Beautiful Ceremony at the Cath-eral: The Two Minutes Silence: Poppy Day A beautiful winter's day, as cold but sunnier than that on which the guns which had thundered unceasingly through all those awful years thundered no more, was the setting for the fourth anniversary of the Armistice in Shanghai on Saturday.
Our greatest day was observed, if possible, this year with deeper solemnity, while certainly more people attended the memorial service at Holy Trinity Cathedral, the principal event of the day. Many minutes before' the commencement of the service, hundreds of people and cars were flocking together at the gates of the Cathedral compound, where traffic was not quite normal, motor-cars being constantly released and held up by extra police officers on point duty. As the hour approached Britons here—and at St. Joseph's where there was also a large gathering, mostly of Frenchmen—thickened.
The poppies which used to de-cerate innumerable bits of holy ground in France were a feature of this years remembrance. Everybody wore them, and they looked best pinned next to long lines of decorations. Next to the poppies, medals were also numerous, Several naval breasts were resplendent, while the bronze and tricolour of Mons and the 1914-15 star were conspicuous on khaki.
Amongst those at the Cathedral were Mr.. Barton, orna, H. M. Consul-General, Mr. C. F, Garstin, Con-sui, and Rear-Admiral Maclachlan, accompanied by officers of his staff, and the Commander and officers of H.M.S. Bee. The Volunteers formed a considerable part of the congregation, while a number of Sikh constables who fought-for the Empire also were worshippers. All the nave seats had been removed and the building was quite full.
The service, conducted by the Very Rev. Dean C. J. F. Symons, the Rev. T. H. Hall, the Rev. W. Robbins and the Rev. A. N. Rowland, was the same as in former years, again drawing its beauty from its sit-plicity. The Cathedral was not decorated, but a magnificent Union Jack, at half mast, was unfurled over the pulpit. The hymn, "God, the all Terrible! and the De Profundis having been sung, the Rev. A. N. Rowland read the lesson. The Empire hymn, "God of Our Fathers," preluded the eleventh hour, when the drums of the Shanghai Scottish rolled. The two minutes set apart for remem-prance had come. No one so much as stirred and the silence sank down on the congregation like a thick cloud. Suddenly it was broken by the "Last Post,'' sounded by C.S.M. W. H. Hearne. The sermon, delivered by Mr. Robbins, followed.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.