PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH SOIREE.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1793, 22 September 1888, Page 2

PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH SOIREE.

The annual soiree and public meeting io connection with the Presbyterian Church, Tsmuka, was held on Wednesday evening in the Volunteer Hull. There was a very large attendance and everything passed off splendidly. Tea was laid on the tables at 6.30, and was as abundant as it was excellent. There were seven tables, to each of which about IS persons could sit down. It was estimated that over 200 persons sat down to tea. The tables were presided over by Mrs Brewer and Misses Ackroyd, Stewart (2), Longson, Winning, McCullough, Blyth, Hay (2), McOallum, Brown, and Russell (2). After the good things were done justice to, the hall was put in order for a public meeting, and shortly after 8 o’clock it commenced. The Rev. . Mr Dickson occupied the chair, and on the platform were the Revs. Barclay, Hamilton, White, and Bunn. There was also a very efficient choir, under the conductorship of Mr Rutland, with Miss Blyth presiding at the harmonium. (

During the evening tho choir rendered some selections splendidly, and showed that tinder Mr Rutland's guidance they were improving.

Tho Rev. Mr Dickson, in opening the meeting, said that having appealed to them through their digestive organs they would now iippe.il to (heir musical organs, and he hop >d the intellect would not be neglected. He wis glad to see so tnony present, and that tho weather was so propitious. They ought to feel thankful for the splendid weather of New Zealand. He had been reading of the fearful weather in England lately, where there were great floods, resulting in the bars of publichouses and wine cellars being flooded, and a whole population made drunk. It was now 12 months since they met, and he hoped they would not only show they lived yet but were determined to live. He hoped they Would not forget the bazaar on the 16th, 17th, and 18th of November. They would have a great display of work, and he hoped they would make it a success, and wipe away the debt under which they suffered. The Rev. Mr Barclay said speeches were going out of fashion at such meetings, and when he saw the programme it seemed to say wo won’t go home till morning. He noticed that there were present musical stars from Geraldine and from Timaru and so on. He noticed too, there were several ministers to speak, and all of them liishman, and amongst them was . the ecclesiastical Mark Twain of South Canterbury. (Great laughter). Ho was glad to see so many present. They were going in extensively for such things in Temuka. It was only last week that they had a bachelors’ party, ending up in an Irish j g. (Laughter), Such meetings were essentials, and they did a great deal for the moral improvement and evangelisation of the world. No matter how tho world sneered, later researches only proved the truth of the Bible. He would give an instance of this. They had no doubt heard of the Moabite stone. AMr Klein discovered this stone in the land of Moab, and offered £BO for it; but the French Consul offered £379 for it, as he wanted it for a museum in Paris. The Arabs became superstitious, and made a fire about it and destroyed it; but it was afterwards partly restored, aud it was found that the inscription on it corresponded with the second chapter of the Book of Kings. There was a verification of the Bible. In Egypt lliere was a place where all the kings were buried in coffins of stone, and amongst them there is an an empty atone coffin which was intended for one of the Pharoahs. The question was, why was that coffin empty. I The date on it corresponded exactly with the date of Pharoali being drowned in the Red Sea, There was a verification. They had heard of Homer's lost brick. Mr Horner went out to Egypt, and dug in tho mud of the Nile pieces of pottery and brisk, etc., at a depth of about 60 or 70 feet. They had a way out there of estimating the lime it took tho mud in the river to glow that high, ami it denoted the great age of the bricks discovered. It was supposed that they were 30,000 years old, and people asked, Where is your Bible now 1 Closer examination, however, disclosed the name of Julius Carar stamped on them. In 1798 Bonaparte was out in Egypt, and, with some French philosophers, discovered some splendid temples, on the ceiling of which were strange inscriptions. They secreted themselves in the temple, took down the ceilings, and brought them to Paris, where it was held that the inscriptions had been written 17,000 years before Christ. Closer examination disclosed again the name of August C»sar, who lived 140 years after Christ, and so the Bible was again vindicated. It was always so. The more tho Bib'e was inquired into the more its truth was proved, and the brighter it shone to illumine the pathway to the other world. He congratulated them ou the success of their meeting, and hoped they would be equally successful with their bazaar. He bad heard of their wonderful (Juilt, and he hoped it would completely clear them of debt. He was so much of a free churchman that he believed all churches should be free of debt, and he trusted theirs would soon be so.

The Rev. Mr Buna congratulated them on the large meeting they had, and on the excellent quality of the tea of which they bad partaken. The Rev. Mr Barclay was a sp'endid duster of antiquity, but all Ins antiquarian researches ended in the discovery that they were all Irish. There was Mr Barclay, and Mr Dickson, and Mr White, and Mr Hamilton and himself all six feet. There were 30 feet of ecclesiastical Irishism. (Laughter.) He was glad to be present, as Wesleyaniam was an improvement on Presbyterianism, It was Presbyterianism chrystalised. That was what Wesleyaniam was. They had only improved Presbyterianism greatly and he was sure every one of them would admit it. (Laughter.) He would suggest that they should all combine together on the Sabbath evenings, and hold evangilical service in that hall. They could close their churches earlier and come together and work harmoniously to advance the cause of religion. There was a unity amosg them, although they lacked uniformity, and they could easily work together in extending a knowledge of the Christian religion. Ho congratulated them on their meeting, and hoped they would have success with their baz lar. Their rev. chairman was the most modest minister he had ever heard. Fancy a minister saying that £2OO was too much to expect from ibe Quilt. If Mr Dickson was afraid he weald get too much for the Quilt ho would suggest to him to hand the surplus over to the Wesleyan church. (Laughter). Who had ever heard a minister before saying he would get too much ) Ho had a notion of getting up a quilt himself, but when he came here be found he had been regularly quilted by Mr Dickson who started one before him. However, he wished him every success. (Applause.) The Rev. Mr Hamilton said he was glad to see so many present, and the ministers of religion combining together and showing that though they differ in opinion on many things, they were not working siuglehanded in the cause of God. He always sympathised with the Presbyterians, because of their great devotion to their Church and the earnestness of their ministers. - He was seldom taken for an Irishman, because he could not say the good things which Irishmen usually were able to say. He was half an Irishman and half a Scotchman. His father and grandfather were Irish, but he believed the family originally came from «r Scotland, so he might naturally have sympathy wilh Presbyterians. He was glad to be present and to see them all so

bappy, and he hoped the next place he would have the pleasure of seeing them all would be at the entertainment in connection wiih his Church, which would take place on the 25th inst. Ho their bazaar would be a success, and that they would go on prospering, bee use if they were to be a great nation (hey wan'd be so only by keeping the Sabbath, and observing religious rites. They must come lo the church and make theii ministers feel that they were not working in vain. They must put away work on the Sabbath, and learn something ahoir the Itmd to which they were journeying. The Rev. Mr White had great pleasure to be present at their annual meeting. They had heard a lot about Irishmen—too much, he thought. They were not going to make this Ireland, or England, or Scotland, but New Zealand, and he thought they ought to sop at that. He had heard about their great Quilt, but he was afraid they relied too much upon it. They must not forget the small things, and they must not forget to work together. His church had been cleared of debt, and if they could do that, what could be dentin Temukal Some people objected to bazaars, and he hoped these people would give their subscription. They must not be hypercritical about church matters. They must co-operate with each other. The great movement in Ireland, which bad succeeded in arousing Great Britain, was the result of co-operation. It war a shame for Christians to have theii churches in debt. He approved of Mr Bunn's suggestion to meet together, and thought it would do a great deal of good. Jfeople were not atheists at heart; there was something in their souls which did not admit of it. They were only cold and careless, and required rousieg. After speaking very earnestly for some time he moved a vote of thanks to the ladies who supplied the tea, to the singers who had #ome from a distance, to the chairman, and especially to the precentor (Mr Rutland) and Miss" Blyth (the organist;. The motion was seconded by Mr Russell, and carried by acclamation. Between the speeches the following programme was gone through : —Anthem, “ I will Lift up mine eyes,” Choir; song, “David Singing before Saul,” Mr R. Foster; song, “Landing of the Pilgrim Fathers,” Miss Andrews; Anthem, “ How Beautiful upon the Mountains 1 ” Choir ; recitation, “ Burial March of Dundee,” Mr W. Storey ; Song. “ The Old Cathedral,” Mrs F. W. Stubbs; descriptive song, “ The Death of Nelson,” Mr B. Winning; song, “Where is Heaven 1” Miss Dunlop; Anthem, “Lord of all Power and Might,” Choir ; song, “ Steering for Home,” Mr J. McCaskill; song, “ Love Not ” Miss Andrews; Song, “On the Rolling Wave,” Mr R. Foster ; song, “ Waiting,” Mrs F. W. Stubbs ; song, “Sailors on the Sea,” Mr W. Storey ; song, “ Golden Shore,” Mias Dunlop ; gong, “ Romany Lass,” Mr R. Wirning. This programme was gone through splendidly, and most of the pieces were encored, but the chairman said no encores would be allowed as the programme was too long. It would, of course, be invidious to single out any lor praise, where all were rtyilly good, so we gball content ourselves by saying that the whole programme was gone through in a manner that gave entire satisfaction, and won from the audience enthusiastic applause. Mias Blyth presided at the piano with her usual efficiency, with the exception that Miss Dunlop was accompanied by Mias Andrew*. The performance came to a cigae at 11.20 with the singing of the National Anthem.