Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), Tuesday 5 September 1922, page 10


HENRY LAWSON.

STATE FUNERAL.

IMPRESSIVE SERVICE.

. . . They'll take the golden sliprails down, And let poor Corney in.

With those words, culled from one of the works of the late poet, Archdeacon D'Arcy Irvine concluded a touching address on the life of Henry Lawson at St. Andrew's

Cathedral yesterday afternoon. It was in the course of one of the simplest yet most impressive services heard in the Cathedral, at which were present not only an overflow-ing gathering of people of all stations in life,

but representatives of vice-royalty, the Com-monwealth and State Governments, the judi-ciary, and the professional and business life of the city. It was the opening stage of a

remarkable tribute paid by the State and its

people to the memory of the late poet.

The mortal remains of the late Henry Law-

son were lying in state at the mortuary chapel from early morning until noon, and in that time hundreds of people — personal friends for the most part — filed past to have a last glance

at his face. Shortly after noon the casket was removed to St. Andrew's Cathedral, where

again there was a continuous procession of mourners untils the service commenced at 2.15 p.m. Some time before the commence-ment of the service, however, every seat in

the great building had been occupied. The Lieutenant-Governor (Sir William Cullen) sat in one of the front pews, and near him were the Prime Minister and Ministers of both Federal and State Governments. And freely sprinkled among the others who crowded into the seats were men whose dress proclaimed that they had left their benches for an hour to pay a tribute to the man who knew them and whom they knew.

Upon the casket, as it lay in the Cathedral, lay a simple bunch of native roses, and about it lay a spray of gum leaves, a cluster of glowing wattle, and some bush ferns. On either side of the choir stalls, and before the altar rails, were dozens of magnificent

wreaths, but it was by a peculiary happy thought that the simple bush flowers which Lawson loved should have had pride of place.

Speaking with marked feeling, Archdeacon D'Arcy Irvine said: "I have just a few simple words to say, for he was himself a man of

simplicity. We have met to bury the body of Henry Lawson. The community has long found pleasure in his writings, and as a re-

cognition of the merit of his work has given him a high and enduring place among Aus-tralian writers and poets. Credit is due to the Commonwealth and State authorities

for their official recognition also, and for the

inclusion of his name, in the days of his de-clining health, in the civil list of Australia.

"I think he is placed with Kendall and Gordon as the most widely known of Aus-tralian poets. As yet we are not a large community, but in the years to come we will have an Australia of 50,000,000 or 60,000,000 people instead of our five millions at pre-sent, and writers and literary men in those

years to come will study with interest the work of the earlier writers. I think that

even then the human note of Henry Lawson

will still be heard in the land. He rests from his labours. As I conclude on that note some words of his come into my mind — "They'll take the golden sliprails down, and let poor Corney in."

After the playing of Chopin's Funeral March, the beautiful "Rock of Ages" was sung by the choir with remarkably fine effect. As the last few notes of the organ drifted into silence the congregation stood still for

several minutes, the only sound being the audible emotion of many people in all parts of the Cathedral.

So dense was the crowd in George-street when the casket was borne out to the waiting hearse that it was some time before all the mourners could find their way to their car-riages. As the cortege moved off, with troopers at its head, the Police Band, which

preceded the hearse, played the Dead March in "Saul." The remarkable demonstration of public sympathy was not confined to the city streets, where for a time traffic was held up to allow the funeral to pass. As it passed through Paddington, Bondi Junction, and Waverley people lined both sides of the route almost continuously, and here and there groups of school children on their way home stood bareheaded at the kerb.

There were several hundred people wait-ing at the graveside in Waverley Cemetery, before the funeral arrived. As the poet's remains were lowered into the grave in which Kendall was first buried, Archdeacon D'Arcy Irvine read the burial service, which concluded with the playing, by the Police Band, of "Abide With Me."

THE MOURNERS.

The chief mourners and relatives present were: — Mrs. Henry Lawson (widow), Miss Bertha and Mr. James Lawson (children), Mrs. G. O.'Connor (sister), Mr. Peter Lawson and

Mr. Charles Lawson (brothers), Messrs. J.

O'Connor, J. Lloyd, S. Lawson, and P. Lawson (nephews), Miss Edith Lawson (niece), Mrs. Byers, Mrs. G. Falkiner, Mr. E. Albury, Mr. and Mrs. R. Stear, Mr. and Mrs. W. Gifford, Mrs. E. Albury, Messrs. E. W. Albury, J. H. J. Albury, A. H. Albury, H. Albury, F. Brooks, Mrs. E. Brooks, Miss M. Albury, and Miss Beryl Albury.

Vice-Royalty was represented by the Lieu-tenant-Governor, Sir William Cullen, and the Federal Government by the Prime Minister (Mr. Hughes), the Treasurer (Mr. Bruce), the Minister for Repatriation (Mr. Lamond), the Assistant Minister for Defence (Sir Granville Ryrie), and Major Marr, Mr. W. Mahony, and Mr. W. H. Lambert, Ms.P., and Sir Robert Garran, Commonwealth Solicitor-General.

The Premier was represented by Mr. Clifford Hay, permanent head of the Premier's Department, and members of the State Par-liament present were the Attorney-General (Mr. Bavin) representing the Government,

the Minister for Education (Mr. Bruntnell),

the leader of the Opposition (Mr. Dooley), and

Messrs. J. T. Lang, C. Murphy, W. Dunn, J. Jackson, T. D. Mutch, W. J. O'Brien, and A. Grimm, Ms.L.A. The Lord Mayor was repre-sented by the Deputy Town Clerk, Mr. W. G. Layton. Mr. Justice Ferguson represented

the Judiciary. Those present on behalf of the University of Sydney included Professors MacCallum, Holme, and J. le Gay Brereton, and Messrs. W. A. Selle and H. M. Green.

There was a large attendance both at the graveside and at the Cathedral of the late poet's literary friends and colleagues and rep-

resentatives of various newspapers. They

included Messrs. Adam McCay (president, In-stitute of Journalists), Howard Knapp (presi-

dent, Australian Journalists' Association), L. S. Brooks (secretary), H. Burston (president), and R. Evans (Press Club), W. McLeod, W. T. Albert, and K. Prior ("Bulletin"), Miss Jean Williamson and Mr. A. P. Cooper ("The Sydney Morning Herald"), W. Farmer Whyte, P. E.

Quinn, A. H. Hauptmann, W. J. O'Neill, E. Furley, J. Holland, H. Hall, J. Rolfe, and O. Lind ("Daily Telegraph"), A. H. Adams

("Sun"), R. N. Carrington ("Age"), M. J. Shanahan ("Daily Mail"), Gordon Bennett ("Farmer and Settler"), C. J. Haynes and G. Finey ("Smith's Weekly"), P. Harris and H. Mercer ("Aussie"), W. Jago ("Fair Play"), R. R. F. Hill ("Theatre Magazine"), J. Hinch-cliffe ("Worker"), D. H. Souter ("Stock and Station Journal"), Roderic Quinn, Mrs. Mary Gilmore, G. Hawkesley and C. H. Utting.

Others either at the Cathedral or the grave-side included Messrs. J. Mitchell (Inspector

General of Police), G. Robertson (chairman of directors Angus and Robertson), F. Weymark, S. McCure, J. Brodie and H. Ritchie (Angus and Robertson), A. E. Southern (N.S.W. Book-stall), E. P. Walker, D. F. Dwyer, Father J. M. Curran, J. A. Ferguson, S. W. Ridley,

W. Ridley, H. J. Keenan, M. J. Dunphy, J. T. Sheehan, Maurice Walsh, T. J. Swiney, C. N. G. Kobsch, Chas. Collins, S. Hickey, J. Earle Herman, W. Freame (Royal Historical Society), P. P. McDonagh, D. Green, H. Mahoney, Dr. A. Burne (Millions Club), A. Vernon (United Labourers' Union), A. Fry, D. R. Hanby, G. Barry, Brother Wilbred (St. Joseph's College), H. E. Koch (W. H. Thomp-son and Co.), E. Bourne, J. R. Tyrrell, G. Tyrrell, W. Rowley, L. Ormsby, W. Carey (general secretary A.L.P.), J. Andrews, ex-Senator McDougall, J. Tyrrell (Municipal Em-ployees' Association), A. J. Macaulay, Senator Gardiner, W. C. Crawford (president Ad. Men's Club), E. R. Grayndler, M.L.C., ex-Senator Barnes, N. McPhee (A.W.U.), R. Den-nis, W. R. Beaver, W. J. Phillips, G. Free-man, Walter Mahony, W. Eury, ex-Senator Grant, Alderman M. Burke, and G. C. Corff.

Messrs. W. H. B. Caggart (Premier's De-partment), H. W. H. Huntington, A. Cawar-dine, J. Waugh, J. Hay, F. Campbell, A. P. Morris (Ad. Men's Institute), J. Christie, J. M. Power, M.L.C. (president A.L.P.), W. J. Hendry (general secretary Teachers' Federa-

tion), P. McGarry, E. P. McGarry, F. Bryant, M.L.C., C. T. Burfitt (president Royal Histori-cal Society), J. P. Jones, A. H. Newman, E. H. Blunder, Rev. G. Cowie, C. Cutts, W. Owen, W E. Chidgey (Master Builders' Association),

T. Graham Wilson, J. M. Costello, F. Brown, W. F. L. Stratford, J. G. Lockley, and J. Leth-bridge King.

FLORAL TRIBUTES.

The following were amongst those who sent floral tributes: — The Prime Minister (Mr. W. M. Hughes), Bombala branch Teachers' Fede-ration, Forest Lodge Public School, Lawrence Campbell, Sydney Press Club, "The Worker" trustees, Lieut. A. Shepherd, Mrs. Bertram

Stevens, Jack Waugh, Angus and Robertson, Ltd., pupils Infants' School, Forest Lodge, Mr.

and Mrs. W. H. Gocher and family, officers of the Public Library, Tyrells, Ltd., Arncliffe Public School, Adam McCay, proprietors and staff "Evening News," "Sunday News," and "Women's Budget," "Some Fellow Aus-tralians," Pambula branch Teachers' Federa-tion, Mr. and Miss Foy, A. E. Southern, "Sun-day Times," R. R. F. Hill, the Commonwealth Government, the literary staff of the "Daily Telegraph," Australian Journalists' Associa-tion, directors "Smith's Weekly," N.S.W. In-stitute of Journalists, Mr. Harris, pupils Mars-field Public School, Beaumont Smith, H. D. McIntosh, M.L.C., literary staff "Daily Mail," the New South Wales Government, John Dal-ley, Australian Journalists' Association Fede-ral executive, the Teachers' Federation. From the members of his immediate family, "With love from mother, Bert and Jim," "From Gertie" (his only sister, Mrs. O'Connor), "A token from the Albury family," his mother's people, and another from "Mother, Alice, and Will;" a tribute of sincere sympathy from "The Faces In the Street," Miss Isabel Ramsay (Paris), "A gentle thought from France," "The Worker" trustees, and the verse: —

We from the mateship of the past

Of grim old fighting days,

We mourn you, at this tragic last. . .

Your life's work is your praise.

R. R. F. Hill, "The Theatre Magazine;" Miss Francess Ross, "Just a little token in grate-ful remembrance for 'Joe Wilson and his Mates';" a mass of wattle, with the inscrip-tion "To Henry, from his old mate, Tom Mutch;" Mrs. Mary Gilmore, "The Worker" newspaper; Phillip Harris, "Aussie;" and an unnamed tribute running, "For the grave of Henry Lawson, from some fellow Austra-lians."

FAMILY'S APPRECIATION.

Miss Bertha Lawson, daughter of the late Mr. Henry Lawson, said last night: — "On be-half of us all I desire to express our sincerest thanks and deepest gratitude to the State and Federal Governments and all the people of Australia for their magnificent tribute to my father's memory. There could be no higher reward for his life's work than that the love and sympathy of a great nation should follow him to rest. All that he himself would have most greatly desired has been done for him by the people of his country, to whom all his gifts of song and story-writing were dedicated; whom he loved so well; and whose lives in happiness and sorrow he so deeply understood. His dearest wish has been ful-filled, that rather than signs of mourning there should be sunshine, music, and flowers, and the good wishes and kindly thoughts of all who knew him. In conclusion, we tender our heartfelt thanks to all for their untold kindnesses, their messages of sympathy, and their beautiful tributes of flowers, and to those all over Australia, in country and town, who loved, admired, and paid their last homage to him. I would like especially to thank the little schoolchildren, whom he loved more than anyone, and who stood along the way to bid him farewell."