ENTERTAINMENT AT TEMUKA.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1163, 20 October 1883, Page 3

ENTERTAINMENT AT TEMUKA.

The entertainment held under _ the auspices of the Presbyterian Church Choir came off last night in the Volunteer Hall. Ths entertainment consisted of a service of song entitled • Jessica's First Prayer,' and was rendered very successfully. The audience was very small. The Rev D. Gordon occupied the ehair.and read the explanatory portions of the service with characteristic ability. The story is simple but affecting A little girl—the daughter of a drunken actress, who had kicked a missionary out of her room, and refused to let her little girl be taught to read or write for fear it would spoil her—was given something to eat by a coffee-stall-keeper in London. Jessica, the little girl, became extremely grateful to Daniel, the coffee-stallkeeper, and followed him into a Church, of which lie was caretaker, This led to Jessica's being brought under the notice of the minister, who taught her to pray, and her first prayer was offered up for Daniel, her benefactor. Ultimately the girl fell ill, and was taken by Daniel to his house and when she recovered she became assistant to him in his coffee stall. The tale is spiced with very feeling sentences, in which Jessica's innocent ignorance is brought out strongly, The music is also sprightly, and it was done full justice to by the choir under the conductorship of Mr Edmonds. Some of thesolos wererendered splendidly, and it was very much to be regretted that the audience was not, large as the entertainment was really good. Miss Blyth presided at the harmonium, and to her excellent playing a good deal of the success of the concert may be attributed. The second pirt consisted of a pianoforte sole by Miss Blyth, songs by Meissrs Coltman and Edmonds, and a dust by Mrs Edmonds and Miss Burton, all of which were excellently rendered, and the whole performance wound up with singing ' God Save Queen.' It is the first unsuccessful concert held in connection with the Presbyterian Church, and no duubtthe bmallness of the attendance was owing to want of due publicity having been given to it.