WESLEYAN SOIREE AND CONCEPT.

Southland Times, Issue 1224, 18 March 1870, Page 2

WESLEYAN SOIREE AND CONCEPT.

A soiree and concert, in connection with the Wesleyan congregation, came off in their chapel, Leet-street, on the evening of Tuesiay, 15th- inst.,- with a success unprecedented in meetings' of that kind -in Invercargill. The entertainment was originated some time ago for the purpose of aiding the church funds, and as people do not care much about going to listen to dry speeches, it was resolved to make mnsic the attraction. The assistance of the a m ateur musicians of the town, vocal and instrumental, was consequently solicited, and freely granted, Mr Kingsland., being requested to wield the baton. What [with practising, &c., time sped on, and before " all things were in readiness " for the grand night, Mr Bunn's incumbency, had nearly expired. His friends, therefore, naturally anxious to have some sort of a ceremonious leave-taking, to>k steps to give the occasion the complexion of a public farewell ovation to the departing clergyman. The musical programme had been published for some* time before the affair came off, and from the numbers who came to listen at the ordinary practices, and th"c frequency with which the approachingyete was alluded to in conversation, it became evident that the managing committee would have to arrange for the accommodation of the largest possiblqnun • ber the walls of the building would admit of. Long before the auspicious night, all the printed cards of admission had. been disposed of, and many applicants had to trust to obtain entrance by payment of the cash at tne door. Tea was announced to be on the table at half-past 6 o'clock, and by that time every available seat was occupied, and a considerable number had to wait patiently untfHhe first comers had been satisfied. Sixteen large tables, Under the supervision of a number of ladies, occupied the entire floor of the church, and the fair provedores had apparently vied with each other in loading their respective boards with good things, both in the shape of. tea and its numerous et-i ceteras, and of beautiful bouquets of flowers, and other arrangements pleasant to the eye. The walls of the church, the pillars, the lamps, and every other suit** able spot,, were profusely decorated with foliage, and mottoes worked in colored: papers, giving to the whole interior at once a fresh and lively appearance. After tea had been leisurely enjoyed by all, the audieoce settled itself down for comfortably listening to the intellectual part of the performances. James Wilson, Esq., M.P.C., Provincial Treasurer, occupied the chair, the other seats on the platform being filled by the Eevs. Buun and Bethune, Messrs Crouch, Russell, and other leading members of the body. After the singing, of two verses of a hymn by the whole assembly, and a short prayer by Mr Bethune, the chaiman made a very few remarks, aud th*n called upon the~choir to ' begiu, whatL^verybody had come to hear, the musical magnificent "'See the Conquering Hero comes," by the instrumentalists only* and as the first chord was struck, the clatter of crockery and chatter of tongues were instantly hushed, and the grand old chorus was heard out with great delight. Another of the same author's gems, " The Q-lory of the Lord " followed immediately, rendered by the full choir, and went off well. The favorite aria, "He shall feed his "Flock," sung by a young lady whoae fine soprano voice has frequently afforded pleasure to an Inver- , cargill audience, followed, and was most enthusiastically received. " Kyrie," from Mozart's Twelfth Mass, came next, and gave much pleasure, the choir being apparently thoroughly intimite with the composition. The solo, " Bat thou didst not leave," was sung with great taste and expression by the conductor, and then followed one of the masterpieces of a different author, Haydn's " Tne Heavens . are telling." A quartette from the Twelfth Mass, " Quoniura," was a sweet and pleasant contrast to the chorus j ust finished, as also to that which followed, the " Q-loria," from the same work, which also ran smoothly. A duett by two ladie3, " Convent Bells," next claimed attention, and was rapturously applauded, as it deserved to bs. The " Sarictus," and the solo and chorus, " Donna Nbbi3," both from the same mass, followed each other without intermission, and the programme was appropriately terminated by the " Hallelujah " chorus, which went along in capital style. On the whole the music was probably the best ever given by the amateurs in Invercargill, and at parting expressions of pleasure at the treat they had enjoyed were in every one's mouth, and hopes expressed that Mr Kingsland* would endeavor to keep his choir. together, and give a repetition of the programme shortly in a more roomy place. In the way of making speeches, very little indeed was attempted, the gentlemen who did get upon their legs having the good sense to curtail their remarks to the narrowest limits. By way of giving a rait to the musicians, however, two or three short addresses were given during the evening. Mr Russell, the Treasurer, read a very curt report on the financial position of the church, but the people did not seem much interested in the figures, although the speaker was most distinctly heard. Mr Bethune also made a few observations on the pleasure it afforded him to sse such a mixture of denominations, and the desirability of all evangelical bodies working harmoniously. A resolution to the effect that " the meeting viewed with pleasure the labors of the Rev. Mr Bunn," and wishing him and Mrs Bunn " God speed in the sphere to which they were going," having been duly proposed, seconded, and carried, i was replied to by the rev. gentleman at considerable length. A prominent member of the church, in proposing a vote of . thanks to the ladies for the manner in which they had got up the tea, attempted to illustrate his admiration for the > sex generally by a quotation. He could not, however, get hold of the right end, of th«

'phrase somehow, and after making a mess of it three or four times, to the great merriment of himself and tha audience, had fairly to give it up, and substitute a version of the sentiment supplied by the chairman. The vote, however, was most cordially carried. A tall, bashful young bachelor was, called upon to respond on T>ehalf of the ladies, but on getting to his feet seemed quite overcome, and floundered about in delightful ignorance of what he was doing. Instead of acknowledging the thanks just accorded, lie commenced with rambling vehemence to second the proposition, the only coherent sentence be could get out, which, by the way, he repeated several times, being that he was bound to get married right off, in order to avoid being victimised in the same manner for the future. In. the presence of so many bright eyes and pretty faces, a little of such agitation and enthusiasm was only natural, and the irrelevancy of the remarks was entirely overlooked in the fun they afforded. In reply to a vote of thanks to the choir, Mr Kingsland, alluding to the oft-repeated cry of the \ necessity for improvement in congregational singing, said much progress could not be expected until music was more universally recognised as a necessary part of a people's education, and deplored the fact that no opportunity whatever existed for the young of our town being popularly trained in the elements of the sacred science. Another verse of a hymn was then sung, the benediction was pronounced, and the people dispersed.