DIOCESE OF CHRISTCHURCH

New Zealand Tablet, 8 November 1906, Page 14

DIOCESE OF CHRISTCHURCH

• , . (From. omx. owm oorreepoideKt.) « .'" . - ' ■ - . ---'" November 5. ;" It was decided at the meeting ; of the Lyttelton . _ Harbor. Board last week by the- casting vote" of ..the; chairman to obtain a report,, from" Messrs., jUpode, - Son," and- Matthews, London, on the scheme to, connect" Christchurch by canal with the sea. ~ .". ' ' The Very Rev. Father ' Le . Menant des Chesnais,/ S.M:, V.G., was among the invited guests at a compli--mentary banquet 1 given 'by.- his Excellency, the Gover r .. nor in connection with the ~opening. of the Interna-.. tional Exhibition on the evening following that im-. portant * event. / . * His Grace the Archbishop, of '- Wellington, the Yen. ' Archdeacon Devoy, S:M. (Provincial^,' and _ Very |T Rev. Father Le Menant- .des Chesnais, S.M., V.^.,'j ! wero among those' present .by invitation" " at the opening ceremony of the Exhibition, and on" the following day at the_garden party at Cashmere, given by his . Worship the Mayor of Chris tchurch-, Sir John Hall. . - The foundation stone of the'Seddon Memorial Technical College was laid on last "Friday afternoon by the Hon. G. Fowlds, Minister of Education, when speeches on the subject were delivered .by Sir John Gorst, the Hon. C: C, Boweh, the Hon. G. Fowlds, and others. The site of . the new = building is on the , corner of Barbadoes street and Moorhouse Avenue, and nearly . op-_ posite the Catholic Cathedral. The college, when erected, promises' to be a handsome . structure, "and will-* decidedly improve the appearance of the' locality.; A visitor "to that splendid charitable institution,.. Nazareth House, wouldjje deeply impressed wrtfi the * extent of duties occupying the time" and attention of . the 1 devoted Sisters, and now that so many who ,are keenly interested in the institution may "be visiting .. Christ-church a call at Nazareth House will "well re-, pay one, with the assurance -. that a .kindly reception will be given by the Rev. Mother and her co-workers:. The number of inmates, including the Sisters, total at" the present time seventy-five, and it ■ may thus "be" as- " sumed that the cost -of maintenance is very considerable. The two Sisters, who are travelling the diocese. - collecting funds-, will be- in the parish of Hawarden, North Canterbury district, this week, and the success of their mission is the sincere wish of the pastor, the Rev. Father Price. Owing in a large measure to the large- influx of visitors, very large congregations were present . at . the Cathedral on _ Sunday. There was Exposition of the" Blessed Sacrament- from the eleven o'clock Mass, with adoration throughout the afternoon. At Vespers the Cathedral was greatly crowded, when- an imRressive discourse was preached by his Grace Archbishop Redwood. Selecting a subject for the occasion (said the Most- Rev. preacher) and one -appropriate t o ~ the feast of All Saints, which was observed •as one 'of the mosj glorious oifices of the Church, such would necessarily form a meditation on the- Heavenly Kingdom, so wonderfully described by the Apostle St. Paul, that heavenly state made perfect ,by the exclusion of all evil and the possession of every good. There was no - satisfaction to. the craving of the soul in this world. Joy for all e.tcrnity in t! j .company of. Jesus Christ, of the' Blessed Virgin. Mary,", and the heavenly^host, cannot be compared even. to all that has been truly excellent in the world: ,-The. attainment of this alone fills the soul with ineffable -.joy. Such reward is worthy of every effort". -Sorely tempted - i though we be, with -our sorrows and" trials :we should' suffer everything, dare everything, to secure - a happy ultimate existence. His Grace pontificated at Solemn Benediction' of the Blessed Sacrament. The Very Rev. Vicar-General was- assistant priest, whilst the Archbishop was "attended by the- Rev. *- Fathers' O'Dwyer and Peoples. The opening of the- New Zealand International -Ex^ hibition on last Thursday afternoon -was "--the' entire _ success ..its most ardent and enthusiastic well-wisher cbuld^ fiave- possibly desired. Not a hitch, however trifling, appeared to occur,- ;:and -the whole spectacle was such- as to inspire . a great regard for our bright little country, and a confidence in the ultimate successful results of the huge undertaking. Described by Sir Joseph Ward in his address at- the opening, as ',the. greatest- exhibition yet organised south of the" line ' we have something to be "proud of. The afternoon of the ceremonial day was bright,- fresh, and lovely, the previous -wet day and night just putting things in decent order after a month or =, so of heat and* dust. Although" thirty-seven thousand persons" passed through the turnstiles, such is the\ extent of the exhibition, its park; enclosures, side-shows, etc., that never was there at any time the least approach to a crush. On the two following days there was an attendance -of 11,000 and 14,000 respectively, so that there seems little

doubt that in sightseers the present- exhibition- will faroutcrass any ' previous one in the Colony. Those of'im- " portance in the past 'were- -as. follow :— New Zealand International Exhibition (Joubert and Twopenny, managers), held in Hagley Park, South Christchurch, opened April 10, 1882; fourteen weeks' "duration.; average attendance, 16,000. a. week ; total number of _ visitors, 226,300. New Zealand. Exhibition, Wellington (under State control), opened August 1,.1885; duration, three months ; visitors, 1,34,000. New Zealand . and v South' Seas Exhibition,, Dunedin/ ISB9-90 ; open 125 days---618,662" persons _passed through the. turnstiles. Although here and there spaces remained to^ be filled oh last Thursday,, strll the state of ' preparedness. le«"t little to be desired, and according to the expressed opinion of those from abroad, with years of experience in-- such "matters, the present exhibition was _ more nearly -perfect on - the- opening day than any with which they- had ever been connected. On the whole, the Chief , Commissioner is certainly to he congratulated, and- proves the wisdom of the authorities in their choice of appointment: The - able assistance of his colleagues and sectional committees, too, in no small degree contributed to the iit-' augural' success. ' , ... ;