THE REV JOHN DICKSON AT HOME.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2233, 28 July 1891, Page 3

THE REV JOHN DICKSON AT HOME.

According to the Belfast Witness of June 6th, last the Rev. J. Dickson made thei following characteristic speech at the meeting, of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ireland.— !

Rev. John Dickson, deputy from the New Zealand Church, said he had been charged by the Church he represented tvith the agreeable duty of conveying to the General Assembly the fraternal greetings _ and good wishes of a young and rising Church, whose field of labour lay at the Antipodes, This wassail the more pleasant duty to hitii'as he had been brought up in connection with the Church which he had the privilege to address. The Irish Presbyterian Church > was in the habit of sending to New Zealand men and money, and they were deeply grateful for both of those, and the only thing they had got to complain of was that they did not receive more men and more money. (Laughter.) He spoke of the extent of the country, of the " Church’s aim "to ' bring ordinances within 'the reach of every emigrant sent-nut from Home, of the great difficulty of supplying them in sparsley populated.. districts, of the progress Church, and .yejk its , upon the home . Churches for sympathy in men and money, that Church having no college of its own and no Sustentation Fund; ‘ thahhed' the Irish Assembly for its

annuil grant of . £SO„ and hoped the aid |iven would be larger as the work and difficulties of the young and rising Church became better known, Mr Dickson gave some interesting information regarding the colony, which he believed had a bright future. It 'was true that a number of professional , agitators had gone to the land of his adoption, and by smooth and oily tongues and moderate speeches, and a liberal use of the wrongs of Ireland, and the novelty of the moment had drawn' large crowds, and they had ' obtained considerable amounts of ■ money which had been, sent home to relieve the distressed tenants of Ireand he did riot know whether or not it had arrived at its destination, 'but he was quite sure that the people of New Zealand were loyal to the backbone. (Hear, hear, and applause.) He could assure them that if they, in Ireland got into future political . difficulties they might depend,upon the smypathy and help of New Zealand people as a whole. (Applause.) He had been told to say that the Presbyterian Church in New Zealand wanted men, men not only of piety and earnstness and physical vigour, but men of tact and wisdom and intellectual vigour. (Applause.)