DIOCESE OF WAIAPU.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 618, 22 September 1909, Page 8

DIOCESE OF WAIAPU.

? - _» s PRESENTATION TO BISHOP WILLIAMS. : "A HIGH-SOULED AND DEVOTED r CHEISTUN LIFE." ° IBy Telerraph.-Spcclal Corroapbndent.l I Napier, September 21. t A large gathering of the members "of the 3 Waia'pu Anglican Synod and their friends as- ; sembled in the Synod' Hall this afternoon ■ for . the purpose of marking the. retirement. of I Bishop Williams by presenting him with his portrait in oils. Canon Mayne presided, and I in 4xplaining the object, of the gathering exj pressed the hope that the presentation would [ become an heirloom in the Williams family. He called upon Mr. T. Tanner, ono of tho oldest laymen in the diocese, to make.the pret sentation. The painting was unveiled, arid l displayed a lifelike portrait of Bishop Wili hams from the brush of Mr. W. A. Bowring. ; lhe picture was greeted with applause. ; ~M r - Tanner said -he had been asked to make • this presentation to Bishop Williams, but it was,really, a-gift to his:family as an heir- [ loom, llie community had as"their heirloom - a nigh-sonled'and dovoted-Christian life-<ap-plause)-a life spent in the Master's sorvice, ; not grudgingly or sparingly. He might parti- ! cillarly refer to that critical time in the history | of their Church when the Native portion of I the community were; just emerging from Hau 'f an .. fanaticism. , Bishop Williams and ' his family then did excellent work, which had been.widely felt not only-in this diocese but in every diocese in the Dominion. 'Mr. Tanner read a letter from the Primate referring to the faithful labours of Bishop Williams,, and concluded by asking him to accept the painting of himself. , ...-.-■. Sir William Russell, in the course of a short speech, referred to . the civilisation of the Maoris by missionary effort, and the noble , work of the Williams family in this corin6c,tion. A - - . ..• . ■ . . ■ ■' Mossrs. R.-D.-D. M'Lean, J. B. Fielder (diocesan secretary) and the Rev. A. Eangi (on be- ■ half-of tho Native dlergy) also spoke. Canon Mayne, on behalf of the - cathedral parish, , presented Bishop Williams with a handsome, .ornamental Episcopal chair, to bo used by the future Bisihops of Waiapu, and upon which the name of the '-retiring Bishop was fo bp first inscribed as a iiiemorial ef him. Bishop -Williams, "on rising to respond, received aa ovation, and was visibly affected. He gratefully returned thanks for the-hand-some gift that had been made to him, aud said be.hoped it would remind his family of the work in which he had been engaged. He was , not retiring because he-had.ctased to lovo his work, but because he found his physical powers wore notequal to it.. There were" parts'of his diocese which he found he could not visit.. Ho thought.it was time,he retired in favour of a younger man. -. ■■" ... ,'.' '■'.■ .Speaking of Archdeacon Averill, the retiring Bishop said ho thanked God from the; bottom of his. heart for what.had been done during the last two or three days. It was rumoured, he believed on'good grounds, that Archdeacon Ayenlr had accepted ,the nomination to tlio Bishopric. His definite answer had not come to hand yet; but it might be taken for granted that it would have this effect. (Applause.)He thanked God-from the bottom of his heart - for it. 'Ho knew that tho. work of the.Synod uad: been; the subject of-many prayers, but the unanimous way in which tho election had been conducted showed that those prayers had been specially answered. Bishop Williams concluded by paying a. tribute ,-to his successor; and said that he would do all' in his power : to assist him. . . ■ '. '■'. ■•■'.■ On the call of Canon Mayno, three cheers were given for the retiring Bishop, and the gathering' dispersed' with: the singing of ."For he's a jolly good follow." '; ', The Waiapu Anglican Synod to-night resolved "That this Synod desires to express its approval of tho principle, embodied, in the New South Wales education system .by- which the clergy and accredited' teachers of the . several . religious-bodies . have permission to visit the" . State schools within ordinary '. school hours for tho purpose of giving religious,instruction, and 'that action in the matter be left to the General Synod." ' . ; ' '-:.. ; ' ' : .