THE LATE MR. SEDDON.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXIV, Issue 26, 28 June 1906, Page 3

THE LATE MR. SEDDON.

THE INTERMENT.

The funeral of the late Right Hon. R. J. Seddon took place on Thursday afternoon of last week. The corfin was removed early in the morning from the Ministerial residence to the main lobby of the Parliamentary Buildings, where the hundreds of floral emblems received during the week had been arranged. There the representatives of the Maori race from all parts of the Colony held a tan^i. A Maori Tr.ngi. Mr. Carroll (Nati\e Minister) spoke a few words in Maori— words of welcome to the representatives of the tribes and of sonow at their loss— and all the time the weeping wahines kept up an under-current of low and dismal wailing (writes the Wellington correspondent of the' Otago Daily Times '). ' Their sun had set,' he said. ' The provider had gone. . The giant totara tree of the fc t rest had fallen.' Here^ .the* wailing rose again like a swelling organ note— '. Eh,- eh ;£oo, oo !' 'He is gone into the dar*. ness,' continued *fch« speaker. 'We vor<c and shue in Ih>s -world, and for what? Only to be snapped and stopped by death. Who can stay the hand of death ?' *.. ,~. The speaker finished, ard the wailing" and weeping continued and increased in intensity. Some of the ' waiatas ' were old chants, the words being slightly changed to meet the altered circumstances. One began thus : Go father to join the illustrious dead, Pluck ye the tender shoot from the flax And hold it aloft in the ranks of the mourners,^ Our greatness, omr majesty, Our pride and our boast, are laid low, Desolate are we left in the Valley of Sorrow. TJe reference to ' plucl ing the tender shoot of tha flax ' occurs in some of the very old ' waiatas/ and re.'ers to an ancient custom that prevailed before going into battle. The tohunga would endeavor to pull up one of the tender shoots in a flax bush. If the branch broke the death of the chief or some disaster would follow, but if the shoot came away whole it was a good omen — an omen of victory. Another pathetic lament began : 1 restless turn upon my bed within my lonely habitation, Mourning for him, the friend -who has departed. Added to which there was a- prayer to shelter the loved ones of him who is lest to Sight from the rough and boisterous winds. After half an hour of this, wailing, Mr Carroll read, in English, the address from the Maoris, which, couched as it was in pathetic language and "beautifully read by him, made a deep impression upon the "few Europeans who were pressent * — •_ To jMrs. Seddcn, in memory of Richard John Seddon, Premier of New Zealand, from the Maori tribes of Aotearoa a"nd Te Waipounamu. Remain, O mother ! with thy children and children's chiMren. Tarry yet awhile in the house of mourning, in the chamber of death. Clasp but the cold form of him who wwass s to thee "beloved. He is now from thee parted. Gone into the dark night, into that long, long God be with you in your hour of trial. Here he lies in the calm maiestyof death ! Rest, O father ! The tribes have assembled . to. mourn their great loss. Alas ! ' the canoe is cast from its .moorings— is energy and guide no more. The red-hued kakakura, the ornament of Aotearoa, the provd boast of Waipounamu, the mighty heart of. the , land, . the moving -sriirit of the people*, fare thee well— a long, farewell l ! Pass on, thou

noble one ! across the lone sands of Haumu, beyond the grim barrier of Paerau, going- before to ' join the illustrious dead. Woe unto us that are left desolate in the VaJley of Sorrow. In li.c thou wert great. Across the wide ocean of Kiwa, beset by the turbulent waves of faction, 'mid the perverse winds of opinion, thou didst essay forth that thy peoples may reap of benefits, that these islands and thy mother race may see and do their duty in the broader spheres of Empire and humanity. Fate relentless, however, seized thee in the mid-ocean of effort, and compelled thee into the still waters of death to rest. Sleep, thou, O father, resting on great deeds done, sujjg that to generations unborn they \vi,ll be as beacons along the highways of history. Though thou art gone, may thy spirit, which so Jong mojved the heart of things, inspire us to greater, nobler ends. Stay not your lamentations, Oye peoples, for ye have indeed lost a father. Verily our pa of refuse is razed to the ground ! The breastwork of defence for great and small is taken. Torn by the root's is the overshadowing rata ! As the fall of the towering totara in the deep forest of Tane, so is the tragic death of a mighty man earthquakes to the rending crash. Our shelter gene, who will 'temper the wind ? What of thy Maori hereafter, unless thou canst from that distant bourne help and inspire the age to kindlier impulse and action. So l)ide ye in your grief, bereaved ones ! Thouuh small our tribute, our hearts have spokrn, oir feet have trod the sacred precincts of the courtyard of death. Our hearts will be his grave. Love will keen his memory green through the long, weary years. Farewell ! ' This,' said Mr. Carroll, addressing Captain Seddon, and handing him the address, which was signed by the Native Minister, the Maori members of the Legislature, and over 100 representative natives, 'is a modest tribute from your father's Maori friends.' Then came another burst of song in that doleful minor key that the Maori so much affects, and the weeping and the wailing commended anew. They were weeping in real earnest now— old men and women, young men and maidens, and even the litt-.e picaninnies— as only the Maori can weep. Then old Te Huki, a Wairarapa chief, grey and grizzled, but with a, splendid voice yet for all his 70 odd years, led his people in a weird chant. He knows the old v/aiafcas as few of the new generation 1 now them, and this was one of the most effective songs. As these wailing cadences rose and fell, resounding through the long lobby, they set one's nerves a-quiver, and even throughout both song and speech the crying of the women, or the low, dismal wailing smote the ear like the sound of a sobbing sea. The women satin? round the bier sobbed bitterly, and men were not ashamed to wipe away their tears. Rutana Ngahine (West Coast), Tirnoti Whena Southern Maori district, \\i Peri (East Coast), Takarangi Miti Kingi (Wanganui), Hone Hek (Northern Maori district), and George Robertson (Canterbury) added their tiibiite to the memory of the illustrious dead. ' Go, my friend, go,' said one grey-bearded old man," with a wreath df green about his shoulders. ' Haere ! haere ! Go ! go the way of all kings and queens and protectors ! Go, thou who protected and nourished the Maori; who protected the weak, and were not afraid of the strong.' The speech was interrupted by a fat and smiling woman, -who, with rolling eyeballs, quivering, outstretched hands, and grotesque bodily contortions, gave the tune for another wailing song. Miti Kina;i, a name famous in New Zealand history, was one of' the last to speak, and he led the mourners in a burst of son^— a defiance of death— that grew in volume and went roiling through the building, the * piercing screams of the women rising above the male voices, and the whole growing fiercer and fiercer till it almost shook the building. 'We defy you ! We laugh at you \ ' they shouted in a mighty chorus, with a rhythmic stamping of feet and a wild brandishing cf taiahas, meres, and green branches. It was the final effort — the grand climax of the weird and sad Maori ceremonial for the dead. Then they filed past the coffin, momentarily bowing their heads, and shook hands silently with the three sons. In a little while there was silence once more in the lobby, and as we walked down between the parterres of flowers we trod under foot on the red carpet the witberine: leaves shaken from the green boughs and garlands of the Maori mourners. It is stated that during the few hours the remains were in "the Parliamentary Buildings fully 30,000 persons filed through the lobby,, pavjng their las«t respects to the memory of the deceased. The funeral took place in the afternoon, and in addition to the immense concourse of mourners from all over the Colony who took parti in. the sorrowful procession, many thousands lined the route to the cemetery. Business was suspended during the whole day in Woliington, and signs of

mourning were \isible everywhere. Offices, banks, and all business places were also closed for the whole day in all ihj principal cities and towns of thus Colony. From two to four o clock in the afternoon meetings and memorial services, at whhh feeling references to the sad event were made, too.* place in nearly every centre in New Zealand. A Dunedin Tribute. In Dunedin a detachment of the Permanent Artillery and Catholic members of the Volunteer force and the St. Joseph's School Cadets marched to St. Joseph's, under command of Lieutenant D. Hickey, D.S.O. Sur-geon-Captain O'Neill and L'aotaiu Hussey were also in attendance. Arriving at St. Joseph's,-4he company proceeded to the school ground, where they were drawn up in parade form. Here they were met by the Rev. Father Coffey, Adm. of St. Joseph's Cathedral, who spote as follows -.—Volunteers,— We meet this afternoon to add our tribute of respect to the memory of that great man— Richard John Seddon— whose mortal remains are now being c< nsigned to the earth in the land he loved so well. On an occasion such as this it ill befits me to occupy your time by entering in 'detail into the- history of his life. That history is lying open as a boo< before you— he that runs may read. Neither do I consider it my duty to pass judgment on his works. The time for so doing has yet to come ; but when it does come I feel confident such mature Judgment will uphold the tribute which his countrymen, of every shade of opinion, are now placing as a wreath of roses on his bier. Rather, do I desire to indicate the lessons which you young men may learn from his life The first lesson is the hi^h idr-al which he had conceived of life, and his ambition to attain it. We may speak of him as Sir Humphrey Davy spoke of himself • ' I have neither riches nor power nor birth to recommend me; yet if I li\ e I trust I sliall be not of less service to mankind and to my friends than if I had been born with these advantages.' This country, nay, the Empire, to-day recognises the fulfilment of such a conception in the life of him whose loss we now mourn. He was 'an active doer, a noble liver.' As a boy in Australia, as a miner in Westland, as a Minister in Wellington, as Prime Minister of the Colony, as one of the foremost men in the Empire, he has shown his faith in the truth that " all man's faculties of mind and powers of body, with the mighty impulse of God's Spirit moving his heart, are given that he should work, that he should show men how to live, how to labor, how to conquer.' His life teaches you young men that it should be your ambition to ' Tetter your position ' always along the lines of justice and rectitude, believing in the proverb, ' To thine own self be true thou canst not then be fal^e to any man ' ; or in * the one taken from the French, 'It is the man who makes the land.' Do your work well, seek to make perfect whatsoever thou settcst thy hand to ; create thy opportunities—do not wait for them,— they will never turn up. Life is one grand golden opportunity from the cradle to the grave. Difficulties develop genius. Have a purpose in life and a faith in yourselves,, and you shall succeed, but never allow success make you forget the mates of former days— the men who helped you to mount the ladder,— a- lesson very pertinently taught by the life of the late Premier. By this indomitable energy and iron will he raised himself to the highest position in the land. He had honors showered upon him by his fellow-countryman, 1 -<by his fellow-statesmen in the other colonies, even by his King ; yet to his companions of his earlier years he was ever the 'Dick ' of the mining days. He was never known to desert an old fiiend, and when opportunity offered nothing gave him greater pleasure -mm to seek out and have a talk with an old miner whom he met, not in any spirit of condescension, but as man to man. In one of his last visits to our fair city he gave proof of this grand spirit, which t<o my mind was one of the secrets of his power over the minds of his countrymen He then found time to visit the. home of the aged poor in Anderson's Bay and the- Benevolent Institution and were you to see the beaming faces of those old' people as they grasped his hand, now stilled in death, and thanked him for having passed the Old-age Pensions Act, you would then see the secret of his power. He lovod his people, and therefore he was anxious to aid as far as circumstances permitted any work calculated to ma>e their homes happier and their lives brighter without distinction of class or creed. Indeed religious prejudice seeks in vain for a home in such minds as his. Strong in his own opinions, he was ever tolerant to those who differed from him. . Hard things may have been said, but they were not 1 re^ ' membered. His heart w?s good enough and his" mind was large enough to sllow for difference of opinions I have not yet touched on what to my mind is the

brightest jewel in his crown ; I refer to his exemplary home life. 11ns is not the time "for P Tying eyes to penetrate the sanctity of the home. Evidences exist on all sides showing what that home Life w a s Hue In the midst of all the hurry of State -and under the plaudits of the people he never forgot that tite most sacred spot on earth was his home with his beloved wife, for years the faithful sharer of his trials and triumphs, and with his beloved and loving children Most of his legislation of recent years was inspired by the desire to make the homes of his people luce to his own— sanctuaries of peace and happiness We to-day, in- company with our fellow-country-men, mourn his loss, but that loss is not absolute, and hence our sorrow is not of the hopeless kind -1 he work of good men live after t-nem, and the example which they gave ends not when the cold clay has claimed its own. Th- spirit which they raised lives on and the world is richer thereby, and we who knew them are proud of the pri Allege. New Zealand to-day smiles through her tears, because by identifying herself with the life of her late first citizen she feels honored and highly honored in the honor paid to him You have set before you the lessons taught by ihe life ot the lonely, fne.idtess ex,l3 in a new comtry by the man full of life and energy and strong of will with nigh amtition and noble resolve carving his Avav through trials and difficulties mtil he wins the respect and homage and confidence of a whole nation yes of a mighty Empire. You ha\e the lessons taucht by the true husband and father, by the patriot breathing the free air of a free country, sacrificing his life in its service. And whilje Aye learn those lessons standing; in sorrow beside the patriot's pra\e, may we pray to the Giver of all good gifts to comfort those dear sorrowing hearts in whoso home death has left a \oid that can never be filled. A Northern Appreciation. Referring to ihe death of Mr. Seddon at St. Mary's Church, Paeroa, on Sunday, June 17 (says the ' (Jhineinun Gazette ), the Very Rev. Dean liacl-.ett said :- lne Ueatu oi Our te.o.ed Premier it, a grtat pm he calamity— not only a loss to New Zealand, but a loss to humanity at large. He was a strcng and able leader, a man of heroic mould and nature, who loved liberty tor itself and who wished evtrylody to en.oy it By his death the cause of Liberalism 1 st its tiied and trusted cneftam, whose public life was one of unwavering devotion and constant efiort for the betterment of the toiling masses. The Dean said h • d.d not 1 imv what particular denomination claimed the late Premier as a member ; his religion was, howe\cr, expressed in deeds rather than words. To Richard John Seddon the whole world was his country and man'dnd his kin. The beneficent laws placed en the Statute Book of the Colony during; the thirteen years of his Premiership would be for ever associated Avith his memory, and a grateful posterity AvotiJd bless his name and recognise what ' A. soAver of infinite seed Avas he, a woodman that hewed toward the lijht. 1 Pore Leo XIH., in his admirable pronouncement on the ' Conditions of Labor, 1 advocated the great principle of arbitration for the settlement of all disputes betAveen capitalist and wage-earner During Mr. Seddon's term of office that principle was embodied in the legislation of this country, and to-day all the troubles and complications of the labor question clamoring for consideration in older lands are settled in our arbitration courts. Dean Hackett referred to a remarkable speech made by the late Premier at the Catholic College, Riverview, Sydney, shortly before his death and quoted several passages, from which we select the following I:—'1 :—' Through a long political life I rune ever made it my aim to side Avith the weak.' No more appropriate epitaph (said the Dean) coild be inscribed on Mr. beddon s monument. The Catholics oi the Colony remember ' Sto' e ' and the valiant champion that stood by its cause until the Judge declared in court thab 'h« Avould not hang a cat on the evidence.' In the same speech (continued the Dean), the great statesman declared that a man s first duty, after liis duty to God \\ S *rH a n ? tlS T m ito,i tO ,, the country that gave h£nl Wrth.' Rererring to Ireland on the same occasion, Mr. Seddon declared if the English pronle had adopted New Zealand s methods of legislation, trouble with Ireland would nev«r have; arisen, and I lcok forward to the day when England will profit by the example of her dauchter, and so restore unity ?nd concord to Ireland.' Today New Zealand mourns her dead leader. We join in that mourning, and exnress our sympathy for the bereaved loved ones at Wellington. -The thousands of telegrams hat have been sent from all parts of the world r?mf denwently ol the Premier's Avorih and wor»d-wide fame. The magnificent Avreaths laid on .his coffin are expressive of the country's gratitude

In concluding his address the Dean summed up in a few sentences the lessons taught by the Premier in life : Love God and the country that gaA'e you birth.. Forgive your enemies and never forget* old friends. Have a great love for humanity and help your fellow-men, no matter to what creed or country they belong. 1 These were his principles to the tnd of his useful life, and death itself will not shut out from us the light of his example. to At the conclusion of the evening devotions the congregation stood during the playing of the ' Dead March.' H.A.C.B. Society, Christchurch. At a numerously attended meeting of members of the St. Patrice's branch of the H.A.C.b. Society, in the Hibernian I. all, en Monday e.en:ng, June 18 (writes a Uiristchurch correspondent), on the motion of Bro G J. Sellers (president), seconded by Bro. J. Nelson (vice^ president) the following motion Avas unanimously agreed to :— That the members of the H.A.C.B. Society of Chnslchuich desire to add their tribute of regret at the loss sustained by the Colony in the death of the late Premier, the Right Hon. R. J. Seddon, and to sincerely sympathise and condole with th- widow and family in thdr time of sorrow. May God watch over them and gi.e them strength to bear up in their bereavetnent ' In the cjurse of hi? remans in pressing the resolution the president said that it is admitted on all sides that the late Premier wj»s a most noble man.- The dictionary def.nes the word ' noble ' to mean high in excellence or Avorth, lotty in character, maemnimous, etc.. and all these terns apt ly in their fifl force to Mr. Seddon That in order to see what excellent and numerous reforms he had accomplished it Avas simply necessary to look back during th 3 last fifteen yea s. Mr. Sellers then enumerated and commented on a feAv of th? measures brought about by the statesman, whose loss they deplored. Among Ihese, he said, are the annuities scheme and the Kill dealing Avith the employment of girls, Avho previously Avere not c n>!y confinc-d too much in the workrooms but also received little or no wages. Then there was also the free-brea' fast s hame which long ago- had bc-en proms d by Sir Geor-zc Grey and Avhich Avould have been carried out by Mr. Seddon had he lived. Mr. Seddnn likewise tco'c great interest in friendly societies, end) this was d .ne without distinction of creed or nationality. In short, c cry word he expressed and every idea he entertained were f<^r Ihe people. He Avas a man of the people and for the people, and in the demise of Richard John Seddon the Avorkers of tlie Colony lal lost their best and ablest friend. The secretary was instructed to embody the resoHition in a letter and forwaid it to Mrs. Seddon and family.