NELSON SCHOOL SOCIETY.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 91, 16 April 1873, Page 2

NELSON SCHOOL SOCIETY.

The annual meeting- 6?-tiris Society^ was held laet^ night; tljtf^^'E^^fio^ii^iH •the 'chair. The p'roqee^ reading . a portion <•. o| r ,ijSp?ipt.ure, r o aßd!i.» prayer, after rjwhioh; ■the} niegting was addressed by the chairman, Messrs Smart, Jessop, I. M. Hill,* and .Campbell, Xi V: lM°f. remainidfr^of news; seejfowitfcpatf&iXOd

the evening there were a few recitations Jby the: children, and some hymns were very pleasingly sung. A Committee was appointed for the year, consisting of the Eev. E. Thomas, Messrs W. Webley, J. Smith, Smart, Campbell, and Hill. The 'following report was read :— Our twentyiriinth anniversary has come round, it may. be, recording little of interest to any one but ourselves. If we cannot tell of great things, we can rejoice in Him who has kept us laboring in bur allotted sphere. Your Society records with thankfulness the ability given them of laboringjamong much that is discourging, knowing in hope that if one another reapeth. During the past year our schools have continued their operations without intermission, health and blessing being fgiven to teachers and children. Several teachers bave left us since our last annual meeting to reside in different parts of the province, but tbeir places have been partially supplied. We cannot omit naming the want felt in our town school, the lack of experienced teachers. We should be thankful if, from among our elder brethren, for the love of the Lord they would step forward and assist us. One of our late teachers writing to a friend here speaks highly of his late connection with us, and says he is still engaged in Sabbath school work. For tbe encouragement of our teachers and children we will quote the substance of an address given in this room by Bishop Selwyn in the year 1848. He urged the children to follow the instructions they received from the school, and to use their endeavors to communicate those instructions to others who were not privileged with such opportunities as themselves. Referring to the words they had just sung, his lordship said "The duty of us, your teachers, is to lead you children on in the steps of your blessed Lord and Master, and iri proportion as the instructions you receive are in accordance with this holy example and teaching, so will the fruit be seen in you at a future day; thiß iB the criterion by which you must stand or fall. I would have you remember that •knowledge of itself can do nothing towards making you better or more virtuous; the grace of God alone can do this. If your education only tends to make you think highly of yourselves, that you are better than your less privileged neighbors, you are better without it. As a proof of what I have stated, it is a well-known fact to those acquainted with history, that in the ages when some of the nations had reached the highest pinnacle of intellectual excellence, when their brightest poets and philosophers flourished, at the very same time they were sunk into the lowest depths of moral degradation, without God and without Christ. The duty of every child before me is to become a teacher, to carry forth the good instructions received here. You have opportunities which your teachers have not of carrying these instructions into the hosom of private families, and thus doing incalculable good, for " out of the mouths of babes and sucklings God hath ordained strength," and by this means the pious principles inculcated in this school may spread through the whole settlement, like a handful oi wheat, which may be sown and sown again, multiplied and multiplied again; I know a man who brought with him to these islands a few grains of corn which he carefully sowed, and preserved fbe produce for years, until he was enabled to supply all the inhabitants of his village with seed-, and now a ship would not be large enough to hold the wheat produced from that solitary handful. So may the instructions communicated here be treasured and improved, and the fruit be manifested after many days."

It is your Society's intention to add a considerable number of suitable hymns to the present edition, of their hymn-book, believing that much good will result from the proposed addition as the selection has been made with a view of the children's salvation.

With desire on behalf of all workers in Sabbath school teaching that the Spirit's presence and power may be with them, we shall continue to pray to the Lord for wisdom to teach, and love to win souls to

The Charleston Herald says:— ''A good yarn comes from , Westport. j A schoolmaster and mistress were advertised for there, and amongst the numerous applications for the postcame one from' Charleston, which appears to have tickled mucbly the Westportonians fancy, since it seems there to have become town chaff. The unfortunate applicant is a bachelor, but he assured the committee that if he obtained the appointment he would guarantee to get married: Here is virgin simplicity. What a chance the committee will miss of conferring a " blessing" and of assisting the population scheme of the colony if they do not listen to this heartfelt appeal." , Unfortunately for the would be Benedict, the committee were pitiless.

The Hop Crop. — There have been very fair crops of hops grown in the Wairau this year, notwithstanding the drynesß of the season, and they were all got together in good condition without much trouble. The quality is also much improved in consequence of the bines having been well weeded. As this is comparatively a new industry here, ifc will be interesting to learn that the produce of Messrs Dodson and Ball's hop grounds was 5300 bushels, Mr Shepherd's, 1900, Mr N. Pritchard' s, 1065, Mr Sutton's, 700, and Mr John Adams', 630 There have also been some grown in Picton, of which we have no returns. , Mr C. Redwood planted about two acres of the best land in the province with hop bines, but we regret to state that, through the too free application of new manure, mixed with a considerable quantity of malt-dust, the heat destroyed the plants; however, be succeeded in raising a most magnificent crop of potatoes between the plants. It may not be amiss to state for the benefit of inexperienced hop-growers, that only old manure should be used on their grounds, as new manure is likely to cause such unfortunate results as those experienced by Mr Redwood. — Express,

A New South Wales Tragedy. — At Kanimbla, near Hartley, New South Wales, a man named Patrick M'Aveeney was recently murdered in an atrocious manner. According to the story told by his wife, the house had been broken into by bushrangers, who had killed her husband. Certain facts which were noticed pointed to the account as an improbable one, and it was presently aiscovered to be a pure fabrication. The wretched woman had herself committed the murder for reasons which she gives in the following confession, which she subscribed in presence of the police : — " I, Ann M'Aveeney, voluntarily of my own free will, and without promise or threat, make the following statement : — I got disgusted with my husband for the cool way in which he treated me. I thought I would show him the way in which he ought to treat a wife. He used always to treat me coolly. I commenced to arrange matters with him on Friday night week, the 28th February. I killed Patrick M'Aveeney with a tomahawk. I struck him with a tomahawk across the head in bed while he was sleeping. I struck him two blows whilst in bed. The blankets were round his head. After, striking him with the tomahawk I went out of the house. When I returned I found him sitting on a chair by the fire. I struck him again and again five or six blows. I put all the cuts in his head with the tomahawk. I struck him with a stick on the head. After killing my husband I sat down by the fire UQtil I was. sure he was dead. I then went to the little room and sat on the sofa." I came out again aad looked at him, and found he was dead. I got a blanket and some calico and covered him over. I went round the table and laid my hand on his foot. I then knew he was dead. I washed the tomahawk with which I killed him, and threw it down in the weeds. I was very cautious that no blood should spurt on to me. I have got no clothes with blood on them. My brown dress and apron I had on me when I killed my husband. I took no money from him. I then began to think what I could do to make it appear that robbers had been to the house when I concocted the story which I reported to the police, that two men with blackened faces robbed and m urdered my . husband. I went to the; box and; threw the clothes about thie house, also the matches and lollies. The reason that I killed my husband was on account of his general unkindriess and illtreatment of me whilst in a sickly state of health, and never treating me as a wife. I told him about three weeks before the murder that I wouldr not treat a: dog as he treated me. ''.'('Signed')' ; Ann v M*;Av.eeney*, her X mark. Witnessed bylW.Camphin, detective ; Edward Buckley, constable •;,:' John M'Ayeeney. _ , Taken this AlOth day of March, * bef os Thomas BroWD^^P.'' . * The" 1 woman Vwas brought •;an3 ABeyeril').TO been /ci-? Vamin'etf^^ ■■cfarga j^^d W

Christ, : ••■■••■< * .' Receipts. £ s. a. Balance from last year ... ... 94 10.5 Kent of Schools ... ... ... 25. 0 0 £119 10 5 Disbursed. ; ■i-.:.;.- ■■■■•: '-• . ■• ■ '' ■ ■ jb : a. ' d." Books for Hbrary ... «. .... 0 8 6 Books for Wakefield School ... -• * 6 P Mr Jackson's Account (Books) ... 010 6 Bible Depot Account ...... ... 1.10 0 Harmonium ..... 1; ... ;■•;«. '••• 10 10 0 "Cleaning School ; ... '„,',, -'..^. ... 5 ° ° Printing and Advertising ... ...' 0? 6 Printing-Hynm Papers ... ' ... 110 0 Candles, &c. i ... .v, -• «• 018 6 ; Sundries : -'\ ... v •;« "> .» •" 012 6 .^Balance .».<'• . ''•'.;. ;:, _• - 1 ...--' —..v; •:,_, ■i.i ; /;96,;i4 ; '1L