Presbyterian Church Anniyersary.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume X, Issue 3118, 1 February 1889, Page 2

Presbyterian Church Anniyersary.

The annual congregational tea and public meeting of the Masterton Presbyterian Church was held yesterday. A veryjsubstantial tea supplied by the well-known firm of Chamborlain Bros was served up in the Temperance Hall and partaken of by the members, their families, and friends,' whilst the young ladies of the congregation waited at the tables and contributed no small share to the success'of the entertainment by their attention to tho wants of the visitors.

The public meeting at the church in the evening was well attended. Tho platform was occupied by the Chairman, tho Eov D. Fulton, supported by tho Rev Chas, Murray of South Wairarapa. aud J. K, Elliott, of Wellington, and the left by the Revds. J. Paterson, of Wellington, and Thompson of Martinboro'. The proceedings were opened by singing a hymn in which the whole audience heartily joined, and was followed by the Rev. Mr Elliott invoking a blessing on their proceedings.

The uhairman expressed the pleasure lie felt at meeting them again at the close of another year of Church work anil congratulated them upon the attendance, which although not so crowded as upon many a former occasion, owing to the rain, was very respectable. •They were, also to be congratulated upon the very respectable array of ministerial talent they had upon the platform. (Hear, hear.) They were all able speakers, and as that was not an unmitigated blessing ho had put a constraint upon tliera and limited their addresses to a duration of ten minutes. (Laughter.) A few anthems, somewhat hurriedly practised would be rendered by the choir, and he hoped a pleasant and profitablo evening would be spent. JJe would not detain them with any further introductory remarks and would call upon the honored secretary, Mr Feist, to read the annual report, (Cheers.) Mr E. Feist, from the platform, read the following report and balancesheet :

"It is with more than ordinary pleasure that your Committee submit the report of tlje past year. Substantial and satisfactory progress has been made in all the departments of our ohurch work, and we are pleased to report that heartiness and harmony have characterised all our undertakings. Each one in his and lior own sphere has worked willingly and heartily for the general good, and, as might be expected, success has been the result. AVe congratulate the congregation on the unanimity that prevails between the Minister and tho olljce-bearera, the active workers, and the members and adherents of the Church. To this fact we attribute in no, small degree tho success that has attended our past efforts, The Sabbath School still occupies a most important place ; it is largely. attended, well organised, and fully , equipped by a strong staff of qualified teachers. As a congregation we are very much indebted to : these ladies and gentlomeil for the zeal and enorgy they display on behalf of the children, aud we desire to express our high appreciation of their self-deny-ijte,'' disinterested ' efforts/ Wo refer to Hus department mpto iparticulnfly, because their is good;rcason to'b'olievo that the seed sown lias boms fruit. The attendance at' Church, morning and

evening; still steadily iuiproyeaj : and -the; oloao, ntteMtipn' of the i oonßregaiioiyo" the ministrations:of>Mr Fulton,' and their increased liberality to the Sabbath offering!, testify to their high appreciation of his work amongst us. \Vo, trust' that these manifes't sighs of progress 'will bo regarded by Mr Fulton as, tokens tbat his labor is not in vain, 'and we hope that with the samo:zeal and ability ho may long continue to carry.on this good work amongst us.. This Church for many; years' was iu an enviable position. We had no debt and we could meet our engagements, -Tltes; what wo., always, aimed at,v but"wheii ive enlarged arid improved the Church 'and manse wo got a little beyond our depth, It- will be remembered that last year's balance-sheet'showed a debtor balance 0fL234 19a (sd, and a recommendation was thon made, that'steps should be taken to liquidate that.amount. Steps ■ have been taken during the past year and as will bo Been by the balance-sheet although not entirely extinguished, it is so nearly so that it will no longer be felt as a -serious burden. The ordinary receipts from all sources will meet our ordinary expenditure, and now that wo are practically free from debt we anticipate no danger in paying as we go. We consider this a highly satisfactory state of affairs! -aud we trust that membera arid adherents orthe Church will continue to aid us to maintain the good name we have gained. The seat lettinp, which was introduced some time ago, is found to work well. It has increased the revenue, and'lessened the. work of collecting, .Tho managers think that special inentioii' should bo riiade ill tho report of the effort; of tlioso ladies who so successfully carried-through the' bazaar:'in/cbnnection with this,church. To tliem is largely due .tlie. credit of relieving us of our financial troubles, and not only, sn, but they liavo'proVed that

bazaars .can be, carried out without any objectionable practices .boing resorted to, bo that even the moat scrupulous could find 110 fault, and stranger still we havo had a bazaar and no one quarrelled, but evory one was well, pleased, All' this speakß volumes for tho tact and good management of tho ladies. We feel it to be our duty and pnyiloge thus publicly to thank them for all their care and watchfulness and for all their weary months of patient toil. Special thanks are also due to those who responded to the appeal for special subscriptions towards tho reduction of the debt; a sum of £63 5s having beeu received and still further sums promised, Nor shall wo forget to mention in our list of thanks the name of Miss Feist, who has presided so ably and punctually at the organ, and of Mr Botty who has conducted the choir, Still in spite of all their best efforts our congregational singing has been lamentably bad, We have a good church, a rood manse, a good minister, a good congregation, and a good financial position, in shore we liavo everything to make us joyful, and yet, strange to say,' wo cannot' sing. There is a great lack of interest hero and we hopo that before tho noxt annual . meeting comes round this reproach will be taken away. In conclusion; your Committee desires to congratulate tho congrepation on tho highly satisfactory stato of its affairs, and to pray that God's blessing may continuo to rest upon this portion of his vineyard." Balance-sheet. for tho year ending 81st December, 1888 Receipts: Offerings, £lsl 7s Gd; seat rents, £106; bazaar, £7O 2s lid; special subscriptions, i) 120 Is M; sun dries, £ll 15s 10d. Total, £l6l 7s 7d. Expenditure: Dr balance 1887, £225 Is 4d; stipud, £250 sundries, £95 17s id. Total, £s7< 18s sd; leaving a debtor balanci of £loßlos lOd.

Mr Feist said he would not detain them by any remarks of his, as reference would no doubt be made to various points in tho report by some of the gentlemen on the platform. He moved the adoption of the report as read.

j' Mr James McGregor,, in seconding I the report, congratulated them upon ; their present financial position. In olden times they used- to make their , income cover their expenditure, but i as the requirements of the place i became greater they found it neces- > saryto launch out accordingly. By enlarging the Church, and malting other necessary alterations and ■ improvements, they found themselves saddled with a debt of over £2OO. At this they had taken alarm, and deter. 1 mined to make special offorts to i wipe off the debt, for fear of having to go under the process of whiteI washing, (Laughter,) Thanks to ■ the united efforts of tho. ladies and > church members, they had been very E successful, and had reduced the debt I to an amount that was no longer felt f a burden, By the sale of the goods i left over from the Bazaar, ana the ! special offerings that were yet to come in, they hoped to be able at a • very early date to wipe out all thoir i debt. (Cheers.) The Chairman said he took it that i the motion for the adoption of the i report was carried by acclamation, ' It was a very hopeful sign, and ono of great encouragement to know that i in the midst of so much depression they had done so well, (Cheers.) The Choir tlieu sang "I'll wash my hands in innoconcy," and the i audience showed their appreciation of its very able rendering by prolonged applause. The Rev, James Paterson was called upon by tho chairman to address the meeting and was received with cheers. He complimented them upon having such a versatile minister who amongst his other gifts lpl the power of discoursing such sweet music upon a stringed instrument, (alluding to th&part Mr Fulton took as one of tho violinists in tho choir), He told a humorous anecdote. depicting the religious horror of the Scottish Presbytery in olden times to the fiddle in connection with their religious services. Referring to the report he expressed the great pleasure with which he lmd listened to it. It was one of the most 1 admirable he had heard, and showed what could be done by harmoniously working together iu unanimity of spirit.' The results were very satisfactory and encouraging, He hoped that spirit might loiigcontinuo to exist amongst the minister, office bearers, and

people. He was glad to note the way in which they had faced the large debt which they of necessity had incurred, and reduced it within ! reasonable limits, With the com- ■ mertoial and agricultural prospects 1 flourishing generally, they might ' confidently oxpect some share of the ' general prosperity,' especially after ■ what they had done recently during ' times of depression. , The fine, ' hearty united feeling and financial ( prosperity due largely to the ladies, 1 as was so admirably recorded intho 1 report, was, he trusted, but an out- 1 ward index of real spiritual prosperity,' ' Ofttimes ministers grew discouraged ' when they saw no jnoreaso in thoir c congregations, ito great evangelistic 1 work going forward, 1 and everything ' beingconductedinanappareiitlytame I; ■manner. He did not think Ministers ' should bo discouraged at such signs, * The real success attending their 11 Ministry showed itself in the raised r tone of the people, expressed in their [ unity and regularity, doiug their 1 duty quietly yet persistently,' Be 1 thought the Minister mifjhfc take it c as a sign that God was blessing his c efforts,' The real ■ trial test of a 1 Minister's work was not at. the ' beginning of his labors, but after lie 5 ) hadbeen years in the same place, •- At -first, as a matter of course, the 1

mimsUi being new, 'wnafre with heaifcyj entliusiastio^expeotstionpv l ? by the congiegatioij./This-high fJ > ' T ' pressme could notkeptup,and it was Jf 1 after aMinisto^ game people six: or iight .years ivhen' they got used to llis voice and his <" ways,and lie found there'was no loDger' s ; *c-- > that enthusiastic talk as in tiie-early'--' times, the Mnnslei is apt to M * r discouraged. Let them, however, go. on earnestly and faithfully doing their trnsting to exoitabil-sfeiS|| ity, but with humble, deep, e-irnesl devotion to the Christian work He * ,5 mged Ins h&ieis to lomomber, and r s. \ not ; let' aSicLvv zeal expend day by.... ■ day let' aiid eiffiourage .their . Minisfecolitmually; They ; \ did not upliftw' r and in his " work by their earffi^nitedinterests, - ■ and combined zeaaPet them throw.'' _ - heart and soul because -V it was right liud |j||m'd'pleasirig to; / ' the Divine MmMHTO'Ibm)/ sf- . .The Bev;J. with hearty. co^ratulatipu 9 ;to r *Hr|:|fc' Fulton. KpPji choice he such a '* place as like ,Cicero, ho'" •' ; - would ratkerpV'ih'st in- the village than. second.feven in Home./ He' cohgratulatedMie, Church; ;pn'' , "ita freedom from 'dp,;' Soihe' who could not' sleep for thfc&MnmfffßSffi of-: their fle. ■ humorous anecdot6,jOfjpuph ; who disturbed his neighbour b^liiW' restlessness.; The advice ;ho ;r : ; , "go to. bed and:sleej>£:andjHP-A' ' one. lie owed the money to;W%' - about." (Laughter.) CHe ''thongiit " f '"•¥

these annual reports dili'tooMlf, in financial matters 1 aM not enough . : in spiritual, H 3 liked to know how many converts he was making.! He. could not come up to the requirements of {his new country. .There,"- - was too much trotting about ■ anij.'JS; hank-shaking to get through. -He-4Jj;V related the story of a minister whose wife used to do most of the visiting' for him in the Old Country. She came to her husband and said, " You must visit Mrs So and-so, she is ill." The minister visited the woman as requested, and asked aftor her health. She said she was fairly ivell herself ' but poor Davie was very bad. Be- k, fore leaving he . offered up a prayer, including a word -for poor Davie's/'• speedy recovery. .On returning" home lie asked his wife whether.Davie was the husband or the aim of the woman. "Hoots mpri" sho replied, "do you no keji' it's the'' cuddy." (Laughter.) The speaker then went on to oxpress how glpu'he was to know that they worked so harmdnionsly< together. "No dew falls on a stormy night" he said, and' ( where there was dissensions and discussions they could not expect y , the blessing of the divine spirit to fall. ; In referring to Sunday schools, he thought they should guard, against , making them of more importance than the Church! In respect to the uL | remarks of Mr'Paterson, he would be W* ' sorry to think the peoplo would not v | love and reverence a minister: the ! longer lie was with them, He con- ' eluded his remarks by giving 1 some wholesome advice upon church contributions.

The Rev Mr Paterson asked, per- ■ mission to correct a wrong impression ■.. the last speaker was evidently'labor- •. ing under. In speaking of' tlie lack : >' of enthusiasn, lie did not infer a lack, of respect and lovo on the part of the peoplo for their pastor. His remarks $ ere more intended to llelp his friend Mr Murray, who was ordained the previous day amidst great excitement, . so that ho should not become de- >/■ pressed when the enthusiasm sub- | sided and things got into a quieter /■' tone. ' "A-

The choir then sang " The Proinised Land," an antheta with a spirited chorus, which was highly .*- appreciated by tlio audience. JB The Bev Clias. Murray gave very interesting address upon the'"' question "How to deal with the young men." Ho" advocated becoming interested in their every day life, and discover what books they studied and [preferred, and then,' having gained their confidence, to take tbo opportunity to direct them in their studies in a popular way and so lead them on to the real light. His address was listened to with interest, and his roinarks frequently cheered. .• The collection' was taken up while the choir sang an Anthem from the Church Hymn-boolt. The Bev. Mr Thompson, of Martiuboro', delivered a brief and congratulatory address, Mr James. McGregor proposed a vote of thanks to the Indies and /M gentlemen who had contributed the 1 : * music and singing, which was ' by acclammation, and the meeting''™---concluded in the usual manner.

i Waste Lands Board. Tho monthly meeting of the abovo ' Board was held at the Provincial Buildings, Wellington ou Thursday. Present,—Messrs J. Marchant (Chief Commissioner), H, Bunny, - W. W. McCardle, and D. H. McArthur, M.H.B. Permission was given to tho trustees of the late Mr J. Isaacsen to transfer, section 12G, block 113, Mangaono to Mr 0. Isaacsen. Tho following applications for titles were approvedE. Holley, section 22, Block !),• Pohangina; J, H. Monteith, section 19, Block 1, Makuri; 0. B. Morrison, section 18, Block 1, Makuri; G.H. Collie, section9, Block 1, MakuriM. A. Port, section 44, block 10, I'ohangina; W. Baker section 0, block 12, Oroua. Mr H. Mackay obtained permission to transfer section 208 and 100, ■ blocks 2 and 5 Kopnaranga, to Mr A. B. Mackay. Mr B. Smith applied to be allowed to complete his sections v ' - 5, G, and 7, block 1, Makilri.—Application granted. The Under-Secre-tary for Dands wrote stating that as Huntorville is a village settlement, and the sections have been taken up uuder special regulations, the provisions of the Land Act Amendment Act 1837, do not apply to them, It : ' was decided to ask Government to obtain the opinion of the Crown Law officers on tho poiiit, as tbo Board adhere to their resolution of last meeting. The Under-Secretary, also wrole with reference to the resolutions of 29th November re disputes being referred to the Board, and s lies . . conducted by the latter, stating that' tho nmttor had qeen laid before the Minister. It was resolved, on the motion; of Mr Bunny seconded _ by fir McCardle, that the Minister should be requested to give a definite answer. A letter was also • received stating that the Government , did not think , it advisable, to depart from the Special' Settlement 'Eegulations with regard to transfers, as the A object is to secure actual settlement on tho Block. The Deputy Officii! Assignee at Masterton wrote applying 1 :■ to be. allowed .to, transfer Mr ji'. Hull's sectiori'2o, Blook 1, Makuri,' as the estate is vested in him to deal - ; with. Jt was resolved tQ refer hiqj \

: • toalotterseut to Mr A. R. Bunny oil the 22nd December, 1887. > The ,r selector of section 128; Block 14, was alloyed lime in which lo pay iutorest ■v in hrrcar. Tho selector of section • • 181, Blook 18, Mangaone, asked that i" theiaud should be weighted with the ' value of the improvements, as he is compelled to stu'ronder the pro- ■ perty. It was decided to recommend him to sign the lease and apply to .-i ' -transfer. It was resolved lo request : 'tho selector of section 42, block 12, ; Mfikiiri, to pay the arrears. Mr M. . Connor applied for permission to transfer a small run, No 81, Waipakewa, to his sons aiid sons-in-huv oil the usual conditions. The Chief Commissioner submitted a report on .Mr H. Eglinton's application for unsutveyed land, Pallisor Bay, and it was decided to alloiv him lo take up sections 2 and. 3." The Waiohine Eiver Board suggested that all waste lands in tlio Waiohiuo river bed should be vested mtliein, and should not bo occupied."By?,piivoto individ- * glials. The Board approved of the i&puggestion.. Proposals and plans for accrued thirds were re--1 ceived from the following Eoad Boards and approved i-Taratahi-Caiterton, Mauriceville-Ekctahuna; on the understanding that the money divided be made up later on; Kiwitea, provided a schedule of sections interested is supplied; Pahiatua, schedules- to bo finished; Alfredton. Tho Chief Commissioner informed tho Board that ho proposed to ,take action to compel tho payment of instalments, in nrrear at the end of this month. Approved. MrKummer applied for part of the valuation for improvements proposed to bo added to section 90, block 2, Kopuaranga, when it is offered for sale. It was resolved to ask tho Banger for full particulars as to improvements. A letter was received lrom Mr L, Dorflfcet with regard to section 11, Block w,'Kopuaranga, and it was decided to consider the matter at next meeting. Mr Kiddiford's application for port of section 194, block 2, Opuame, the Board resolved tlut any application for the section should be refused, and the necessary steps bo taken to offer the section for cash.