WESLEYAN CHURCH ANNIVERSARY.

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 92, 15 November 1879, Page 3

WESLEYAN CHURCH ANNIVERSARY.

The 'Wesley ari.Cliurchi i an ni versary, '■was celebrated by a $ea-meeting and entert£inme£t.in J .the Immigration: HBai;/ racks on. \Yednesclay-. Tea was served m the afternoon at half .-past .fi ve r when a goodly 'number sat fowVto^artakV o& an excellent repast-Tile tables pre^ «ented a most and appoti zi ng appearance, aiyd ample justice was done to'the good things provided., , -„ .-. ; .-. The enterfainntfcVt ; 'did riot cbnVmfnce until considerably^ after eivjht. o'clbek. Sir William Fox having; b. >en voted to theJehairrtKe "^proceedings were-opened : with prayer, by the ; lfcv< tyfo Dewsbury. •The Oh-axumaW; said .thafci'iriv eon:sequence of its beinß so late he hesitated to address .them.:atvany len^thV J^heyl' „ had a long, .musical program lie- '/to sjet through- which would take some time, and? ;haj hasdt tM inbdciaty. fp WiinlcHlint they would rather listen to the ran sic than his address. ; If 'ikfsvf* was time, he might make a few remarks later on. Having apologised for the meagre programme, which was owing to several, who had intended, taking\parfc m. fho ontertaihmenfc beiasr laid up with] whooping eo«gV>and intimating that no encores would be- afceded to, the ehairraan observed; that, theipi-pgramraa would at once , be withy It* was as follows ;— ,- : ..i ••:-); - ; Quartette (by members of tlic choir) — f Stand Like the Brave,"--:., •-.•;;•■ Solo(M?. Douglas)— " Wh it a Friend we have m Jesus."/ i ; -I ■'■/■ ■'■ '" :r U r « Reading. (Mr.-Bouridry)>^M How Saml Adam's Pipe became a Pig." ■"■-- 6ok>:(Rev.' ;Mr. i Ma ! rtiii)^i-««'l I he'De^ struction of Sennacherib." Quartette (members of the choir) — f Our Victory:' 1 ' ; ; ■ j Douglas)— «=« Will you i meet me at the FountaiiivP", Readhig (Rev, Mr. Martin)— "A Clrristmas-Dream;" ; ■■"■ H { . - ! •>. Quartette (membsrs of the choir)— ' . M No.wr; p'ra^-iwe forjour-boun'ryi" s : - -1 Polo (Mrs. Douglas)—" Sowing of the Seed." * • ... 3?li« jGHAtiß^jr; saidirt'hat >as they bad g<?t'..on-sia >^ell^ he- thought -then? wouldibeJiimeufQrfliimuto^givai t liein k ■ siiort address, fite. must apologise to tliem for not, having/ reduced .his remark.s to' any tljfng ' likW prdeiv "biit lie |i ad' been vfcrarelling sir»cc ? fo;ir>o':clo£j]ci-' m fact h,e had. been. travelling m the head. \'-Iffl : -proposje.dito;--^i,ve.-fch"8m some notes of the travels which he had rev pently uhd»rtakeirinith.e Home 6o\insy and America, and as Mint was a religious' meeting, he should confine his observar tion<! 46 hisi h'o'tesio'f i;h'e religiou^ phase's he had m,et with m his journeys. N ; ew Zealand, as ; they, were aware.x'jpi-oEewi'cl to be a Christian country, aiid to a certain., extent: it was so," free and, indepeh'dentV' Tliere was no State Clinreh here, and tlve people enjoyed perfect freedom with 1 'regard ; to religious opinion. This -lifcjerfcy of religions ppiniors he -regarded as one of the greatest h.les.sings . titatK^tlie Greator vouchsafed to men.. Keacfers oF Jiistoryi would recognise this when recalling to mind the horrible persecuionsi vyhieh were cafrieid '/6iV by • diifeivnt i breeds against those tyho. disagreed ,'with them. He ' trusted that" they* would ever' re ir^ain • free to, entertain wliatevor ligioi^s Jx-liuf th'ay tlvmglit proper. I'ime would not pyrtiiit of his going through the various .sbjiide^ of religious belief to' b^ met witli m the colony, and -he should therefi)re pass on to notice .ilie next pi'culia ity m connectiou v\ ilh' re-ligion which had eiigagutl hi« attention. Pliirf 'vyas at the Fiji Islands- ; Thei Fijilis : foriuerly were tlie most-^cr uel ai.d U|o,odth \i'*i y ' lot : oi ■WQiatow*.o.n^lJ.W*4H^^«ft|;«.tiie, v .^^rth; They were can aiba^s, a.tid given ~iC[> to the moat *degradvig^criii\es : and' vices that eyer disgraced Inunnniry. Auoin ■ fbrfcy' year.< ago they vL<-ce"c<>tivi-rh-ti i the instrumentality of one" of iiieic v -\i : .vu a Wusleyan iniiiisiec, b-.ot.u-.

Council. In one bouv, they, the people, cut down or burnt all their idols,~and embraced, the Christian fsfcith. The priests of the .old-^relLgion, however, got up -a conspiracy t£r murder all the Christians. The latter were made aware of what was 7 going, pn, ; and assembled, m. one of the temples- Here the conspirators, armed with- loaded rifles, surrounded them.; ■ The . King, Thakomanda, and Mr. Waterhouse were kneeling down engaged m silent pi'ay<? r > expeoting. with closed eyes, every inomeut.to receive u'their death fiiom .the bullets of the conspirators. Presently they heard a train ].irig.. of.. feet, aud .)^ni-. ing their eyes :found that the qon.spi.i actors had departed—their hearts havingfailed;them. i Thelatter also embraced Christianity, and ?np\v among the DjijiansT coiiid'be fouhd'^as 7 , earnest and ; sincere Christians as could be met with m any pai*t o£ ; the; world. ; The next group ofis]inds rthe ; steamer touclud : at was > tlie Sandwich: Islands. The people were the ditto 'of; the ; Maoris, and. spoke a language so fsimilar to, the Maori that thosef ••wild kiiew:;the latter could make: themselves .understood by the Natives. These, tlvough": not "cannibals,., were formerly i'dblatOrs and savages; but tli&y also, bad been converted m one by an American, and had now : atjtained to a considerable pitch of civilisation. ' In San Francisco a new phase of religious faith, was met with. In the • very heart of avChristian city were to be]fda.nd idols, -temples, and even .devilworship. A certain part of the tovn was called the Chinese quarter. Here s,ome 15,000 Celestials were congregated. Tljis portion oi: the city was exclusively given up f 6 the Chinese, who lived according to their own manners and -customs just as if they were m < the ' . Flowery Land. Their Joss-houses were very 'pretty and-beautiful to -lo rt k at; if pneVcOjill only divest one's self of the degradation, , assbciat ed wi th. tkei'r worihiliA '; It f-was • iriost revolting to 'see : them bowing dowh and worshipping ; tlie God of EVil. ;iHe was sorry to learn that a Josjs-liouse v was allowed even- m Melbourne, but it was a comfort- to know that missw>nari^s .were at -work -m .their quarter, "from whose labors good [results' were ianticipafced. Front 1 San L -Pra'ncisco they : travellod over : the mountains tiil.tney came -.-to- Salt-L ake Cily, -the chtefvto'wn of the Mormon settlemen t. Mr. ;Fo^ proceeded' to giVe a long and extreme;ly ; ihterestihg slcetph. ofitherise and^progre^s/of MorinOnisin, observing that the peculiar 'and most f ;degrading feature of ftlieir religion was poWgamy, which -had'sapped the- very foundations of all morality. After refcrripg .tQ, their beaujiifuL C/ity,. and, ;li9 1 w i - by bringmg m wafer from tlie tiiUs* tliej Mormons had concerted .a barren, plain into flourishing "farms, He' remarked' that they : all .teetotallers,; and to, that fact might' be" traced' tfieir gr^a't : and rapid prosperity. Utah wa<» now a fportipn of the .United States, and tliough.. Grbvernmcnt^did nbt persecute thera now,' they .topk v? eyery opportunity of 'throwing cold 7 weter on th^ii* fcree'd, and of stain pinj? it out., ; .Tlierpwas pleasing evidence that Mpv monism was -on the, wano. O|i;hor' r ■ religidiis ; : were "", novr'" : alloTTed, and th.e'Kpiscopaf jChu'rellhad iii therpj'a'tteuded' by upwards of SQO ATorniorL'ckildre.n. j The oldrgeneration, thpugii too pr<>ud to own it, were disgusted yrith Mo^mdnism, and m the next igehbratiorf % iwould pYdbablj^ ''loe * ! clean put. out.. Th.o next ; phase of re-_ ligions opinipjv JieV.en'cdun'tered { V i fOijicago, where, at thptitnedF'his^Vi sit-, I Moody and Sankey were' Hb'ldmg their ' n^vival one. of .which., he had been preSseixt, as' one 'among B^o. -The peculiadfy , of ..tiis j\loody and Sankey services was the' combining of ■-preaching with sacred minstrelsy. Tlie spealcer then gave a graphic account of. Moosly and Ifankey.; = ; I'lfG; farmer, lie said, was a plain man, ot medium build, pjain'in- lii«» di'ess, : nsitlie'r ! donnius: 'the ; garb nor assuming the character of an 1 "ecclesiasHrt, bnt*^ still :: an" e'arn'est l and ■sincere Christian ; the latter, a hand-' .some man, who paid greiifc /attention to dress, and : was more adapted to figure m a. drawingTrpom tjian- in-.Ja t place of Worship. 1 " Atr/'Pox coiicTiidecl a' very pleasing and^instruetrve. -address with some particulars regarding; tile ;"Salva- ; tion jjfLr'myv'-'.-a jnevrsectwhichshad lately sprung up afcFlome,; a?id ;whose special mission: was Jto "convert,, tne lowpst clashes — prizi'-fightern, thievesy streetwalkorvaud the very dnegs of society— r so low as to bo beyond the ; reach of the rogula r ly. -organi st*d ihini s try,; an d whosa efforts,- }\d : " ; Baicl,t had bsen attended wi tivtjie ihost satisfactory and pleasing re- . suits. ..-'.- Mr; .':Fox.- V resumed; lv» seat midst prVtracfced applause. The cluett-^^aiting and "Watching ' having been cbanuingly rendered by Mesd&me-s Dp'wlinsf and Douglas, , The Eev. Mr Martin made a few remarks., ajid. mp,Viecl.-ja.'yoJe>.of i thanks, to "■': Hie ladies* and' gerit'lemer l -who had] ki nrl \j. taken pa rt in-.the- enf ei'tain menrf and a cordial vote bf thanks to the Ghairman.- . These ; haying beeiii-arriod by acclamation, the "rev! geiitlorhan pronounced the: benediction,- and (he audi? ence disijcrsed. '