PRESBYTERIAN SUNDAY SCHOOL ANNIVERSARY.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 2, Issue 473, 26 May 1880, Page 2

PRESBYTERIAN SUNDAY SCHOOL ANNIVERSARY.

— - —* ;.'■'' ' On Sunday the, Presbyterian; Sunday School ArinivWafy ks/heldj .'and the services conducted by the'' Rev W. M. Fell, of The;, congregations at both services were the anxiety displayed,.to Becute 1 seats indicated that the elocutionary-abilities of the* preacher was held in much esteem. In the morning the preacher took for his text-" And they that be wise shall shine they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for. ever and ever." The sermon i was f listened to with earnest attention. During the service a selection of beautiful hymns was sung by the children, in which the congregation joined; <.•'.;■;: In the; afternoon the reverend gentleman gave "an address to. the children of the Sunday School; there were also present a ; .large number of parents .and friends, the subject being " Wilt thou not from this time, cry unto me—my Father thou art the guide of my youth," and throughout commanded the attention of his youthful hearers, who listened to his discourse with marked interest. The good

behaviour of the scholars reflected great credit to the Superintendent and teachers. Atintervals the children Bang some very pretty hymns, heartily, cheerfully, and well.

Before the evening service commenced

there was a large congregation assembled, I and yet more continued to come, until t the church was more orowded than on ] any previous occasion. The Rev Mr Fell c again preached, and took for his text the 1 words "Judas aaith unto him—not Is- a cariot." The text was not an ordinary 1 one, but the preacher was not an ordi- j nary preaoher, and evolved a powerful 1 an eloquent discourse from the somewhat j peculiar words which he had Beleoted, 1 ~ . THE ; TEA~MEETING. The tables- were superintended by Mes- '! daines MoKee', Feist, and Russell, and by ■] Misses.Wilton,'Woodroofe, Daga, Feist, ■ and MoMaster. Mr James Thompson ' was the caterer, and as usual he gave every satisfaction to the promoters of the ' gathering. There was a larger attendance of children and visitors than on any previous occasion of a similar character. THE MEETING in the evening was well attended, the Churoh being crowded in every part of it. The Rev Mr MoKee occupied the Chair. The Chairman, after the'.meeting had been 'opened with prayer, expressed his regret that other engagements prevented ministers of neighboring Ohurohes from being present on the platform. He congratulated the congregation on the success of the anniversary. They had anticipated bring able through it to increase the Sunday School Library by a hundred or a hundred arid fifty volumes, and the financial results so far more than exceeded their expectations. ... . MrD. McGregor then read the following report:—" Masterton Presbyterian Sunday School—The number of children attending the School has increased during, the year from 120 to 155. The average attendance for the month of April; 1879, was morning 67 and evening 71; and the average attendance for' April, 1880. was morning 77.and afternoon '65, the highest attendance being 92. We have had an average attendance for the past twelve months of 67 scholar every morning, and 62 every evening; 9 teacherj every morning and 10 ovevy afternoon. The sohool is steadily increasing. The want of teachers is .felt very much, one teacher having sometimes 10 or 12 children to teach; it is almost impossible to keep such a number in order. Two or three earnest Christians who take an interest in the sohool would be a very acceptable addition. It is' now about two years since we had an addition to our library, and it ■ is the desire of the teachers to procure,a number of Volumes now. The library is 1 well read, arid books are taken out by nearly 60 children, which tends tostreng- . then their interest in the school.—Ta'ratahi Sabbath School—This school still i retains its reputation for punctuality and . steady progress. The children are wellbehaved, and manifest a deep interest in the sohool, many of them travelling ' several miles over very bad roads. We i cannot report any large increase in this , school, owing to the scanty population of the place, but. it is highly gratifying to those interested in it that all the children , within a • reasonable radius avail' themselves 'of - its advantages. l The' lady tea--1 chers of this sohool are deserving of the i highest praise for their regularity in attendance, notwithstanding the distance 1 they have to come, and the bad state of I the roads during the winter months." In . moving its adoption, he regretted that Mr Feist, jun.. who had written it, had not read it, as he was capable of doing justice to it. He spoke in.terms of high praieeof the teachers donnected wif.li the Sunday Schools, and expressed a hope, that their j efforts would bo assisted by the co-opera-tion of parents. I The report having been adopted, a ! : PRESENTATION of an interesting character followed. Mr J. Strang, jun., on behalf of his-father and mother;' presented, to the Rev Mr McKee a costly gown. The Rev Mr Fell assisted in the ceremony by a supplementary speech of a humorouscharacter. The Chairman' said he was deeply son--3 sible of the kindnesß manifested to him t by Mr and Mrs Strang. Some six months , ago they, were present at his Church, and, , noting the deficiency, determined to get ■ . him one out from Home. 3 THE LECTURE, . ■ The Rev Mr Fell then gave his lecture on "JSsop, the Father of the Fabulists." Our space compels us to refer but briefly' to it. • It was, however, one of the.-.most . successful addresses we have ever, listened •to, being oh'araoterjsed' by broad and „ Vigorous thought, with an under-current ot raoy humor, which relieved it from the heavinesj which is sometimes .associated with utterances of this oharacter.' : Jlsop, he claimed, to be one of the greatest and best men in the world....He. was aoontra: diction in Nature, possessing as he did a magnificent mind and only a, puny and deformed body.' His mind placed him in the front rank of intellectual men, and he himself was not slow to remind those who jeered athis physical defects that " the mind was the standard of a man." Among his other disadvantages he was a slave, and the lecturer drew a pathetio picture of his slave life, and of the manner in which he . was sold in ; a market-place. Though JSsop lived 500 years 8.0., still'older fables'than his could be found, and'he quoted the beautiful fable of the trees desiring a king from the Old Testament as a fine example of ancient,fables/' He next recited some of JSsop's well-known exam-: pies, giving also anecdotes of hU keen : mother.wit and wonderful .jntellige.qce. : He followed up his career iilfjSe.despised! slave became a teaoher arid'a ijojiiiseilpr <jjt kings/ and conbluded by an eloquent reoi- : ta'l othis : traj»io death... The lecturer also' showeaUhe" analogy between many'of iSsop's beautiful moral precepts arid som» of the' best-known teaohing Jn<!;the:Ne.w,

Testament, and concluded amid loud applause. V 'Mr Feist proposed a vote, of thanks to the lecturer, and regretted that a gentle-.man-of ,hi» earnestnesa.aad ability, was .. about leaving for England.' It was such ' Imen&iMr Fell that the Colony-wanted!. ;' Mrf;Holdaway »6conde.d tie -.vote of ■'. thanfij which was carried by acclamation, ■ and suitably responded to. MrMcOardle moved.a vote of thanks ".; to the Choir, and pointed out'how much C they were indebted to .it on : the present * .occasion. ;:• He»cojaplimented it on the great proficiency it had attained, which was diie.hv ajreatsme'as,iire to the assistance unremittingly given to it by Miss . ■Woodroofeand'Mr'D.'"McGregor. . '^ A vote of thanks to the Chairman con-', eluded a most successfutmeeting.: • -