WESLEYAN ART EXHIBITION.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1781, 25 August 1888, Page 2

WESLEYAN ART EXHIBITION.

,Th© above exhibition, for which preparations have been making for past few months, was opened la«t Thuiaday in the Volunteer Hall, Temuka. The enterprise was a great and those who have visilei it have gooo away wondering how such a large collection of old and curious and beautiful things could have been collected together in a village in this distant anil new colony. The Hall was splendidly arranged, and where there was any room for decorations they were carried •ut tastefully and neatly. The walls were hung with pictures; on the two sides of the haH were tables, on which goods were arranged, and up the centre ran a double table, which was also crowded with all kinds of articles. The stage was nicely "tftiqwd, and the two wtugs were utilised as separat* rooms—one for fine arts, and the other (or telfwhments; laaving the oantre to speakers, musicians, etc. The arrangements on the whole were txcel'ent, and indicated that much care and zial had been bestowed on them. THE OPENINf.

. The. opening; ceremooy took place shortly after 3 p.m., when the Rav. Mr Bonn ascended the stage, and called on Mr '.J. Jackson, of Timaru, to address those present. Mr Jackson said thatwhenhe got their invitation to attend ha had no idea ha would be ctllod upon to perform, the ceremony of, opening, the exhibition, or of making a upeech.. He was therefore Unprepared, anJ.hvl nothing to say,, so lie would say nothing.. He would thask them for the honor they had conferred upoi hirri; and of course if he could be of any use he was always ready to do aDythiug in his power *o forward the interests of Metholism. He was ag r eeably surprised at the excellence of the show they had made, and preferred th'se shows to baziar. 4 , bociuse bozurs interfered with tradespeople. There were many things, of gre4 there, and the exhibition of them would serve to develops a spirit of emulition amongst the people. He w : shed them every success, and trus'ed they would niie a large sum by it. He declared the exhibition open. (Cheers). Tne Rev. Mr Bunn congratulated them >n the success which had crownel their labors, and moved a vote of thanks to Mr J lcksDD, wh ch was cinied by acclamation. The N,ttion I Anthem w.is then sung, and this conclude.) thu ceremony. ANCiKNT Uiai(Jj. This was about, the beat represen'el department of Mm cxiiil'iii.Ki, The mo»t inter«?uu£; exhibit to the majority of those present was the note book of tKe Kev. Joan Wesley i') his own handwriting, also letters written by him, an 1 the cults, collar, and pjrt of tlr.) linen worn by bin when .preaching. Ta.-. no'.e-book i 3 well bound, and the writing is legible, neat, and small. Mr J. AshweJl pridad himS':lf on having the oldest article in the exhibition in the shap-j of a " daggsr of mercy,' '••fouud o:i Bosworth battlefield whore King I'ijhird 111. wis slain, which was fought iu 1485, tint is 403 years ago, but Mr James Ilay k-iockod the wind out of .his siils by exhibiting a small jug (in a splendid state of preservation) from the ruins of Pomp-ii. Tne city of Pompeii was destroyed the 24th..0f August, 79, so that the exhibition was opened in Temuka on tho eve of the 1809th anniversary of it. This jag, in all probability, hid no rival in point of antiqtiityin the exhibition. Mr Ash web's Illustrated History of England, published in 1632, that u 256 yeara ago, hid als;> to taks second place to a Bible owned by Miss Atkinson, of Timaru, which bears the date of 1539, that is nearly 300 years old. A Bible 137 )ears old, belonging to Mr Waddell, Prayer Book and Bible 141 years, and Book of Sermons 183 years, constituted an array of ancient literature which attrasted a good deal of attention. A silk shawl, 150 years old, five fe«t square, end which would piss through a wadding-ring, the property of Mrs Holdgate, of Timaru, was an interesting relic of the times when silk was silk. An autograph letter of King George 111., most curiously worded, was shown by Mr Pinckney, and a document bearing the seal and signature of the Duka! of Richmond, and dated 1783, was also interesting. Mr J. Watt showed a Scotch pistol 161 years old. The barrel is of brass, beautifully engraved. Mrs Holwell ehor/ad a pepper-box 200 years eld. CURIOS.

Amonget the curios were some Fijian articles belonging to Mrs Hayhurst, and aonsiating of a model of a double <nnoe, which Mr Gurr received as a present from a Fijian princes*. There waa also a kaya bowl, which is an article in which the Fijmn natives brew from the Kava root a kind of drink which is very intoiioating, besides assegais, spears, and other implements of war. Mr John Meyer had there another collection of Fijhn. war clubs—i chief's oiub being remarkably well curved. . He had also a kavs bowl, and other articles of the same kind. Mr J. 1. Rutland, of Timaru, Bhowed a collection of very interesting arlioles, consisting of a Chinese Bwoid and ebony walkingstick, dagger made of Chinese coins, bound together with twine; a Chinese ecrstch-back, which is a wonderful, affair, with a long handle to it, so that it cm be pushed down the bick whea ore desires to operate with it. tie had also a soapstone fruit stand, and other articles too numerous to mention. A Fijian water • bottle, exhibited by Mrs Andre' »s, Geraldine, was" a curious looking affair. Mr Watt exhibited a Maori water-bottle, consisting of the oilier covering of a watermelon. This was taken at the famous battle of Parihakn. A v.isj exhibited by Mrs McCaakill in said lo be made of the mud of the river G but looks ua"ouiuionly like old bronze metal. There were other vases which bote a family likeness to the one of mud, au.'l there was a Laplander's cap, and a Chinanxttr'-s----idioes, '»nd specimen's of Indian carving and petrified wood, and a slico of an elephant's .tooth, and besido it a whole tooth with a put of the j .w attached, and other things so numerous, so strange, aDd so wonderful that we lost ourselves in taking count of them. PICTURES. This department wus the weakest of the exhibition, although there waa a pretty fair collection. In this probably Mrs Miles' picture, ' Tho Gleaner,' worked in silk, which is over 150 years old, deserves first place. ' 11-ibecc i at the Well,' exhibited by Mrs Ho!well, worked in the Bume way, ilesarveß mention.. Amongst the best pic'ures .shown were tCJiius on Hie Avon, Kdcahu,. rvi 1 Waih

rivers, and Mounts Pembroke* and Wick, painted in wafer colors by Mr W. Uapeß, of (tapes' Valley, They are redly excellent pictures, and so ia Uradahaw Bound, painted in oil by Miss Warrington Jackson, of Timaru. The perspective of this picture ia magnificent, The same young lady ha& a'so a picture of Mount Cook, and some other works of her own of great merit. ' The Proscribed Loyalist,' a crayon, by Miss Da'e, of Timaru; three pictures by Mr F. K. Gray, and three pictures by Dr Campbell comprised the work of local artists, but there were a great ruaoy more pictures, some of them very valuable. Aoiongat these ware pictures lent by Mr Jones, of Tiunru, some by Sir J. Brown, and several others. A picture of great value is an old painting of an English street acene, owned by Mr Dale, of Timaru, but we have not been able to ascertain any details concerning it. It is said to be 200 years old, and is io excellent condition. A hand-painted.fire screen by Mrs Holdgate, of Timaru, and a bandpainted mirror by Mrs Wuke, of Timaru, are noticeable features of the exhibition. OARVIM.

Mr Haylmrat exhibited several beautiful specimens of Indian carviog. The carving is Bplendidly done, and the articles are inlaid with si'ver and ivory. There was also a specimen of ancient English carviog of the year 1689—that is, nearly 200 yeirs ago—4o owl, very handsomely got up, and some specimens of rustic Chinese carving exhibited by Mr J. 3, Rutland. OtD CHINA.

This ekes of goods, which is so much the rage in England at the prasent time, also found a place there. Mrs Winning allowed six pieces of beautiful china of the 15th eantury, and Mrs £uao a imgaificmt tea sarvice ef 20 pieces over 100 years old. The tea service is in gold, blue, and pink, and is extremely handsome. She- had also some dimioutivo Japanese ware, on each piece, of .which were 10G pictures, Japanese hand-painted vases, and also a pair of very handsome china vases, SfllL&g.

There was a large display of shells, one exhibited by Mr J. (i. Cowan, of Timuu, being by. far tho lnrg-et we have ever hood. It is of enormous siz v aQ d weighs 32 b. Mt P. Foster, of Timaru, also showed some handsome sheila of great size, and so alio did Mr Targuse, of Timaru, with whose collection were stor-fiili, BA'ord-fhh, and some other ctunn. Bjsidea there was a large collection of shells, owned bj many persons. MISCELLANEOUS,

A moat interesting article waa a lithographed fac simile copy of the Treaty of Waiungi, owned by a Christohurcu Wesleyan uuai&ter, aod abjut ha'f-d-dozan hunisome Egyp'.iin rases, Bome of which belonged to Mrs J. Watt. Mr Whitehead showed a handsome shade of wax flowers, made by himself, and an article which brought to Mrs Buan's mind sad recollections was a cushion worked by the Sisters of Mercy in Tienteiu, China, in 3871» and got from there by her shortly before hey were massacred by the Chinese mob. M.'s Buoq lived quite close to the Convent where the nuns and a large number of Europeans were massacred, aod doobtlssa would have shared their fate only that she happened to be absent from home on the occasioa. A vegetable caterpillar, shown by Mrs Campbell, was a most curious afhir. This peculiar animal, after enjoying hf-\ works hirase f down into the ground; and out of his head a growth springs up. Tliis is one of the atrange»t things in nature. Tub caterpillar exhibited shows a perfect body with the vegetable growth springing from its head. A large collection of old coins made np an interesting show caaa. One of this collection consisted of a ring found in the River Tiber. Attached solidly to the riog is a key, and it is supposed to be an article which Roman mothersin - law were accustomed to hand to their daughters-in-law when they cams to live wi h them, as a token that they handed over to them all household responsibilities. A spade-guinea, an angel (7s piece), three-half-penoe in silver, twopenny copper pieces, some Chinese and other foreign coins made an interesting collection. Mr flout had there a case of quartz nuggets and foreign coins. A pair of silver sugar tooga, which has been over 100 years in one family, also occupied a place. There were also counterpanes in crazy work, knitted work, patch work, etc., cushions of many beautiful patterns, mantle drapes, etc. Articlsa in which great interest was manifested were a- tablecloth, smoking cap, two watch pockets, and two antimacassars, m»de by Mrs Larcombe with twine-like cords, and cilled macrame' work. This would require to bo seen, description could convey no idea of it. There was also a very large show of Eaiapoi woollen goods and many handsome specimens of the shoemakers' art from the factory of Messrs Lightband, Allan, and Co. On the two sides of the stage were two figures representing a Chinese lady and gentiemsn, both dressed in elegant Chinese costume, the whole making »n exhibition extremely creditable to ita promoters. There were many articles about which we could not get information, and many which had lost their tickets, and consequently no owners' name could be got. We are indebted to Mrs J. Brown for the great assistance she rendered in compiling report.

THE CONCERT, The attendance during the afternoon was very large, and in the evening the plaoe was crowded. The Timaru Wesleyan choir, of 18 voices, undor the leadership of Mr Burd, with Mr R. Holdgate at the piano,' gave an excellent entertainment. The pieces sung were the glees "Blow Thou Winter Winds," " Ye Gentlemen of England," "To All You Ladies," "Bells of St. Michael's Tower," " From Oberon in Fairyland," and " When the Toil of the Day is Over." Solos were sung by Mrs Holdgate, Miss Warrington, Miss Silverton, and Mr J. W. Holdgate, and duets by Mrs Holdgate and Miss Dale, and Miss Warrington and Miss Dale. The singing was excellent, and every item was loudly applauded.

The exhibition was open yesterday afternoon, and up to 10 o'clock last night. In addition to the exhibition the skating rink was open, and a very large number attended it, the proceeds going to the same fund. The Wes'ryan Church choir, of 14 voices, under Mr Harrison's conductorship, with Mrs Harrison presiding at the piano, rendered several {•ldts splendidly, and Mr W. Storey, junr., sang "Tom Bowlin' " in good voice.

To-day the exhibition will be open for * the last time, acd from 3 to 5 p.m. children under 14 years will be admitted for 3d each. There will be some choice selections of vocal and instrumental music, and before the proceedings terminate the unsold portion of art needlework and faocy goods will be sold by suction. Those who wish to enjoy a treat should not fail to pay the cxh bi'ion a yisit.