ST. MATTHEW'S CHURCH.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 2, Issue 289, 14 October 1879, Page 2

ST. MATTHEW'S CHURCH.

[To the Editor of the Wairarapa Daily.

Sir—Two letters have recently appeared in your columns signed " Churchman," one of which elicited a renlv from the fiev Mr Teakle. _ Both the above writers seem to be quite wrong in their inferences. " Churchman " is mistaken m supposing that a return to the pew-rent System would tend materially to increase the subscriptions; and Mr Teakle is still

more wrong in attributing the want of support en the part of some church memNo n flS Jrtoth ? Change tofreo^, o doubt several persona have felt annoyea at the change, believing it to have been unnecessary, inconvenient, a mis-' toke on financial grounds, and a positive bleach of faith so long as any debt remains on the church, since the pew-vents were specified as one of the sources of revenue for the payment of interest when the money was borrowed for enlarging the church and bmldin K the parsonage. Ilu? chief cause of the want of funds is evident to everybody What, then, can be the use of pretending to ignore it 1 Uio voluntary system is at all times a more or less precarious one, but it can only succeed where the pastor enjoys the full confidence, respect, sympathy, and even to some extent the affection of his nock. Un anyone say truthfully that such a condition exists here. Estimating the future by the past, there seems no ground for expecting any improvement of the finances under present circumstances; and it is to be feared that the number will increase of those who, finding the services of their church as conducted here the opposite of attractive, prefer to remain away and to hold services in their own homes, even at the risk of being stigmatised as having joined the ranks of" undisguised infidelity."-lam oisc., • ' Another Churchman,

OUR MASTERTON CRICKETERS. To (lie Editor of tfo Wauabapa Daily. Sir-I have read in a recent local of your journal of the proceedings of the last meeting of our Masterton Cricket Club. The officers and committee elected appear to me to be very active gentlemen, ami will no doubt contribute materially to the success of the club duriii" the forth coining season.

c ' were w ' se * n fixing their habitation in our park, The scenery around tins lovely spot .is really charming, and as a place of public resort and tor recreation purposes the citizens of Masterton at no distant date will, I am sure, be proud of it, The suggestion of the club to heartily co-operate with kindred societies in establishing a fund for the erection of a grand stand for all is worthy of consideration, and I feel sure that our very energetic lark Irustees will not be wantin" on the occasion, °

I would respectfully suggest to the liustees that before the season of sport has fully arrived, a gate at the town end oi the I ark in Dixon-street would be a convenience to the visiting citizens I am, &c, Citizen,

To the Editor of ike Wairarapa Daily. i ? R 7 Wi ! 1 l m kilu % filld space fortius lot er to ask if it ut right that nightsoil awl hi thy closet boxes should be thrown in the Waipnua river at 10 o'clock in the morning, and where people at the Government Cottages go for their water to drink, an<then there is the Waipoua Brewery. 1 think it should be put a stop to at once -1 am, Ac.,

Ax OBSERVER. [lt is neither right nor legal to pollute rivers,— En. W.D.]