PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH BAZAAR.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume X, Issue 167, 8 July 1875, Page 2

PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH BAZAAR.

This bazaar was opened this morning at eleven o'clock, by which time a considerable number of people had assembled, amongst them being his Honor the Superintendent, the Bishop of Nelson, the Revs J. Leighton, T. Buddie, and P. Calder, and several others of various religious denominations. The chair having been taken by the Hon Dr Renwick, the following opening address was read by the Hon Major Richmond, 0.8.: — Ladies and Gentlemen,— l feel great gratification at being aaked to assist at the ceremony of opening this bazaar. Being a Scotchman, although not a member of the Kirk of Scotland, I thoroughly eympathiss with the weal and the woe, the wants and the wfrhta, of my countrymen. I therefore aoi glad to give any aid in my power to further the all-important object to which the proceeds of the bazaar are to be applied. I well ren.ember the building, now about twenty-five yeirs ago. o* the Presbyterian Church. It was then considered a great undertaking for so small a congregation, but the expense of the building, as well as the maintenance of the church, Ac, up to the present time has been bwne by themselves alone, and this energetic congregation, small as it then was, h<a now s) much iacreisal that a larger church has become a necessit/. From what I can i. ar not the gener.il character of the building it t$ proposal to erect, I can safely cay that, if carried out as I am led to believe it will be, the Presbyterians will have reason 10 congratulate themselves, taking into consideration the number of the congregation and their means, upon having as good and commodious a church as any they formerly attended in Scotland. In another matter the Presbyterians have cause lor ihankfulness, namely, that in this distant land their minist'M,' from the first; (o their present worthy cltrgyman, have faithfully carried nut the f rms and ceremonies they and their forefathers followed in their public worship in the old country. Thii, la ;ies and gentlemen, is, I understand, the first time the Fresbyteriaus have appea'ed to the public for assistaoce, while they have always given generously to aid in the erection of churches for other denomination?, aud I therefore feel assured that thi?, their first appeal, win not be made in vain. The Bazaar is now open and I wiah it every success. The Rev. P. Calder thanked Major Richmond for the favor he had done them in opening the bazaar. He wished to thauk also those who had assisted to bring the undertaking to its present point, and especially those ladies outside his own congregation who had contributed. On the stalls would be found a number of articles anxious to obey the laws of circulation, which he hoped soon to see in force. He thanked his Honor the Superintendent and the Bishop of Nelson for their presence, and hoped they would make a few remarks. The Bishop of Nelson said that the Scotch for Bishop was Superintendent, so as bis friend Mr Curtis appeared to be rather taken by suprise he might to some extent speak both for himself and the Superintendent. Logically, perhaps, it might be said that he should not be there, but excessively logical men were frequently cold-hearted creatures, and as he had a kindly feeling towards the Presbyterians he felt quite in his place as the chief officer of the Church of England in being present, and showing and expressing a fraternal sympathy with his brethren. These were days in which it should be shown that there was a bond of union between the various Protestant bodies, that although there might be differences on some points, yet at the bottom there was a real stratum of fundamental unity. He was glad of the opportunity afforded him of expressing his gratification and thankfulness to Mr Calder for his kind co-operation with the Church of England on all occasions, and he hoped that the bazaar would prove a complete success. The bazaar was then opened, and little knots of people were soon gathered round each stall, of which there are four, all of them well laden with a large variety of fancy and useful articles, the latter, however, prevailing, and for those who require anything in the way of children's clothing especially, we would recommend them to pay the Provincial Hall a visit* We have not much experience in these matters ourselves, but can only repeat what we heard from many of those who were present that, in addition to the work being thoroughly strong and honest, the articles are remarkably cheap. The Grand Jury-room has been fitted up as a refreshment room, under the charge Jof Mrs Picketfc, assisted by a number of young ladies, and displays a very tempting array of good things of all descriptions. We have not time or space to-day to give any fuller description of the appearance J of the room, but may say that, judging from the large number who were present at the opening, we should predict a most successful termination to the labors of those who have^eierted themselves in making the necessary preparations. The following is a list of stall-keepers:-— No. 1: Mrs Erazer, Mrs Paasmore, Miss 3haw, Miss Calder, assisted by Mrs Renwick, Miss B.rjn<j,

Miss EWdon, Miss Jeffries, and the Misses Wells; No. 2: Mrs Buckeridge Mrs Beattie, Mrs Donald, assisted by |iis3 Cloustpn, Miss Harris, the Misses Stanton, and Miss Bullick • No. 3: Mrs Martin, Mrs Fleming, Miss Burns, and Miss Fleming; No. 4: Mrs Healy, Mrs Hunter, and Mrs Pratt. A capital little band under the conductorshipof Mr Corrick will play at intervals during the afternoon and evening.