Opening of Whiteley. Memorial Church.

THE DEDICATORY SERVICE. Thursday was an important day in the history of Wesleyanism in^ New flymouth, rlfjr Ifj wAs tlie occasion of tbe opening of the new and handsome church just erected, and called the Whiteley Memorial Church in perpetuation of the memory of the Rev. John Whiteley, who met with a cruel death at: the hands of Maori fanatics at the White 01 iff 3 some 30 years ago. Extensive preparations were made to suitably commemorate thd opening of the Church . tn the aftgf ndbn a' dedicatory service was held, and was largely attended by mebibers of the congregation and of other xlenomiaations. Rev. J. Morleyj e*-Presidoilt of bhe Australasian Wdsleyau CJonllerence, conducted the service, being assisto^ by Roys, T. ft G. Hammond, W. Thomas, and C. H. Garland, buitable hymns, including "All People that oh Earth do 1 Wvrell," " Doxology, 1 ' and "Te freiim," were 6iuig, and special prayers offered. The text taken bp the Rev: Mr Motley were the concluding wSfcis in the Dth vers3 of the 47th chapter of Esiekiel— " And everything shall live whither the river cometh. ' He prefaced his remarks by drawing a picture In pledslng wdrds of .the Sublime and entrancing vision seen by ESekieJ, the prophet, when transported in spirit to the Holy Land. Tbe exact meaning of mi mo piirts °^ * Q at elaborate vision wa<, ho said, impossible to determine, but he directed aneo.ial attention to one portion—thai. " r the life giving waters. Ezekiel xvus t.'.Vu.i in npirib.to the door of a temple, aud from under its fo'dnda"tion there issued a rivulet which increased in volume until it became a majestic river, which not only added beauty to the lands jjcape jbut gave fertility to the Boil and made it the home of & bus? and community. This vision, tire Speaker -~* strongly illustfated and enforced (rTThe rise, pro^ wtfoenwH prevalence of religion ; (2). its inherent and expansive power 5 and (3), the beneficial, ameliorative and vitalising influence of its teaching. These three pointfl were exhaustively dealt with, the speaker instancing the rapid spread of missionary | work in all parts, "and the beneficial results, both in English and foreign countries', arising from the spread of the gO3pel. Some people s£id the -world was getting worse. But they had only to look at statistics and see that such was not the case. For instance, in 1864 there were 8000 juvenile offenders in the prisons of Great Britain ,while in 1894 there were only 1913. These were days of humanitarianism,. TJie idea of world-wide firdthorhriod was never bo widespread or so potent as it is to-day. Bat Whence did it come or how was its power, derived? The universal brotherhood of maw was the necessary corollary of the universal Fatherhood of God. These thing 3 shall be : a loftier race Than e'er the world hath known shall rise With flame of freedom in their souls, And light of knowledge in their eyes. They shall be gentle, brave, and strong; To spill no drop of blood, but dare All that may plant man's lordship firm On earth and fire and sea and air. Nation with nation, land with land tTnartfied oball live as comrades free In every hedrt afid frram SUM throb The pulse of one fraternity. New arts shall bloom of loftier mould And mightier music thrill the skies • And every life shall be a bong When all the earth is Paradise. i - That was the desideratum aimed afc. In conclusion he said : I feel honoured to-day— honoured in bsing asked to preach the first sermon in the sanctuary the friendß here have erected for divine worship. I feel specially honoured because of its connection with an honoured minister of our Church and Maori missionary—the Rev. John Whiteley. Today iv the presence oj God, in the presence of not only you who are here but of some— shall I aay— gone from us, gone from this place of worship, but who are looking down on us, I dedicate this church to the glory of God and the tiplifting of humanity. May I not aay to the glory of God in uplifting humanity ? Is it not clear that humanity becomes or ought to be more like God? Do not forget the central power of Christianity May the blessing of God Almighty, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit be upon you and remain with you in this house and upon all congregations who worship here for ever more." * An offdrtory was taken up, Benediction wad pronounced, and the service ended.

TEA MEETING. At five o'clock a tea meeting was held in the Whiteley Hall,"and was very largelj attended, the attendants at the tables being kept busy tip till seven o'clock. PUBLIC MEETING. ' A publio meeting was hehl in the evening in the new church, which was crowded to the doors. The Rev 0. H, Garland, in inviting Mr Edward Qkey to take the chair, said that Mr Okey, by virtue of his 41 years' connection with the Wesleyan Church in New Plymouth, and of his blameless life and unfailing devotion te God's work, waa fully entitled to preside over that meeting. / Hymn No. 593 was then sung, followed by a prayer offered by the Rev J. Olphert, after which the Chairman gave a short address. Mr John Veale then read the report of the Building Committee giving details of the cost of the building and t)£ the amounts received towards it. Song, Mr F. Asher. Mr H. Brown, M.H.R., in a brief speech, congratulated ihe Wesleyan body upon the handsome building in which they were assembled . Mr E. Veale, who was one of those who helped to remove the body of the late Rev J. Whiteley, and h also one of the oldest adherents of the Weßleyan Church here, gave a short address. Hallelujah Chorus, Choir. The Rev. W. Mcrley then gave an address on the work of the Wesleyan Church. Anthem, Choir. Solo, Miss Black. The Rev. T. G. Hammond spoke of the work of the Wesleyan Church among the Maoris. . The Rev. W. Drew congratulated his brother ministers and the Wesleyan body upon the good work they were doing and the progress they were making. Anthem, Rock of Ages, Choir. The Rev. C. H. Garland, in a short address, expressed his appreciation of the efforts of his congregation to provide a suitable place of worship. Hi* Worship the Mayor (Mr E. Dockrill) then moved the following resolution — " That this meeting heartily approves of the action taken by the Trustees in connecting the handsome church opened to-day with the revered name of Whitoley ; the Ifcev. John Whiteley by his life and death having bequeathed to the colony a name worthy ' of perpetual remembrance. 11 Thiß was seconded by Mr W. H. Skinner, and carried by acclamation. Mr John Whiteley King, a grandson of the late Rev. John Whiteley, on behalf of his mother, Mrs Rawson, and other members of the family, expressed, in a very feeling speech, the gratitude and appreciation felt by the family for the honour which had been done that I day- to Mr Whiteley's name, in | perpetuating his memory through the means of the fine new church in which they were assembled. Mr King spoke at considerable length, referring touchingly to the circumstances of his grandfather's death. The Rev. C. H. Garland then moved a vote of thanks to all those who had assisted in tho work of obtaining the new building. This was carried by acclamation, after which the Doxology was sung, and the meeting closed with the pronouncing of the Benediction by the Rev. T. G. Hammond. There were fifteen tables, provided by ; fifteen committees, each of ton members of the congregation. There was also a memorial tray contributed, by friends of

ire nber9 of the Church wno nave Paß9eP aB9e( * away since the iai ;iabion of the scheme for the new building. The total proceeds of the offertory, tea meetiug, and collection at public meeting, reached the handsome figure of £89 or £90. , t Tho total coat of the new church was £2,625 18s lid, of which £2,358 43 has been already raised, leaving only a small debt of £267 Us lid.