ST. SAVIOUR'S CHURCH TEMUKA.

Temuka Leader, Issue 233, 7 February 1880, Page 2

ST. SAVIOUR'S CHURCH TEMUKA.

~ TO THE ICMTOR Sir, —lii a report, given in your issue of the 31st ult, of a prosenlauon made.to Mr Wood, I see i* stated that- u ln 1870 Mr Wood had the honour o£ laying the foundation of the ch-iireh.'-' .....

That he* who' merits, the palm should bear it is a very good .maxim; but mayTf ask if there-is not a slight .mist'ake'hy.eredn iting- Mr ' Wopc! -with liavihg laid the foundation'or "tho church? With regard to the actual ceremony commonly-know-Bi as u laying the first stone,'' it was, if my memory seives me right—though of course lam open to corr<?ction-«perf6rmed by the th n chief dignitary or the .Order of Freemasons,- having- its headquarters at Timariti A number of Masonic "rites were observed, and a a oration delivered .by tho. Rev Francis Rae, a wandering : -star, who found himself at T-emuka about that time.

If the expression '• laying.i&eioundation 'rif fee church " \s a Jigurati vo. o: e, I think (without the fdightest disparagement of Mr Wood's valuable services) there are .other gentlemen whose nam&? might have bden very appropriately !trientionedjn connection with the preliminary steps. Btit, after all, it may be considered doubtful if the undertaking would hate .been crowned with success-so soon- as H was, if the ladies of, the district, had not entered it, as nothing was done until, they did so. They,, he'd several meetings, the result" of which was that on Q.ct.4,. 18l)8, ji bazaar for the salo of allkindg .of articles,, useful and ornamental, was held aj: the Crown Hotel, an 1 in the evenmg oE fh&. samo d..y, a soiree at the Royal .Hotel. Both were eminently successful from a pecuniary ; | oiiit of view, though some persons took; exception to Ehe" places. where ' these entertainments took place, they. • thinking hotels nnsuited to the sacred character of .a church. * Other efforts followed, the foundation stone was laid, persons of all denominationa contributing to the building fund, and in due course the church was so far completed as to allow of service-being held in it. ■ .-..;,.■•

The service was performed by AllS-.'Rjy.:. •W. 11. Cooper,,who.,.taking for his.,tcji:j:, Judo y 3, delivered one of the most illiberal discourses, I suppose?., that could have been--heard in .any church. Ignoring, or not having been ma'do acquainted with, the fact that the building had. been erected by the voluntary contribution's of -persons of .all shades of rel'gious opinion, and taking for granted that his audience were composed entirely of Episcopalians, lie exlidrted theiii to avoid entering places' Of worship belonging to. other denoiivma* tionp, and in other ways to have as little to,do ..as they .possibly could with persons professing different religious belief from their own. A report of this sermon ap* t pearod iii the Thnaru Herald during the .following week, and 'naturally causedsome annoyance to many who, hot belonging to the Church, of England, had yet given liberally towards the building, and after all found themselves pointed out as objects to be avoided by all good churchmen. It is to be hoped, "however, tnftt matters have since that time undergone a change for the better at Temukn, and tliat - all sections of the .Christian Church represented there arts working; harmoniously together for the-.-diffusion of Divine truth, and the .spread of the Redeemer's kingdom on earth. .As shewing the state of public opinion in some quarters "at the time, I send you a paper, which was handed tu tnu during the course of the proceedings already .noted. It was

iHeni]ud £or pnblicaiion, but owing to a pi'ev* of business the requisite steps were not taken in the matter. The uruiflo is rather long>bnt will,l think, if you should see lit to'print, it. inton-st thoaa of your readers whorbitik thai the-secular d«ment still enLcrs too largely into entr-pris'-s undertaken professedly in the in-t'-rests of .'l'ligiou.' lain etc., Rtjstictjs. ■ : Geraldine/3rd Feb., 1830.