METHODIST ANNIVERSARY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 246, 26 March 1915, Page 3

METHODIST ANNIVERSARY.

INTERESTING PILGRIMAGE TO MOTUKOA. I

ADDRESS BY REV. T. G. HAMMOND.

In connection with the anniversary of the Whiteley Memorial Church, and also the 75th anniversary of Methodist ruissionary work in the district, both of which arc being celebrated this week, a pilgrimage was held yesterday afternoon to the foreshore at Moturoa, and to. the obelisk, where the first settlers in this district landed in the year 1840.

There was a large gathering of people from the town and district, including Mr. H. J. H. Okey, M.P., special conveyances being run for the convenience of tho former. Fortunately the recent southerly gale had almost blown itself out, beautiful weather favoring the event. Having gathered in the first place upon the foreshore w'here the first missionaries landed, the party eventually adjourned to the obelisk, from the foot of which the subsequent "proceedings were conducted.

The Rev. A. B. Chappell, in opening": the service, said they had gathered on historical ground. The obelisk was, erected, as its inscription indicated, to commemorate the landing in the years 1841-2-3 of the pioneer settlers. Bat previous to that missionaries arrived on that spot from the North, and about them that day were numerous places which "talked" of the past. One parti- \ cular incident that came to their minds that day was the journey made 75 years j previously by the Revs. Samuel Ironside I and G. Buttle. These missionaries arrived from the North at that date and commenced the good work in this district. They all thanked God for the heroic me.i of those old days. The Rev. A. B. Chanpoll then introduced the Revs. T. G Hammond, chairman of the district, and; the Rev. P. W. Fairclough, of Canterbury, both former Ne\y Plymouth ministers. The speaker also exhibited a book of particular interest. It' was a portion of the Old Testament in Maori, and -.vas : the.particular volume carried by the Re\ v . John Whitcley at the time of his death. After prayer by the Rev. P. W. Fairclough, a very interesting address was given by the Rev. T. G. Hammond. After expressing the pleasure it gave him to be present on such an occasion, he declared that he considered it a very wif/o plan to hold that the celebration of "Methodism's 75th anniversary in Vavanaki. By doing so they had called attention to the history of .tb,o Church, and by this had secured a very great deal of great interest to those who would come aftOTflrd.B, Had they waited until tbn mtmm ltf^ivfl' , . Tnany of those iw JdA been able to give them much information would not have been with them. The first matter he would bring to their notice was the great liberality of the Methodist people in England during the last century. They were a devoted and self sacrificing people and the call of the people of this and other lands had not appealed to them in vain. Their efforts had enabled the churches to send missionaries to this land. He wished to call their attention to the kind of men that came out to this land in those early days. He believed that better men never landed in any country i titan came to the Dominion, including those men of the Anglican Church, who were so strongly criticised. They were men of'great integrity and goodness, and the things they were then criticised for they would be praised for in history. People usually spoke in a general manner of the wonderful things done ;n ' those old days, but he wished to speak of one particular instance. Everyone knew that great difficulties were experienced with the Maoris in those dajs, One of the greatest triumphs—one of the great facts that could not be explained away—was the liberation by the tribes of the North of those prisoners they had taken from the tribe at the Susar Loaves and converted to slaves. Freedom from their bondage was secured for the people of that district. Those iarly workers told the men of the North that they must release tfieir slaves, and a meeting of chiefs was held to discuss the matter. Subsequently the slaves were called forward, and one of the chiefs said, "Henceforth you are free people. . . . Jesus Christ lias made you free.'- There was only one wav to account for this; that the spirit of God had fallen upon them. He referred to the good work of the. Rev. Charles Cr<?cd, and of the noble men and women who followed him. It would be wrong for them to forget the latter's long struggle. The people of to-day owed everything to them. A great question they all had with them was: Were they going to 03 ,so good as their fathers? In conclusion, the speaker said they had before them the history of the country as it applied to the Europeans and also a§ it applied to the Maoris, and he pleaded for sympathy for the Natives whose land they had taken. They all should remember that many of the disabilities of the native race were brought to the country by the Europeans. At the finish of the address the party visited the grave of Richard Barrett and. others, and spots of interest. Mr. Gordon also presented to the Rev. A. B. Chappell, on behalf of the church, a photograph of the Rev. Creed's son and family, and also Mrs. Whiteley's copy of the Psalms.