NEW WESLEYAN CHURCH.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 11, 13 January 1873, Page 2

NEW WESLEYAN CHURCH.

o- . • At the laying of the foundation stone of a new Wesleyan Church, at Wanganui, the proceedings were opened by. those present singing the hymn beginning "Before Jehovah's awful throne," after which the Rev. Mr Stannard engaged in prayer. The Rev. Mr Taylor (Anglican) read the 87th Psalm. The Rev. J. Berry then" said he had to hand the Hon. W. Fox an ornamental mallet, on which was the following inscription -neatly engraved on a silver shield by Mr S. ;H. Drew : , sented to the Hon. W. Fox on the occasion of the laying of the last foundation block of the Wesleyan Church, Wanganui, 17th December, 1872." " x>\ Mr Fox, qn receiving the mallet anH the, bottle, placed the latter in the cavity pre-, pared for it in the block, where it was duly secured, when Mr Fox declared it to' be, according to the best- of I his belief, " well and truly laid." He then addressed those present, and said it gave him great pleasure to take part in such a iceremony as he was then assisting at; and he could only thank them for the honor they had done him, by selecting him to lay the foundation block of their place of worship. He said it also gave him pleasure to see that amidst all their strivings after wordly advantages, the people of Wanganui did not neglect the great necessity' of mankind} religion, which had played so conspicuous a part in the history of civilization.; • He < was pleased ctOjißee hia old Mr- Watt "and :; the Rev.: tMr Taylor at such a;. :ceremoriy,i as; they had been among the small handlul oilmen who i in; the early days had; bray ely straggled against .great difficulties and had seen Wanganui ;>sldwly jbut. steadily. Assume its present prosperous condition^ after having been; ;repeatedly( : Ithrownl; }ba'cjc^by : Maori wars. Hef;theh;OTeni«QVjtOL«paak;6f the building^theifouhdationibloc^ioDwhich he had just laid, and:' saidrihe hoped it would

continue for many years to play its part id the good work of spreading the truths of .Christianity. ; He did not look upon 'i churches as anything more tban so much material,: and though be had stood < an many grand edifices sach as the cathedral at Milan, St Paul's, Westminster Abbey, and in fact -all tho celebrated churches throughout the world, be bad never looked upon them sa being essentials to worship or calculated to reflect honor upon the great Creator, whom he had known to be worshipped with as much, if not more sincerity, beneath the shelter of a mere: hovel, as. from the magnificent and. costly interiors of the world's cele- , brated cathedrals. He quite agreed with ♦the Wesleyans, in their simplicity of taste in (he matter of places of worship, which i were only intended to afford shelter and accommodation for persons wishing to ' engage in decency and order in the worship of their IWaker. la conclusion be trusted the new Wesleyan Church of Wansanui would shelter thousands of believers whose knowledge of divine truths, he hoped, would be added to within its walls. Mr Fox then said he would not detain them any longer, as he would have an opportunity of addressing them again in the evening at the tea meeting, where he had no doubt he should see most of those present. He then resumed his seat amid applause. Affcer a few remarks from Mr Berry, and the singing of tho Doxology, the proceedings closed. The following is a description of the new building": — Tho Church is of Gothic

design', and bears some resemblance in style to the new church at Thorndon, Wellington. In external appearance it has an effect exceedingly good, success in this instance being greatly contributed to by the harmony of the principal features in the design — the side turrets and the cross. There are three entrances in the front of the building, and the same number o£ windows, all Gothic in design, the one above the entrance having a wheel-light with trefoil ornamentation let in. On each aide there are four windows with corresponding buttresses la the interior the ceiling will be pannelled and finished off with a trefoil cornice. The church will be 80 feet by 38 feet, and will provide sitting accommodation for 350 people.