PARISH MEETING.

Globe, Volume V, Issue 577, 25 April 1876, Page 2

PARISH MEETING.

ST MICHAEL’S. The annual meeting of parishioners of St Michael’s was held last evening, at half-past ;even o’clock, in the schoolroom, Durham -troct, the Incumbent of the parish, the Rev J. 11. Edwards, occupying the chair. There was a very large attendance. Alter the usual devotional exercises had been engaged in, some little time was occuiied by a number of those present registering themselves, in order to entitle them to vote. After the confirmation of some minutes, Mr Malet laid the balance sheet before the meeting, of which the following is a resume: —Memo of accounts for the year ending March, 1876—Offertories (including parochial fund"), £Bl2 18s 2d; seat rents, £393 7s; subscriptions (including those to curate fund), £543 Os 6d; rents, £62 Os 6d; loan, £100; miscellaneous, £4 lOi; Add—’Balances transferred in accounts, £73 4s 3d; balances as per cash book, £268 17a lid: total, £2257 18s id,

Captain Armstrong moved that the *tatement of accounts, as laid before the meeting, be received and adopted. Dr Nedwill moved—“ That the thanks of this meeting be given to Ur H. J. Aiuger, for auditing these accounts.” Agreed to. Mr Harman moved—“ That the hearty thanks of this meeting be given to Mr and Mrs Kane, Dr Syraes, and others who took part in the decoration of the church at Easter time.” Agreed to. The following votes of thanks were also passed :—To the choir, to the Sunday school teachers (the chairman paying a special tribute to Mr Brittain), and to the ladies who presented the kneeling cushion and choir stalls to the parish. Mr Smith moved—“ That a vote of thanks be accorded to the outgoing wardens and ▼estry for their services during the past year.” ‘ The Chairman said that before tho elections took place he would inform the meeting that the parish churchwarden must be not only a parish communicant, but also a resident of the parish. This was a rule laid down in the constitution of the Synod. Mr Hawkes said notwithstanding this ruling of the chairman he should proceed to nominate a person resident outside the parish. The reading of the church regulations was so ambiguous that it was generally conceded that it was lawful to elect a parish churchwarden not a resident of the parish. Mr Malet had served them well, and be would propose his re-election as parishioners’ warden. The Chairman said he must ask the meeting to accept his ruling pf the matter. Mr Lockwood seconded Mr Hawkes’ motion.

Mr Malet informed tbe meeting that before he had been elected previously he drew the attention of the incumbent to the very statute which the incumbent was now quoting against him; and besides this he had taken legal opinion, which was that he might constitutionally be elected. He felt deeply indebted to Mr Hawkes for having proposed him, but rather than plunge the parish into any dispute he would decline to serve as warden. At the same time he could not accept the dictum as laid down by the chairman, and he was very sorry he had seen fit to take the objection on the present occasion, Mr Ainger proposed, and Dr Syraes seconded, that Mr Harman be parish churchwarden. Agreed to. The Chairman stated that he had appointed Mr Restell as his warden. Mr J. S. Williams moved—“ That this meeting having regard to the resolutions passed on the 2nd of March last, in which the parishioners unanimously expressed their continued confidence in the parish officers, hereby elect the following persons, being members of the last vestry to be the vestry for the ensuing year, viz, Messrs Arthur Appleby, W. G. Brittan, junr, A. W. Bennett, R. Evans, J. G. Hawkes, W. Lockwood, J. Palmer, W. H. Symes, W. Vincent, F. de 0. Malet; Seconded by Dr Coward. The chairman said the gentlemen nominated had stated that they could not work with him, and if they put them on the vestry they placed him in a very awkward position. The unpleasantness in the parish had been caused by one or two individuals in that vestry, [Yes 1 No!] Ever since he had been their incumbent, be had endeavoured (o do his duty to God, and to the parish. If his conscience did not acquit him before God that he had done his duty, he would not be the cause of any divisions in tbe parish ; but as it was he felt he must take the consequences. With the exception of one or two names, he could work with the vestry. Was it right and proper that a vestry should be forced upon him after what he had said. [No.l Before putting the resolution, he would ask if any A Voice—Will you please name those two or three you could not work with 7 [Laughter, J One of the members of the church present thought the nominations should be made in the usual way, and that no set vestry should be crammed down their throats. Mr Malet said that as a motion was before the meeting it must either be carried or rejected. Mr Harman reminded the chairman that he had caused more than one good vestryman to leave the vestry. He had made habitual complaints and threats of resignation. He (the speaker) made these observations with great pain. There were faults on the part of the incumbent, and had been from the time he had first entered the parish. Mr Webb thought the vestrymen should be ballotted for in the usual way.

Mr Palmer saii if disagreements had arisen they had arisen through the bearing of the incumbent before the vestry and out of doors. On the part of the vestry there had been every disposition to act with him with the best of good feeling. Mr Brittan, one of the late churchwardens, said he looked upon the time when he was a churchwarden with feelings of horror. Humours had reached him on more than one occasion that the incumbent could not get on with him. He felt bound to say these few words in justice to his late colleagues. The present action taken would be for the benefit of the parish. Mr Hirst did not think the meeting should receive the nomination of the vestrymen in a body, as had been proposed. It would be far better to accept the nomination in the usual way. An amendment to this effect was subsequently moved, but lost on the voices and also on a show of hands. The original resolution was then put and carried on the voices, with oue or two dissentients. On a division all went ever to the right with about half a dozen exceptions. The resolution was then declared to be carried. Mr Tancred moved —“That considering the present disorganised state of the parish, and the small probability that sympathy and co operation between the incumbent and the parishioners will exist in the future, this meeting is of opinion that the peace and wellbeing of the parish can only be secured by the resignation of the incumbent.” He thought they had come to this pass now, that some change was urgently needed. He was not going to defend either side, but simply to speak of facts that were patent to all, namely, that the incumbent and the parishioners could not work together. The churchwardens and the vestry who had sened them last year he could see by th> proceedings that evening had a verdict in their favour. The election just over testified to the confidence the parish had in the vestrymen; and the parishioners, they might be sure, would not wantonly thwart and oppose the incumbent. On the contrary, they had done their beet to smooth over the

difficulties which had arisen, and assist the incumbent in every possible way. All the vestrymen complained of the relations which existed between them and the incumbent. The only solution that he saw was embodied in the resolution. One side or the other must resign, and it was quite certain that the parish could not be removed or resign. In all his experience he had never seen anything like the state of affairs at present existing in the parish. They were the talk of of the whole town. There had always before been sympathy and co-operation between the parishioners and the incumbent, which there certainly was not now. He had been very much shocked at certain things which had taken place. He referred especially.to the Christmas decorations. The incumbent and family had always done their utmost to assist in that work, but this year they had had no such assistance. The consequence was that there had been no decorations. Indeed, the incumbent had knocked down whatever others had put up. [Laughter.] He had no doubt done this as a matter of duty, and this same thing was characteristic of him in other dealings with the parishioners. Still he (the speaker) had a very high respect for him as a clergyman, and he hoped that nothing he had said would at all reflect upon him in that capacity. But that was not all that was required. !A pastor was required to make his people joyful, and this could not be said of MrJ Edwards and the parishioners. [Laughter.] This was a widespread feeling, and had done a very great deal of harm to the parish. He quite admitted that the resolution was an extreme one, but the circumstances were extreme too. For any practices in the church, he would never take upon himself to oppose the clergymen ; but there was a temporal position in which he conceived that the clergyman was of n* iimore account than a parishioner. There was no hope that there would be peace in the parisn while he remained incumbent of it, and therefore, the sooner a change took place the better. In fact, he considered he was almost counteracting the church work of the parish. Everything ought to give way to charity and goodwill, which was the essence of their religion. If he resigned he would carry with him the best wishes of the parishioners. [Applause and loud hisses.] Mr Hawkes seconded the resolution, and in a speech in support of it expressed his regret at having to take such a step. If he thought there would be any chance of peace between the Incumbent and the parishioners, he would be the last to support such a resolution. The chairman stated that the decorations in question had been taken down by the wish of one of the vestry. It was only a small matter, but he did not like a wrong impression to go abroad. He had at that time a large number of sick persons to visit, whom he considered of far more importance than decorating the church. The present resolution was a very serious one, either to be brought forward or to be acted upon by the incumbent. It was not the voice of the parish, and he maintained the meeting had been pa-ked [Loud hisses ] He knew that votes had been asked for for the old vestry. He had no objection to that vestry, with the exception of a couple of the vestrymen. He considered he had for some time been undergoing persecution, f“ No, no.”.] If those one or two vestrymen would agree with him peace might yet be restored. He was perfectly willing to acknowledge his own errors. As chairman of the meeting, he was compelled to put the resolution, and if carried, it would be forwarded to him in a formal way, and he should then take it into his consideration. He had devoted the whole of his time to their spiritual welfare. St. Michael’s was indebted to one of the members of his family for many of the things which were in the church at the present time. Mr Malet stated in connection with the decorations that the incumbent had cut them down with a tomahawk in the presence of ladies. Captain Wilson repelled the statement of the incumbent that he had come to the meeting with any other ideas than those of a churchman and a Christian. The motion was then put and carried by a large majority. Dr Coward moved—“ That in the opinion of this meeting it is of paramount importance for the welfare of the church that the services of an assistant curate be procured without delay, and that the vestry be requested to take the necessary steps in the matter.” Seconded by Mr Williams and carried. Dr Byrnes moved and Mr Hawkes seconded —“ That this meeting acknowledges with thanks the very efficient assistance rendered by the ladies in the choir,” He stated that his reason for bringing forward this resolution was in consequence of recent depreciating remarks that had been made on the subject. Seconded by Mr Hawkes, and carried unanimously, The proceedings closed with the benediction.