“The annual spring
parade of divine service of the Ninety-First Highlanders held yesterday morning
resulted in a large attendance of the officers, non-commissioned officers and
men.”
Hamilton
Spectator. May 10, 1915.
The beautiful of St.
Paul’s Presbyterian was accented dramatically by the presence of a large contingent
of soldiers from Hamilton Highland militia unit. Tartans and kilts were much in
evidence as the soldiers sat together in a specially designated section of
pews:
“Rev. Dr. Drummond
preached a stirring sermon to the men assembled. His subject was, Falling Short
of Our Highest, taken from 2 Samuel, 23 : 19
‘But he hath not attained unto the other three.’
“Rev. Dr. Drummond
instanced the above text to show that oftentimes the popular standards by which
men and women were judged were not the best ones. Some men would make a success
of failure, while others were failures in success. While many people were
judged by these popular standards, it was always wise to be careful in passing
judgement upon those who were apparent failures. It might be a lack of a worthy
ambition, or it might be some habit by which they had been brought down.
“Then again, there
were others who having done one big thing in life, fell back on their past
records and were content to boast and brag of what had been done, rather than
look to the future to achieve greater and more worthy objects in life.
“ ‘This might be
applied nationally as well as individually,’ said Dr. Drummond, ‘and we must
demand that high standards be maintained by the state as well as the people themselves.
Men who seek to make political capital in these times of stress should be taboo
forever. We must get above the partisan feeling and rise to greater and nobler
heights.’ ”1
1 “91st
Regiment Attends Church : Annual Spring Parade Held to St. Paul’s”
Hamilton
Spectator. May 10, 1915.
During the service, a
special memorial service was held to honor the memory of Privates Duffy,
Turnbull and Ritchie, members of the regiment, who had been killed recently at
the front. In respect to the memory of the fallen soldiers, the 91st
band, under the direction of Bandmaster Harry Stares reverently played the Dead
March in Saul, after which the soldiers and the congregation joined their voices
in singing Nearer, My God, to Thee.
Rev. Dr. Drummond
also referred to the sinking of the Lusitania, saying “that such an action
against unarmed and unwarned people should be considered little less than
satantic” :
“ ‘It is, to my mind
a sample of the old buccaneering days, only it is infinitely worse than we can
imagine,’ said Dr. Drummond. ‘This is the work of the mad dog of Europe and
Christianity cannot hope to progress until the time that this mad dog shall
have been hunted down.’ ”1
As the service was
coming to an end, Rev. Dr. Drummond congratulated the regiment on the response
of its members which had been when volunteers had been called for the first,
second and third contingents.
The soldiers were
first to proceed out of the church as the rest of the congregation watched,
many quietly wishing them Godspeed.
Prewar Postcard of 91st Regiment on James Street
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