A PLAIN-SPOKEN PARSON

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 274, 10 April 1911, Page 7

A PLAIN-SPOKEN PARSON

-:—;:«;.r b • 1 Til'.' !■ REV. GRIFFIN'S GOOD-BYE. f. /v.-oc! iiljffi-—/K-: ;ii . The /Rev;:iM>rinGrUlmy ,who has been tranSferrjed!&<«m-iDflpn?virk<} to Opunake .Methodiat.tQltutfli, talkted; .straight to his 'Congirgft'tiGitoiA l)isofai'(|Woll sermon, in the that during I the 'Ust.SijWßlWtlpiiie bad preached un,'der flne but himself knew;. ' born to deliver •God!s. ; »i(ts?fige^9 0 %jpeople,-and to be ,C>iiti*ti/#<J;f!vi tyyvg,^njg : jiaputed to him. to annoy ,h,ixn^lpo^ ( /ia^jbe(? ( i : ( fr ruS|t)p4 during the .fprmfti), rjwirifiTO »}Hf#» d .e one on ~ anil tiiajt ;i tu?pj; take place >in ijAHJfe .discreditable, and not 'fc'hnstia'n-likei It was hard to have to o£ p thesi? n lhings, 'but he must do 'ft. bad been sprtald about... It. .hadsjbeert said that his him, and that on one particular j S.unday morning .'there were'ohlyjjfg\'ey people, present at • service." That'was not ; tfliyect, and on •the morning there were at ■least'37 people in' church", These reports Sad been carriiftl'aij '|fir as Norsewood. 'lt wrts a shnme/aiicl to be so. .Another' report' Wis' tlraf'.he used ter'ribli language—such language that it "could not be repeated. He had challenged the' people'spl-ti&dipg these re"ports to repeat them tfr'liis face, but "they would 1 not''do so. He knew who "ElTey were, but would spare them. It li'ad also been said he was being punished by the Conference by being sent from ! Dannevirke, and that wll'ere he was going there were only a/f&vl people. This was not true, for, bp.ihaijl been appointed to a larger circuit than with six times as'niiinv churche?, an 4 be would have a b'ini. Did this look jlike punisnrii&nt? L lbiew all his addresses had riot pleasing to everyone. but' there .sV",a, thing as gaining by dislike! He'luui placed the counsel igood before th'em,' but had offended .some because his speech'had been too ;plain. From ' What been said by 'some, it Wits ' mdde 'i§ 'appear that he 'had no' tact'iit the p'tflpit. He asked for their sympathy'for his successor, and hoped they would all work with him for the good of the church. They knew his siiccessor"'vi'oilld ;! %eed a great deal of help and-^yiWpWtll^, : and that, the same I things as had l happened to himself would I take place The new minister would be spoken of for the first six months as the .best man they had ever | had, but after that—God help him! He I urged them all to rally round their new | minister, and treat .him as they would wish themselves to be treated.