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THREE IMPORTANT SERVICES
Artillery Give Thanks for Mafeking's Relief
AT CENTENARY CHURCH.
Sermon on the Anniversary of the Landing of the Loyalists Preached in Trinity by Rev. W. O. Raymond—Carleton Methodist Sunday School Anniversary.
Every pew in Centenary church was occupied yesterday morning and some extra seating accommodation in the aisles had to be provided for the large congregation, who, though the misty rain continued, gathered to the special service with the 3rd Regiment, Canadian Artillery. Under command of Lieut. Col. G. W. Jones, the artillery paraded at the drill shed at 10 o'clock and there No. 2 Company of Carleton joined. The Artillery band played the regiment to church.
Arrived there, the front seats in the main and left Bide aisles were occupied by them. In the right aisle front sat Chief Justice Tuck, Mayor Daniel, a number of the aldermen and civic officials. They were present by invitation. The pastor's reading desk was mass of flowers and large British flags were on either side of the platform. The music by the choir was exceptionally good.
The pastor of the church. Rev. John Read, conducted the service, which opened with the doxology. The lessons were the 76th Psalm and the 6th chapter of Paul to the Ephesians, from the 10th verse.
Rev. Mr. Read preached an excellent sermon from Isiah lxi—1: “The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord hath anointed me ” He said that liberty is heaven born and was the inalienable right of all human beings and it was the adorable Redeemer of mankind who introduced liberty into the world. The ancient prophets were the pioneers in proclaiming it to the world, as a review of history would show without doubt. Liberty lifted the people up and because of this the prophets were not popular but were looked at askance; only when the nation was in distress did they look to the prophet, but in the palmy days of the nation, not the first to be called on was the prophet of the Lord, for he proclaimed equality, liberty, justice and progress. The present civilization was but the practical outcome of that liberty proclaimed by the prophets in the lands where God placed them as messengers from heaven.
When Jesus came, He fulfilled the prophecies, and the liberty. He established was perpetuated in the church. Liberty was the watchword of the Anglo-Saxon today. The Anglo-Saxon was not such without this spirit, and no matter where he lived, if these characteristics were his, they also became his credential*. The propagation of liberty had been through sacrifice. God on the cross paid the penalty of bringing liberty into the world. He came to open the prison doors behind whose tars poor, stricken, suffering humanity was incarcerated; to strike off the shackles of sin and give liberty from evil and iniquity; and also to bring human or civil liberty. Christ and the church stood for this always. Rut look at the sacrifices. Whenever liberty was put under, or the rights of people were interfered with sacrifices were necessary to restore it. When it came to the British mind that slavery was wrong, deliverance was raised up and the records of those years showed liberty in every blow. He thanked God we were children of such glorious ancestry for in all avenues of life there were the footsteps of those who had given themselves for liberty.
Lands that were blessed the highest had duties to perform and one was to distribute these to others. The strong must protect the weak. When the liberty of one fraction or a whole country was menaced, it was some one’s business to interfere and re-adjust matters, so that liberty should be restored. No class had a right to do as they pleased- In this struggle our own vast Empire largely shared. God gave a superior light to the Anglo-Saxons and it must not be kept under a bushel, but be as a torch on the hill top till all saw and wondered.
We were realizing this more and more fully as a people. It was in response to a voice from heaven that the first gun was fired in the Spanish-American war, and our gun was the second in the present day struggle for liberty. We believed our present warfare was an inspiration from heaven. If the Master were here. He would have His people fight for liberty. He would avert any dreadful catastrophe, by leading out His hosts and cause them to fight for liberty and freedom. We talk about the end of the war, but there could be no permanent peace until the last tribe which delights in war shall be Christianized and elevated to the moral standard of the New Testament. This work is before the Anglo-Saxons and God commands us to keep up this march until the whole earth shall have liberty. The opponents to Jesus Christ and liberty must give away.
Turning aside for a few moments, be wondered how our brothers in South Africa endured their trials and privations. The Boers had been the aggressors in this war. Did the British invade the country of a peaceable enemy and besiege their cities? So far to the contrary was the case that Britain had not thought it worth while to arm her people in the British colonies in South Africa, with one of the modern weapons, whilst the Boer arsenals were • filled with the best that nations like Germany and France could produce. For years they were preparing and yet the British were said to be aggressors. Under the conditions, the wonder was that the Boers had not swept every British subject into the sea. He wondered that the first contingent arriving in Africa from England found a British citizen in the land.
He referred to the Canadians as having become veterans. "They represented and stood for you,” he said. We were thankful for such brothers. We wept over the fallen and felt they would never be forgotten. What those from the 3rd R. C. A. have done was honor for the regiment; what New Brunswick boys had done, was honor to all the force in the province. He had moved at the meeting on Ladysmith day that 10,000 more men be sent by Canada, and he now felt like emphasizing that resolution if the mother country needed them. Pointing to the British flag he said as the cross of Jesus Christ brought liberty to the world, so that flag with its cross shows a declaration and pledge of liberty, and that no slave could live on British soil.
The musical portion of the service was, as already observed, exceptionally good. The opening voluntaries, played by Miss Hea, were Adoration, by Lemmens and The Lord is Mindful of His Own, by Mendelssohn. The closing voluntaries were Handel’s Hallelujah chorus, and Allegro Vivoce, Mozart. While the offering was being taken the Artillery band played a selection from Martha, Flowtow. In Marsden’s anthem, The Lord is King, which was admirably sung, the solos were taken by Miss Jennie Trueman, Mr. G. S. Mayes and Mr. W. A. Kain.
Leaving the church the Artillery reached the drill shed by way of Princess, Charlotte, Germain and St. James streets. They made an excellent turnout, bring within three of their greatest parade number. The representatives of the city present at the service were Mayor Daniel, a number of the aldermen, Recorder Skinner, Common Clerk Ward roper, Chamberlain Sandall and Chief of Police Clark. They met at Mayor Daniel’s house and were marshalled to the church and seats by Chief Clark.
Carleton Methodist Sunday School.
The 58th anniversary of the Carleton Methodist church Sunday school was celebrated yesterday afternoon in the church. The services were commenced with a selection by the infant class, after which a hymn was sung. Prayer was offered by the pastor, Rev. Mr. Penna. This was followed by responsive readings from 103rd Psalm by the school. A selection was rendered by a quartette composed of Misses Maida Baskin, Ethel Cheyne, Blanche Hickson and Ethel McLaren.
Miss Etta M. Lane, the secretary, reported that the enrollment showed a membership of 289 scholars, teachers and officers, divided as follows: Twenty-nine officers and teachers, 54 adults, 97 intermediate and 109 primary. The highest attendance during the year was on April 29, the attendance being 216; the lowest being on December 10. The day was stormy and only 80 were in attendance. The average attendance for the year was 170. Last year there were 281 enrolled, making an increase of eight members.
There is a home department in connection with the school with 46 members belonging. The catechism has been introduced into the class of intermediate scholars.
The officers of the school are Mr. Enoch Thompson, superintendent; Mrs. E. C. Hickson, assistant superintendent; Miss Mary C. Beatteay, treasurer; Mr. William Johnson, librarian; Miss Louise Beatteay and Mr. B. C. Holder, assistant librarians; Miss Meta, Brittain, organist; Miss Elizabeth Beatteay, superintendent of home department and Miss Etta M. Lane, secretary.
Miss Beatteay, the treasurer, reported that the total receipts were $312.97, of which $27.78 was sent to missions.
After a primary lesson and singing by the infant class, Mr. R. G. Murray delivered an address on Sunday school work and the service was brought to a close with the singing of a hymn.
Loyalist Day Service.
Loyalist day was observed by special service in Trinity church last evening, under the auspices of the Loyalist Society, who attended in a body and occupied seats in the front of the church.
Dr. William Bayard, who for years has held the office of president of the society, and vice-presidents, Dr. A. A. Stockton and W. P. Dole, were foremost among the gathering. The congregation was unusually large, and the service was simple, yet impressive, and was in every way in keeping with the commemoration of the eventful May 18th, 1783. Every seat in the church was taken. The music was an especial feature, there being a full choir in attendance.
Rev. W. O. Raymond of St. Mary's church, and chaplain of the society, preached as follows from I Kings viii—40: “The land which thou gavest our fathers.”
Gathered together, he said, here this evening, in the church whose immediate predecessor was built by the hands of the Loyalists themselves, and under the auspices of a society founded to cherish their memory and recall the virtues of the brave band of men and women, who on the memorable 18th of May, 1783, here established themselves, one must be surely wanting in some of the most essential qualities of manhood, who does not find some measure of inspiration, in the service in the theme.
The preacher pointed out that the founders of any community were worthy to be held in loving remembrance, but this was particularly so in the case of the Loyalists, who sacrificed all their worldly prospects, at the call of duty as they deemed it. He outlined the leading features of the historic struggle, which led to the immigration of the Loyalists, and showed that the attitude of that body, had been largely misunderstood.
They felt all the grievances under which the colonies labored, equally with the fellow countrymen who took up arms, but wished to fight the battle for the redress their grievances with such powerful weapons which proved successful before, as they have proved successful since under similar emergencies—freedom, speech, pen and press.
On the floors of the British House of Commons they had powerful advocates in William Pitt, Edmund Burke and others, and they looked for an anticipation of the difficulties in a constitutional manner, but a last royal folly in England and demagogic fanaticisms, eagerly joined hands to prevent a peaceable settlement of the dispute which brought about a bloody civil war, and effected a termination of quarrels unlooked for by either party at its commencement.
The reverend gentleman related the story of the coming of the Loyalists, in detail, illustrating the tame with many pleasing incidents.
He spoke of the hardships the Loyalists endured immediately after their arrival, and of their characteristics. They were, he said, people of integrity who were most loyal to their earthly sovereign and possessed many other qualities which should challenge our admiration.
In conclusion Mr. Raymond spoke of the spirit shown by the Canadians in the war in South Africa, and more especially to the relief of Mafeking, and closing quoted the following lines from Tennyson:
Sharers of the glorious past,
Brothers must we part at last?
Shall we not through good and ill
Cleave to one another still?
Britain’s myriad voices call,
Sons bewildered one and all,
In to one Imperial whole
One with Britain, heart and soul;
One life, one flag, one fleet, one throne,
And God Guard All.
The service closed with the singing of the National Anthem.