SETTLERS' SUNDAY.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVI, Issue 45, 22 February 1905, Page 9

SETTLERS' SUNDAY.

A MINISTER'S VISIT TO THE '-BACKBLOCKS." (By the Rev. W. Thompson.) Settlers' Sunday dawned clear and bright in this district, aud gave promise of a glorious day. By seven o'clock I was in the saddle, where I had not been for four years previously, and a residence of three years in Fiji did not make for muscle. I had, however, a good sturdy mare for a mount. The previous night she had fed luxuriously under the sbudow of the kirk, and so ought to have benefited by Church rites.

Several of my musical parish ioners, solicitous for my safety, had resolved to see mc "through the bush."

Away we rode in the rrcsh morning air in good spirits, anxious to make the paw v hile it was possible. My companions were all well mounted, and, being colonials, quite at home in the saddle. I realised that I had a hard task before mc if I was to keep up with them. My good mare, however, refused to be left behind, and ride they as they might the mare and I were there. My eompanitms voted mc a fraud, for saying I could not ride. But I earue, like John Gilpin, "because my horse would come." Silence was ray answer to their impeachment; but it was not the "silence that gives consent," but that -which came from want of breath.

I had arranged for sen-ices at Cabbage Bay and Amodco Bay. I had heard a good deal, during the spring months, of the terrible roads which led to these outlying districts. A pawky Scotch friend who had just returned from Cabbage Bay assured mc. that things were better than they had been on. his former visit. A naughty twinkle in his eye, as he mentally gauged my girth and weight, told mc, however, that I had a rough time before mc. After a canter of a few miles, we got on to the mountain track—a track so narrow that we wore compelled to negotiate.it in Indian file. Very scon we were in the very heart of beautiful bush scenery. So tortuous was the tmck, and so thick the foliage, that one could see nothing but bush beyond a fow yards. Ever and anon, however, I got glimpse? of my companions in a break of the bush, and the ladies in their flowing riding habits, with the beautiful dark green fern trees as a background, showed to advantage, things of life and beauty 'mid Nature's glorious adonirags.

Scotsman as I am, and one who has seen U:e "Pass of Killiecrankin," the pieces de resistance of Scottish scenery, for beauty and grandeur and awesomeness commend mc to this mountain track, over which we were now wending our way. We had to hug the mountain slope very closely, for a, step too near the edge of the track on the other side suggested terrible possibilities. This secured us a morning bath from the overhanging fern trees, which shed their dew-drops in literal showers on us as wo crept closely, for safety, to the sloping bank on our right. A.s we picked our -way carefully over the rough but now hardened track, I could not help noting the spots which many a traveller had found difficulty in negotiating during the winter and spring , months. One musical acquaintance of mine had made several journeys to Cabbage Bay in lite kte spring, and

we had discounted Ms graphic descriptions of hair-breadth/ escapes. He was a. "'holy Roman," but had shown his broad-mindedness by giving us a solo or two at our services in the Presbyterian Church. His was a very erratic one, and as I now crept carefully along, and marked the many evidences of stress of travelling during the softer portions of the year, my friend's storiee did not seem so improbable, I could imagine the places where he had left many an "Aye Maria," and some slips down the slopes suggested his "Lost Chord." For if his steed had not been sure-footed he had most surely found that "Lost Chord" down in the "Abysses" and "Eternities" at the foot of the valley. Should Bishop Neligan ever make the journey to Cabba*e Bay, I would recommend him, if he will allow mc. to have the "Athanasian Creed" handy if he wants to relieve his feelings. •As Presbyterian minister. I found the "Cursina MSS." effective whenever I negotiated a niore than ordinary dangerous bit. At length, however, "vve got to the iop of the track, over a, thousand feet above the sea level, and began the down grade. "Facilis decensus Averni," says the Roman poet. That, may be; but tho descent to Cabbage Bay did no£. prove faeilis in any sense of the word. We had now, too, to face the blazing sun, with no kindly foliage to screen us from its scorching rays. Through it all, however, we slithered and slipped, and at length found ourselves in a beautiful valley, through which flowed a trickling stream. We rested a bit to breathe our panting horses and no less panting selves, and to recount the "dangers we had passed." A pleasant ride of several miles along the shady stream brought us at length to Cabbage Bay Settlement. We had been in the saddle for exactly three hours. My friends at Coromandel had predicted four hours for mc; but, as Pat says, "one never knows what he can do tUI he tries." The service had been fixed for eleven o'clock, but there seemed to be few signs of churchgoers. A few Maoris were about, and showed their usual curiosity at the advent of strangers. From what I had heard of Cabbage Bay In Coromandel I did not anticipate much of a gathering for service. This district has fallen into the hands of a body of religionists who call themselves, par excellf.net'. '•Christian Brethren" (genus Plymouth ftocks according to some irreverent scientific authorities), or, more confmonly. Plymouth Brethren. These have erected a small hall in the settlement, and hold services from Sun-day to Sunday. A board at the entrance of the hall announces the fact that the "Gospel of the Grace of God" is preached there. From what I could gather they imagine that this Gospel cannot be preached anywhere else. Settlers' Sunday evidently did not, appeal to their Christian idea of things. We had a fair gathering of representatives of various churches in Gaudio's Hall, kindly granted for the occasion by Mr Gaudie. The services were evidently appreciated, and hopes were expressed that I might find it convenient to visit the Bay on some future occasion, when they assured mc there would be a larger congregation. We were most hospitably entertained by our Cabbage Bay friends, and afteT an hour's rest left for Amodeo Bay, where we were clue for 3 p.m. service. We made inquiries of some Maoris as to the distance thither, and were glibly assured that it was only three miles away. Alas, -we found the mile to he thp proverbial Scotch mile—the "bittock" being the longer, as usual.

"Cursina MSS." effective whenever I negotiated a niore than ordinary dangerous bit. At length, however, we got to the iop of the track, over a thousand feet above the sea level, and began the down grade. "Facilis decensus Averni," says the Roman poet. That, may be; but tho descent to Cabbage Bay did no£. prove facilis in any sense of the word. We had now, too, to face the blazing sun, with no kindly foliage to screen us from its scorching rays. Through it all, however, we slithered and slipped, and at length found ourselves in a beautiful valley, through which flowed a trickling stream. We rested a bit to breathe our panting horses and no less panting selves, and to recount the "dangers we had passed." A pleasant ride of several miles along the shady stream brought us at length to Cabbage Bay Settlement. We had been in the saddle for exactly three hours. My friends at Coromandel had predicted four hours for mc; but, as Pat says, "one never knows what he can do tUI he tries." The service had been fixed for eleven o'clock, but there seemed to be few signs of churchgoers. A few Maoris were about, and showed their usual curiosity at the advent of strangers. From vrhoi I had heard of Cabbage Bay In Coromandel I did not, anticipate much of a gathering for service. This district has fallen into the hands of a body of religionists who call themselves, par pxcpllf.net'. '•Christian Brethren" (genus Plymoiil.il ftocks according to some irreverent scientific authorities), or, more commonly. Plymouth Brethren. These have erected a small hall in the settlement, and hold services from Sun-day to Sunday. A board at the entrance of the hall announces tho fact that the "Gospel of the Grace of God" is preached there. Prom what I could gather they imagine that this Gospel cannot bo. preached anywhere else. Settlers' Sunday evidently did not, a-ppcal k> their Christian idea of things. We had a- fair gathering of representatives of various churches in Gaudio's Hall, kindly granted for the occasion by Mr Gaudic. The services were evidently appreciated, and hopes were expressed that I might find it convenient to visit the Bay on some future occasion, when they assured mc there would be a larger congregation. We were most hospitably entertained by our Cabbage Bay friends, and afteT an hour's rest left for Amodeo Bay, where we were clue for 3 p.m. service. We made inquiries of some Maoris as to the distance thither, and were glibly assured that it was only three miles away. Alas. %ye found tho mile to be the proverbial Scotch mile—the "bittock" being the longer, as usual. The ride to Amodeo Bay was a painful repetition of our first journey, only part of the road was worse, .and we had in addition the sun at its hottest to contend -with. After an hour and a-half's ride we reached our destination, and 1 must confess that L felt more inclined for bed than for preaching. Half an hour's rest, however, in an ea.sy-ehair, and a refreshing draught from the crystal spring, made mc sufficiently lit for work. Amodeo Bay lies in a sheltered nook considerably west of Cape Colville. It is a very small settlement, but there are a considerable number of Maoris in the district, some gum-digging and others having settled homes, with the usual vegetable patches and very good orchards. The bay is named after the lato Captain Amodeo. We had a most hearty welcome from the settlers here. Young and old had gathered for the service, which was held in the little schoolhouse of the settlement. The room was quite filled, some. Maori children being among the number, and, to my astonishment, a young nati,ve of Samoa, who had drifted thither far from his island home. The service was a hearty and enjoyable one. The. children, were well up in Saukey's hymns and sang most lustily. Tt is needless to describe the journey borne. It was a case of dangers per mare, per teuajn. All experienced enough to make us thankful that our lot was not cast in the "back blocks" especially in winter. I brought sufficient mud borne to convince my friends that a journey to the back blocks, even at the end of summer, is no easy matter. The oM military foiius in the Highlands of Scotland, were vastly superior to anything I saw on Settlers' Sunday. Of them the old couplet sings:—

"Had yo r-cen tliese roaUs before they were inado. "Ye'd thank your stars and bless General Wade.

Seddon's roads, even , when made, deserve no bJeesing but the opposite. It wouJd do him good to be ordered by his physi.cian to traverse these road's to the "Black-blocks." It would probably make him forthwith semi some of his superfluous cash to our deserving settlers in .Auckland province for the making of something better than the Ciuddy sheep or g-pafc tracks th.it pass under the name of roads in too many parts of what is justly called the "Roadless North."

At half-past seven I passed the Presbyterian Church oi Coromandel, but although Ihe dulcet tones of my substitute reached mc, rubbin-j the gospel into my flock, neither myself nor my weary steed felt inclined for Lurther admonition. The latter had had sufficient "benefit 'of clergy-' s —fourteen stone of divinity—for one" day, and I need not say that seven hours in the saddle and a journey of from thirty to forty miles sent mc to my bed with thoughts too deep for words. Indeed, if I had thoughtsjat nil, they may best be expressed in the words of tbe poet, "We bitterty thoiight of the morrow!"

So ended >Settlers' Sunday in the back blocks of Coromandel. No doubt some of my brethren had equally rough I experiences. Ido not give mine in the, spirit of complaint, but just to give a ' glimpse of the ecclesiastical isolation in which some of our best settlers live and to show a little of what many a good minister has to go through., not, emee a year, but on many Sundays of the year. We cannot all expect- to ride in a first-class railway carriage to the-back-blocks.