OLD LANDMARK.

jgS GERMAN CHURCH. WORK OP DEMOLITION COMMENCED. gmtraetors began yestorday to pull MB tha I « ar P art o( - tnß °* d Gorman at the corner of Worcester Zj Jfontreal streets, preparatory to of a parish hall. The old tmflftnfr. constructed in wood, and in UjjaJy ornamental stylo long forgot*o, fcesa tho north, and the present inytt&an 1» t0 cut off enou g h of it to jj ow for a new hall, facing -west, leaving thß front portion of tho original iJKferTiees until the new hall is comIflie old German church has had a (jflflßerod CO yeara' history, in which it tig had twice to bo given over by its juttoran congregation to frecthiDking ffl j spiritualist organisations. fjje movement for the provision of a •torch in which services should be conducted in tne German language began -ijfc th« German Benefit Association, wbieb. was formed in 1871, with the eJrieet of helping settlers of German jstfenality in sickness or distress. The Stuipal promoters and trustees were J. G. Kuddcnklau, J. Gerken, P. Tjstk D. Kruse, and A. Thiele, who jggred by subscription a sum of £550. fit Provincial Government, having in rjg* the arrival within a short period Jt * number of German immigrants, jßUpUunentea 1 this sum by a grant of £*s). Tho quarter-aero section at the gpger of Worcester and Montreal ajiesi* was bought for £230, and plans far a church to hold 230 people were > jHjtred by Mr J. S. M. Jacobsen. i foundation Stone Laid. XJn foundation stone was laid on Softmber 6, 1872, by the Hon. William Bettwtoß, Superintendent of the Proyfax of Canterbury. In a cavity in the ,tog« was placed a bottle containing a * {WW 1 *" dollar, a silver groschen, a rf«ak, copies of "The Press" and the SUtelton Times" of November 6, and tjarehmeat bearing the following partiealaw:— •Gorman Protestant Church. •Established and built by the Goran* colonists in tho province of Canterbury, New Zealand, by voluntary ttttribuilons given by themselves and by their English fellow-coloniats, and X» by the aid of a liberal grant from the Provincial Government, for the mmowa of having the Word of God Wicked in tho German language. fjn foundation stone was laid by W. . Solteatoo, Esq.. Superintendent, on Yetember 6, 1872. under the reign of jw«a Victoria of Great Britain and jjjjtbna, and the Emperor Wilhelm I. ttjt Germany." flrn fint pastor was tho "Rev. L. tatr.wao held office until 1878 when he nit to Germany. Ho was succeeded W Pastor P. G. Jacobsen. In 1883 ser*fe«s fix the church were discontinued wl until 1892 it'was used as a meetbraplneo by tho Canterbury Freethinkm* Society. In IS!>2 it reverted to it* original use, and tho Ecv. T. A. I look charge. Mr Meyer left in ""■WI, and since then, according to the fl»». K. Tmcgcr, the present pastor, no rtrrlcer have been conducted in the fanasn language i" tho church. Thereafter the church was without * latter for many years, and it was lotted by the trustees for the purposes V efirlriialist meetings. C«nfl*cation During tho War. , M the outbreak of the war the probity was confiscated by the Governj. .'mat one of the grounds for this action taw that tho founders of tho church ),Wili»n Members of the German State '•■s*£&. Tho building continued to be <tjpf for Spiritualist meetings, however, fts rtat b*ing paid to the Government. Tia chareh hod a tine peal of bells, BfflMated to tho Lutheran community j» owturr>iiry by the German Governttfflt at tho time of the Emperor Wilkin I These were supposed to have %t» east from the metal of French guns WJttvred in the course of the Franco(mtmlaa war, and during the late war, *it* feeling ran high against anything w exprcMive of German nationalism. Slwro wax an outcry to have them re•Wi They wore taken from the <h|Wa and were melted down, when it that tho metal in them could *>l pwribly have come from cannon. At were was no further use for the J«Hsrjr, the wood of which had decayed, ' m wii also taken down. Activity Begins Again. «. U Mi!2 the remaining members of W iMj{regation petitioned the Govern'JjjWt to hand over the property to the w*»riia (Lutheran) Conference of JJ Bealflnd, and this was done by wfer-b-Council. Tho conference had WJ termed in 1907, when the various 'Wjjeraa congregations in tho Dominion llfjtlftl together, tho only exception ffijjf the Canterbury congr%gation : *«wfc lad not been active at tho time, NW consequently retained its origl- *' etetiis in relation to the German ?W«C«ureh. Tbe Concordia Conference * • free church with no connexion , J™ 8 "* with any State cliurch and ' TS™ I*** 1 *** all its services in English. Wdw the new arrangement tho Kov. !?.*■ Mlm was the first pastor, and he jjWMMred the congregation, although £*■*»/ of the original members had I'SEmj ß ? to ( '° witll li - Tl, ° money re-. ip|J* "<>» the Government in refund jjjJFMMta from the Spiritualist orga'BSP**> together with the compensation HEP]** "•'Ja, was used for the purchase |*ijP ,Mo "age. Mr Altun was suc!iSr2 * y pßßtor n. Bruhn, who reiSfS 8 «wlng to ill-health at the be;gy "f 1931, Tlicn the P.ev. H. I *tß». th« present pastor, took charge. A jt 4 ■ ,