. No one, even in Germany, can now know that the world’s salvation can be assured in that direction. It is impossible not to believe that the mighty spiritual force of unselfishness and self-sacrifice which the war has evoked, both among ourselves and our enemies, will be turned into higher channels for the good of the whole world and prepare all nations to accept the prophet’s message, ‘Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of Hosts.’ ” PLAY THE MAN.

On the occasion of the third anniversary of the declaration of war, the Rev. C. A. Foston preached a patriotic sermon in the Methodist Church. Taking for his text, 11. Samuel x., 12, “Be of good courage and play the man . . . for the people and the cities of our. God.” The preacher enumerated a few things he thought essential ns national characteristics at the present time. For three years we had been engaged in the greatest war in history. All our calculations made at its beginning had been upset. After three years of wastage of life the war still raged, and without being pessimistic, we could hardly see the end in sight. We needed to realise that we were engaged in a death struggle with the enemy. Many were acting as though there was no war on. Pleasure-lovers still plunged into every form of gaiety. It was really time to pause and consider and take life a little more seriously. Not only was dogged perseverance necessary, hut a cheerfulness and hope for the future. Though the prospect docs not seem bright at times yet do not give up, hut set your face like a flint and go forward. The harder the path the more resolute you should he not to he beaten. If you need manhood for patient continuance in well-doing you need it more for patient continuance in the bearing of pain and trouble. The load becomes heavier the longer it is borne, but given the courage to endure we should win through. We fight not only for our own interests hut the interests of others. Let us, said the preacher, not be content merely to inherit blessings from the past hut have benefits won to bequeath as a legacy to future generations. “These are trying times through which we arc passing,” he said, “but if we sink our own interests and work with more disinterestedness we shall emerge victorious. Our old ideals have been shattered but out of the ruins undoubtedly a better structure will be reared. ’ ’

MESSAGE TO LONDON. NEW ZEALAND’S SPIRIT. (Per Press Association). WELLINGTON, Last night. At the Declaration Day meeting in the Town Hall Mr Massey read the following message he had sent to the National Patriotic Organisation Meeting, London:—“Three years of war, with all their saddening experiences, have only strengthened the determination of the people <rf New Zealand to continue the struggle which in the defence of civilisation we have been compelled to enter. It is in this spirit New Zealand enters upon the fourth year of the war. On behalf of its icople I desire to again assure our cinsmen overseas that, God helping us, we shall not be found wanting in the sacrifice and that we are prepared to face cheerfully the trials the year may have in store, confident in the justice of the cause we have espoused and convinced that victory must come to those who are battling in the cause of righteousness and humanity.” KING’S MESSAGE TO ALLIES. UNWAVERING DETERMINATION. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. LONDON, August 4. The Press Bureau states that the King telegraphed to the Emperor of Japan and the Kings of Italy, Servia and Roumania and the Presidents of France, America and Portugal ns follows: “On the third anniversary of the day whereon my country entered the great struggle I desire to express my unwavering determination for the Empire to pursue the contest until our joint efforts are crowned with success and the common aims attained. I am happy in the confidence which I feel assured is shared by you that, untiring, we will achieve the final victory, securing the possibility of the peaceful progress of humanity.” GLIB DECEPTION. A PLEA FOR NATIONAL UNITY. LONDON, August 4. Mr Lloyd George had a great ovation on rising to address the meeting in the Queen’s Hall to express indexible determination to continue the struggle for liberty, justice and victory. Lord Crewe presided over a crowded audience, including Baron Sonnino,

the Servian Premier, Cabinet Ministers, members of Parliament, oversee soldiers and Allied residents.

Mr Lloyd George, after paying a tribute to Italy’s war efforts, said we were fighting to defeat the most dangerous conspiracy ever plotted against the liberties of the nations. We had striven for three years not unsuccessfully. We had checked the ambitions of Germany. The Kaiser knew it was not true that the Germans were fighting to protect German soil. Even now neither the Kaiser nor Dr. Michaelis said he was satisfied with German soil. They talked glibly of peace but stammered when they came to the word “Restoration.” Before we enter a Peace Conference they must learn to utter that word to begin with. Restoration is the first word, then we will talk.

War was a ghastly business, but jiot so grim as a bad peace. There was an end to the most horrible war, but a sad peace went on staggering from one war .to another. The Prussian War Lords had not yet abandoned their ambitions. There must be ,no next time. Let us have done with it. Doa’t let us repeat this horror. Let us make a victory so that national liberty, whether of the small or the great nations, can never be challenged. The small nation must be as well protected as the big. Doubtless the Russian collapse is a rather deep glen we are passing through. We are not store that we have reached the darkest level. But across the valleys he could see the ascent. Russia was still on the ropes, and in due time will come up again. We could not allow a sectional organisation to make peace. The whole nation makes war and the nation as a whole must make peace. The Germans said they were satisfied with the result of the last battle. Sir Douglas Haig had secured all his objectives. We had enough guns to smash the lines on which the Germans for three years had expended willing and forced labor. If the Germans were pleased with that battle, so were we. Let this continue thus to our mutual satisfaction.

Mr Lloyd George concluded by making a plea to the nation for unity. He asked the people to keep their eyes steadily on winning the war.