METHODIST ANNIVERSARY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 247, 27 March 1915, Page 6

METHODIST ANNIVERSARY.

THE CELEBRATIONS CONCLUDED.

SOME HISTORY. In connection with Methodism's 75tii anniversary in Taranaki there was n good attendance at the Whiteley Hall for Thursday evening's gathering,, which took the form of a concert interspersed with addresses. Mr W. H. Skinner occupied the chair. The meeting was opened with a hymn, and prayer by the Rev. J. W. Griffin, r,f Waitara. The Rev. A. B. Chappell then introduced Mr W. H. Skinnerj and referred to his great knowledge of the history of the Church in the district.

IThe Rev T. 0. Hammond, in opening, rcfe'red at some length to the g~- d . work of Mr Skinner in gathering toj gether tlie fragments that went to make ; up the history of Methodism in Ta-an-aki, and in giving it to the public, ile believed him to be a walking encyclopaedia of all things connected with early Ta.ranaki. Just for a little while, however, he wished to talk about the past of his ■ own knowledge. He had befen thinking I a good deal about these things of Jute, I and had given a great deal of attention I to some of the things that the- Maoris j had told them. lie found it a wond"rI fully fascinating subject. In the firpt ' place he wished to refer to the visit I to that district of the Revs. Ironside and Buttle, and Mr Aldred. < He rcme'u- ' bered Mr Buttle's gTeat sermons. , He ■ had also.heard a great many things from ' other people of the, marvellous preaching power of Mr Ironside, who had learned i the Maori language more quickly than I any other missionary that had visited i these shores. He rei'crrcd to the Rev | Ironside's party which eventually went down the coast to Wanganui, where ' they met tlie Rev. John Mason, who had only just arrived from England. He | was pleased to be able to sav that th». j fraternising which commenced then had I always been continued between the ' Methodist and Anglican churches. Tie. speaker briefl" referred to the magu ; fiI cent work of the Rev. A, 0. William and | his devoted son, who labored uncomplainingly under tlie greatest diffif.ui- : tics in the Wanganui district. Diii'mgj the 20 years that they labored there there had not been a quarter of sir. I hour's difference between the churches. I Mr Aldred retired from the work at an early age. He suffered persecution from I his relatives on account of his conm-e- ---' tion with the Methodist church. Mr But- | tie, who was a gentleman in every of the word, worked in tlie Waikato, and then went Home, but subsequently icI turned to finish his work in this coun- ■ try. Mr Skevington was a man whose name would not die as long as the M.wri l language was spoken. A few years ago >he heard him'spoken of as if he had * only just died. Mr Skevington only ! put in about four years' work in the disj trict, but it was a great work, as '/as ' evidenced by the fact that bis trau'" fi.rming influence was felt for many years after. Mr Creed was another man who did ft mrvcllous work in the district. When the Kai Iwi Maoris lwurd : of'his arrival in this district one of them J journeyed from Kai Iwi to New Plyj mcuth'to take Mr Creed back with hmi. It was a wonderful journey to undevI take for it would take liim a long rime, probably about tbiee wee.ks, to do it, t The same applied to the journey of the [ Revs. Ironside and Buttle and Mr AlI dred. Two o%r great workers were |Mr and Mrs Woon. The latter was a I wonderful little woman. Residing with I her husband in this district she paid a I visit, by one of the occasional vessels ! that called, to her pens at Auckland, j Unable to return by the same means, she put herself in the hands of a party of Natives, who were just shortly , before pure savages," snd did the return journey overland, walking the whole distance. Mrs Skinner also did the journey overland, being perhaps the first white woman to do ao. The speaker then proceeded to refer to the natives themulves. Some people spoke of them with a curled lip, terming them "dagos"; oat they had no reason to do so. He knew many natives that <M good missionary work. Mr Woon wrote in his diary that shortly after he arrived on the Waimate Plains, while riding through the country, he heard voices away in the bush. He discovered that tlie owners of these voices we?'; people who realisi d their sinfulness and were pleading with Gt d for forgiveness. Some of the natives journeyed all along the e.oast preaching tlie GoSpel, and never received one penny in aid or payment, not even clothes. Yet they continued, to work, realising the value, of the teaching to the people. He never knew men more devout, or men that died so happily, as these,

The Rev P. W. Fairclough, the next speaker,, expressed pleasure at noting the substantial progress' made by the town. They had met together to pay a tribute to the.memory of the grand men of the past, and to celebrate the heroism of 75 years ago. He felt sure that they would agree, with him that the men who came there then came to no picnic, no fortune hunt, no cowards' paradise, r lazy man's snuggery. They required to be earnest, strenuous, valiant men, loyal to the core. Some people might be inclined to think that some of those men might have'done better but he thought that they had "bu'.Med better than they know." He inferred at some length to the. recent German campaign of vituperation against Inland, and pointed out how unreasonable i it was. He spoke of the great work of the British Empire, throughout which! he claimed the Kingdom of God expressed itself.

Mr Skinner, in the course of his remarks, declared that those who had .journeyed- to the. foreshore that day had assembled at one of the most interesting spots in New Zealand, at Ngamotu and Paritutu. The former place was said to be the landing place of the first people that came to New Zealand. Not the Polynesians of the Central Pacific, but of the people, who arrived previous to tljem, nearly a thousand yeais ago. The locality had a varied history, being full of tradition and romance. There had been a doubt as to the actual spot on which Mr Creed settled when he came. He took up his residence at Wnitapu, just, southward of the little barying ground. A little chapel was built there, and this was the first House .if Hod built in North Taranaki. To the district of the Waingongoro went thu honor of having both the first Methodist and Anglican churelijes in Taranald. About a year later Mr Creed built a second place of -worship at a little native village named Mawera, about the junction of 1 Brougham and Powder ham streets. A few of the. early marriages were celebrated at the Waitapu and Mawera churches, and the first European burial took place' at the former. The first anniversary tea: was held in the Mawera church, and it was planned ro hold a horticultural show there. It might interest local horticulturists to know that such a show was held in 1843. Mr Skinner said he, had hen.ul of many ludicrous incidents of those -old days. One was the violent ringing of the church bell at Mawera by a native, who had seen a comet and who decided to call tlie people to prayer, as lie considered that the end of the world had arrived. Later, a building known us the "Stone chapel" was secured from tlio C'ongregationalists. Tt stood in CouMenay street on the sile now occupied by Miss Crocker's residence, and in tint building service was held until ISSO, when they moved into the building created on the site of the present church. In 18(30-01, as it stood just inside the town trenches, it was used as a picket house, and often contained wounded men as

well as being used for the cooking of meals, Mr Skinner then spoke of the intermingling with the congregations, leferred to by the previous speiW'.. remnking that it was sp'.ondM to know that they had thus joined.

Those who contributed to the musical programme were Mi-sdames Morn-on end Golding, Miss Douglas, and Mr Morrison. The items, though few, were of some mer;t, and were much enjoyed. A collection was taken up in aid of the church funds.

A vote of thanks to all speakers and contributors, moved by Mr Collis, seconded by Mr Ward, was heartily carried. The meeting concluded with the benediction, pronounced by the Rev. J. \\ T . Griffin, of Waitara.