THE FEILDING CHRONICLE AND ADVERTISER. WEDNESDAY, JULY 30, 1879. CHURCH MAKERS.

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 61, 30 July 1879, Page 3

THE FEILDING CHRONICLE AND ADVERTISER. WEDNESDAY, JULY 30, 1879. CHURCH MAKERS.

The report of the annual meeting of parishioners, held on Saturday evening, frhich appears m our present issue, trill/ we feel assured, be read with interest by many of pur citizens, aud by friends at a distance: The report of the Vettry,' submitted to- the meeting, is especially gratifying. It shows that though much still remains to be done, > great advance has been made com* pared with the state of affairs existing at & 'corresponding period of last year. At that time the members pf the Anglican Church had no resident minister, but were .dependent on; the voluntary efforts of lay readers and the intermittent attentions of clergymen frbnj. outside districts. Now we have secured the services of a resident ordained minister, and the congregation has, been greatly increased m consequence. A comfortable parsonage has, been erected, Utad there is every, probability of our having, at no very remote date, a, temple specially deaioated> to the* seri Vice of the Most High. This is un^ doubtedly the mostpleasing feature m the report to which we refer. Thi« informs us that the Corporation have vrith great liberality granted a new site for the sacred edifice, thus setting free the original site, which, being m the business part, of .the town, is extremely valuable. It is i proposed to dispose of this when the present monetary depres•iott shall have passed away ; and it is calculated that with the proceeds, asded to subscriptions promisejd, a portion 01 a very neat and chaste design that has been prepared, sufficient for present requirements, can lie erected.. This is as it shouldjbe. Owing to some recondite, cause, the Anglican Church m the Colony labors under the,st^gma of always being last m the fiel^ m erecting places of worship i» .new and Peildiug.^we ar^ sorry to^aV, hsts formed no exception to the geijeral rule. We know not how it isj btyt a^l other pommunities, as a rule, take precedence -of our own m this respect/ Jn our own immediate districtj Foxton, Pahnerston, ganson, Bulls, Halcombe, as.-jrell as our, own township, bear witness t§ the ; truth of the indictment. Our Eoman Catholic brethren generally jta^e the lead, and they are pickly folioyredbV; the Presbyterian, Methodist — r both Primitive and Wesle'yan— and otlpr "denominations, while the Anglijsah Church is almost invariably last m the afield. Perhaps the real xjause of this j may be found, m the fact that at Home the livings are aIL endowed, while m, tnia Golpriy the voluntary 'system obtains, and its members naturally experience some little difficulty m accommodating themselves to -their altered purrbundings. However, we are very glad to think that the Anglican Churchmen of Feildrng will not much longer 4&bpr' under the ban of possessing no place of worship of their own> Another pleasing item .gleaned irom the report is that the Organ Fund at present amounts to between £300 and £400, so that we/may reasonably expect that by the time the church is greeted there will be sufficient funds m Land, to defray the expense of a good, prgan. Our public worship at Home has been long associated with the organ's pealing notes "for sacred use designed/ that where absent is immedi- ~ Utely noticed, for the harmonium forms but a. sorry substitute for the grander and nobler instrument. To BngUsh churchrqen there is some* thing repugnant m, utilising for A the purpose of Eiivine worship a building of a very mixed character — used to-day for a concert, to : mQrro,w fqr, a politico, meeting and the next d^y for a ball or pther frivolous' entertainment ; while jpthers see nothing pbjectabnable, nothing incongrapus m this mixing up of that which is holy .with that is profane— the sacred with the leoular. We may therefore fairly congratulate the members of the Anglican Church resident . m on. the. * pijosp.ect out m the Vestry's, repjo.rt, o^ s.pon possessing a sacred; edi^ce where our peautiful Church, services w^l be duly pelebrated with their imposing and poul-elevating' ceremonials. We trust that a liberal response will be accorded to the appeal, which will doubtless soon be made to them, m order to provide the additional ameunt of funds for achieving this desirable object.