WHITELEY SUNDAY SCHOOL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 314, 30 May 1911, Page 8

WHITELEY SUNDAY SCHOOL.

ITS SUPERINTENDENT FARE- [ WELLED.-. Despite the very short notice, there was a goodly gathering' of members <rf the Methodist Church at Whiteley Hall last night at the invitation of the Sunday School workers, to farewell Mr. and Mrs. Carter, who leave on Friday for England, Mr, Carter having been for many years actively associated with the school either as- teacher, secretary and superintendent. During- the evening several speeches-of farewell were made, and the guests were the recipients of a presentation from the school. A musical programme was. Tendered and heartily enjoyed, and at the conclusion of the programme an" exoul&nt supper was served.

Rev. Burton, who presided, made reference to the loss the Methodist Connexion was about to. sustain by the absence from New Plymouth for some time of Mr. and Mrs*. Cftrtßir, whose work he warmly eulogised. He had very pleasant recollections: of' their hospitality when some six years- agc» they were his host and hostess--during-Ms stay in New Plymouth as- a- Home Mission deputation. At that time, he remarked, there wasn't very much oil' about, and oil shares were at a low ebbi But Mr. Carter had had faith in it all along, and he had stuck to it. Ail' of' them were pleased now to see his; faith i» It justified and his hopes realifkd. As citizens they owed a debt to him for the successful issue of the sale negotiations. As a Church they owed 1 a great deal to him, too, for he had' stuck to his church closely, and had had faith in it, taking an active part in tlie work and the deepest interest in its wolfare. They owed a great deal to him- also for his work in the Sunday School'. Not only had he shown interest in- the school as a school, but in every individual child, and that to a large extent was the secret of his success. He had "known the sheep by name," and that was really the only way to. be a shepherd. No doubt the Church had much to thank Mrs. Carter for in the excellence o"f her husband, and his activity in church work had entailed many sacrifices on the part of both. On behalf of the Methodist Connexion in New Plymouth, he wished tbem a pleasant voyage, success in their undertaking, and a safe return. Mr. E. L. Okey, on behalf of the cirI cuit, wished farewell to their old friends, Mr. and Mrs. Carter. He had known them for a great mnry years; in fact, he rc-ollected the tinv-'when Mr. Carter came h re. lie must say that time had dealt vry kindly with him, for despite the wo-ries and trials of life, he found very Ir'le difference in his personal appearand from when lie came here some thirty ■■•■•.irs ago. Mr. Carter, he said, was p-•'•",» Homo on a very important missior -,\ mission fraught with immense possibilities to this district. Even the most optimistic amongst them could hardly realise what this mission might mean, It was hard to believe that such things would happen as were sure to happen in the next ten years. Mr. Okey concluded by wishing Mr. and Mrs. Carter, on behalf of the circuit, a very pleasant voyage, a real good time, and a first-class result of the important mission which was the reason of the voyage. The trip would do both g6od, fie had no doubt. Referring to Mr. Carter's connection with the Church, Mr, Okey said that he had held almost every position in the Church, and he himself had always admired the way in which he had carried through everything that he had had to do with. Rev. F. P. Kellow, representing the South Road congregation, added his good wishes and the good wishes of the congregation, for they all knew that both Mr. and Mrs. Carter took a keen interest in the work- at South Road and had given frequent and willing assistance. Mr. Carter, he said, was a man who touched life at a good many points, and he was bound to be benefited by the trip. Mr. G. H. White, as one of the trustees, after a few minutes spent in very interesting personal reminiscences, "said that his co-workers in the Church were very proud of the position that Mr. Carter had attained to. They were glad to know, too, that members of the Whiteley congregation had well played their part in the public and commercial life of New Plymouth, numbering amongst, them borough councillors, a member of Parliament, and so on. In their Church they did not believe that to be a Christian a man had to hold aloof from the affairs of the world, but were glad to see their members occupying these public positions. And in the case of Mrs. Carter they were glad to feel that though engrossed in affairs of some considerable importance he had never lost a jot of interest in the Church and Sunday School. He concluded with expressions of good wishes. Owing to a former engagement preventing Mrs. Douglas from being present until later, Mr. J. Gibson was called upon to make the Sunday School's presentation to Mr. and Mrs. Carter. This took the form of a very fine writingcase for Mrs. Oa»ter, and a travellingrug for Mr. Carter, but Mr. Gibson drily remarked that it was big enough for two. In a quaint and humorous address Mr. Gibson conveyed to Mr. and Mrs. Carter the good wishes of the Sunday School teachers and scholars, saying that they had long waited an opportunity for telling Mr. Carter how they appreciated his work and worth, but regretted that the opportunity was to be followed by even a temporary separation.

-Mr. Carter, in replying, tendered his heartfelt gratitude to the speaker's for I the many kind references to himself and Mrs. Carter that night, and to the donors for their very much appreciated gifts. Referring to been said about the pleasure of re-visiting the Old Land, he said that nil who left its shores left behind them never-to-be-for-gotten scenes and associations, and these it would be a privilege to renew, not perhaps with those whom he had known before, but with those who had come after. It was now 20 years ago since he landed in New Plymouth, and many dear faces had passed from them in that time—such as "Dad" Okey, "Uncle" Thomas Veale, and others. During the whole of that time he had been associated with the Church, and had been a teacher in the Sunday School, and whatever the Church had been to others it had been the greatest benefit to him that had ever come his way. He had always felt that a Christian man should take his place in public affairs, and he should be a better public man for being a Christian. His fondest work, however was in the Sunday School. It was a' great work, and he felt that it was not receiving the serious attention it deserved at the hands of the churches. Passing on to the references to his close attention to the Petroleum Company's business, he made the remark that he had not sought this embassy, but it was a fact that when once he took nold of a thing it seemed to consume him—he could not touch a thing lightly. He had had an able body of fellow-directors with him, and he did not wish that one tittle of all that was due to them should be diverted to him. His last word was of gratitude to the teachers for their support in the past and for their manv kindnesses, and he stated that the W'nte"ley Sunday School would be in iis

thoughts as Sunday succeeded Sunday, on either land or sea. The singing of a verse of "God he with you till we meet again," and the pronouncement of the Benediction, brought the gathering to a close, except that the hearty hand-shakes and good-byes.-occupied a considerable time longer.