Public Tea Meeting and Lecture.

Manawatu Standard, Volume X, Issue 69, 20 August 1885, Page 3

Public Tea Meeting and Lecture.

The tea meeting m connection wHh the Wesleyan Church Circuit Fund took placslaft evening m the Weßleyan Hall Broad streft. About two hundred visitors Rat down to the plen i if nlly supplied and tastefully dpcorated^ tables, and seqmed tliorpnerhly to entnr into the social harmony of the occasioh. Aft*r two .friays of visitors had ocenpied the benchfi>, an adjournment took placo into .the adjoining Church wh* re the lecture on # Marriage "by the K<- v R. S. Biinn was to be delivpred- The Mayor, J. LiTiton-F.sq had beon advertised to take the chair, but m his unavoidable nbsenc«, Mr R. Lcary was voted to tliat powtinn, who on ripiner road a tetter from Mr Linton explaining that lift had to start for Wellington that night on urgent public business, and regretted ex • ceedingly at not being able to fulfil his promise. Mr Leary said that as he had been .called at a moment's notice he could not say much to them on a subject with which' he wan so little convprsant. He had never passed the Rubicon of the Altar to find out what of joy or sorrow

there was on the other side. Indeed tliero sceraa.l to be a grim sort of iromin the circumstance of him, a bachelor, briritf placed m the chair on such an ocC;wi •>!».. Bui he hoped that the demerits of tho Chairman m the matter of ex peri once would lie more than compensated for m ilic iir.'ril.B of the lecturer win was a "■•jiitK ni m of Luvrs; experience, abilily, and !ang;,i;,'o, and therefore capable of dealing with so large a subjoet. Tho jftev. B. S. Bunn then eunie forward amid loud applause and opened up his subject. He .first spoke of ,tl»c initiation of the marriage tie $hen our first parents were joined as/indfi-iind wife by God himself, of .its purp fse and sacredness, and of the -^enabling 1 ' nature of conjugal affection, "now.it brought out m strong relief the best points m the character of both sexes. A good; wite was the best gift of God. Within the bond of a well assorted mar riage was to be found the greatest happiness earth could afford.. The lecturer dwelt at some length oil this part of his subject making good his position as he went on arguments, illustrative similes, and anecdotes. He then spoke of un- • happy marriages and their chief causes, | and gave a very humorous sketch of the match making Mrs Grundy. The lecture throughout was replete with anecdote humor and pathos of which wo can m this brief sketch convey no adequate idea The lecture was divided into sections, between each of -which there was a si'o, quartette, or choru-s. The first musical rendition was a hymn by the choir, then Queen Mary's prayer, aung with much taste and effect by Mrs Bunn, and later on " Pass under the Rod " by the same lady. The quartettes were "But the. Lord is mindful of his Own," "Jerusalem, my Glorious Home," and " Wake Gales of the South." The latter was very nicely . accompanied by Master J. Mpwlem on the voh'pn. Mrs Oarty and .Miss Mowlem presided m turn at the organ during the' evening. After the lecture, Mr j. P. Leary moved a vote of thanks to the lecturer, which was se conded by J. Stubbs, and similarly responded to. Votes of thanks were then paVse'd to the ladies who presided over the tables, also to the singers, and chairman, after which the proceedings terminated by the singing, of the doxology.