VISIT OF BISHOP JULIUS.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2290, 8 December 1891, Page 3

VISIT OF BISHOP JULIUS.

tv'His; Lordship the Bishop of Christchurch -arrived at. Temuka on Saturday by expressj'aud was met at the station by the Rev. T. A, Hamilton. The afternoon and evening were spent in discussing parochial piasters, inspection of the new school,.and the reception of a few visitors. ,On Sunday* at the 8 o’clock service tlie ■sacrament ‘was administered to 25 communicants. The service at St. John’s, Winchister, was well attended. Four candidates were presented for confirmation. The bishop, delivered a very .impressive address " comparing thecandidates to soldiers; pointing out their rewards, and warning them of the penalty of desertion, etc. In the afternoon, at St. Saviour’s Church, the rite of Confirmation was administered to eight male and twenty female candidates. Owing to the limited capacity of the church and the warmth of the weather the service was conducted in the open air, but was none the less impressive upon that account. The bishop’s address to the candidates was taken from the parable of the Ten Virgins. In kindly and impressive manner.he pointed out to those about to be confirmed their analagous position to the virgins who, with lamps lighted, went forth in the night to meet the bridegroom. .After the completion of the rite he again took up the parable, pointing out the lesson it conveyed, and earnestly praying that those who had now completed the vows made for them in Baptism would be able in succeeding years to withstand the various trials that beset them in life, and win their way to eternal reward. He pointed out that the petty trials, of life were more trying to the Christians than direct temptation, and assured them that their only safeguard ( was in prayer, which brought them into communion with their Saviour. If they ohee allowed the spirit of vigilance to relax they would become disassociated from their Lord. The hyinns wore appropriate to the-occasion, and heartily aung without accompaniment. The attendance was very largo.

In the evening the service was held in the new schoolroom, which was fairly crowded, in spite of its large seating capacity. The choir were accommodated with seats upon the stage, which was temporarily fitted with reading desk and lectern, Mr Proudlock presided at an American organ, kindly lent for the occasion by Mrs Langridge. The Rev. T. A. Hamilton conducted the service, the Bishop reading the lessons in a natural but impressive manne—a manner, it may be said, that caused the scriptures to appear in a new light to many. - The text for the sermon was taken from the

, Gospel of St. Mark, 10th chapter and par j of the 14th and 15th verses: “ Suffe the little children to come unto Me, am forbid them not, for of such is thi Kingdom of God.” ‘•' Verily I say untc you, whosoever shall not receive tht Kingdom of God as a little child, he shal notenter therein.” His Lordship; in £ few prefatory remarks said that he hac chosen the text as being appropriate tc the occasion, partly in connection with the ceremony that had taken place that afternoon, and also from the fact that, they Were assembled in a room. erected more especially for the training of the young. It was also a text very familiar to them ail, and one of the most beautiful in the Gospels. The Bishop then proceeded to point out, after a reference to the circumstances under which our Lord’s words were spoken, the responsibilities of parents. He asked “Who was it ‘ who brought children to Jesus '?” In all the pictures he had ever seen it appeared to be the mothers, and if he asked the present congregation or any congregation, ninetynine out of every hundred would say “ The Mothers.” This would be right of the present day, and people would be replying from their experiences of the present and not from their knowledge of facts. Nowadays the responsibility of the (children’s religious training was thrown upon the mothers. Men looked upon it as the women’s work, and relegated all 1 responsibilities to them I God forbid that he should undervalue the influence of mothers upon their children, but was it right or just that the responsibility should be solely upon them. He then proceeded to speak.of the various hindrances to the religious training of the young. He claimed that the system of Sunday Schools was totally inadequate. The teachers doubtless were selfsacrificing, and animated by. love for their Master and for their infant charges, but they were not trained to the work, nor was the time, some miserable half-hour in the week sufficient for instruction. What state schoolmaster, he asked, would undertake to efficiently teach any subject, however simple, in half-an-hour a week'? He pointed out that parents themselves were hindrances, inasmuch as they, by their lives,, allowed children to think that religion was a secondary matter. Many pointed out and readily availed themselves of the advantages of the education proyided by the state, but how many took the the trouble see that their children regularly attended he Sunday School ? poor means as it was to teach them some little knowledge of their Saviour. In graphic language he sketched the inconsistency of so-called Christians, and pointed out how keen was the childish intellect to mark such inconsistencies in their parents. How . quick was the child to say “ Father doesn’t believe all that,” and how readily the young man cast off the principles of religion that might have been instilled into him as being among the “ childish things” not compatible with man’s estate. Reverting to the training of the young, he drew a moral from the Roman Church. He had conversed with dozens of priests upon the subject, and they all agreed that the child's religious beliefs were to be, firmly fixed during the first seven years of his life. It could then be moulded and trained, and Roman Catholic children were so trained. He did not mean to say that the Roman Catholie Church was right and all the other Churches wrong, but he did mean to say that a lesson might be learned from them or any other body. He touched upon the subject of State Education, and ridiculed the idea that the difficulties of sectarianism were so insuperable that the Bible must perforce be banished from the school. England had got over the difficulty. Canada made nothing of it, and in Australia the little difficulties were reconciled; yet in this great country statesmen were appalled at the vastness of the task, and people were so little interested that at the next election he supposed they would squabble over some pet hobby, and let this vital question go to the wall. They would say “ Now the bishop is talking politics,” and he would talk politics as long as it trenched upon his Church. It is, of course, impossible in the brief space at our disposal to do justice to the bishop’s remarks. His arguments were pointed, his language graphic in the extreme, and underlying the whole was apparent the thorough earnestness of the speaker, and the deep sympathy he had for the cause he was pleading. In conclusion he drew a touching picture of the careless, indifferent man, world-stained and weary, who, newly-awakened to his *condition, recalled the memory of his childhood, when his love was pure, his thoughts free from evil, and faith simple, craved to put on anew the flesh of a little child. While the collection was being taken up Hymn 203 was sung, “Thou art coming, O my Saviour,” and a concluding hymn “ Sun of my soul.” The service concluded with the benediction. On Monday afternoon the Bishop held a confirmation service at the Maori Pah. There was a fair attendance of natives, but many at this season are absent for the shearing, etc. The candidates for confirmation were presented by the Incumbent. The hymns were sung in the native tongue very nicely. In the evening a tea meeting was held in the new schoolroom. The tables were provided bountifully by Mrs John Talbot, Mrs J. T. M. Hayhurst, and Mesdames Meyer, and F. Barker, Mesdames Hamilton and W. Walker, and Mr R. Pinckney. The following ladies assisted in despensing tea. Mrs Philips Miss Phillips, Mrs Melton, Mrs Ashwell, Miss Macpherson, Miss Brown, Misses Pilbrow (2), Miss Watt, Miss Wills, and Miss Kate Woodley. Ater tea which was partaken of by about 200 persons, some interesting addresses, etc,, were given previous to the delivery of a lecture by the bishop. .The report of these is held over for another issue.

The new Sunday School now completed reflects great credit upon the architect, Mr D. We A, and upon the contractors, Messrs Comer and Larcombe, for the faithful manner in which they have carried out his plans. The building is not remarkable for its beauty, but it is substantial and commodious. Its dimensions are 80ft. by 31ft., height of studs 14ft., and from floor to apex 30ft. At front and back are two rooms, each 12ft. x 15ft., those at the back being fitted with fireplaces. At the west end of the building is a stage, 12ft. x 22ft., with a graduated slope towards the audience. The stage can be draped with curtains when necessary, and will then form a spare classroom. The building is well ventilated and lighted. The roof is neat in design and the walls plastered throughout, except for a heavy dado which runs round both main hall and spare rooms. The entrance is by a large double rosepanelled door opening from the main street. It should prove a most convenient class room, and will also be very suitable for general church meetings, concerts, and so forth. At the rear are coal shed, closets, etc. The painting, varnishing, etc., was entrusted to Mr Cooper and he has made a thoroughly good job of his part of the work. The section has been plainly but strongly fenced, and the front shingled. The vestry have to thank Mr F. Hooper for carting shingle for one day free of charge, and Mr W. Surridge for gratuitously frosting the windows.