The Otautau Standard AND WALLANCE COUTNY CHRONICLE. Wednesday, June 14th, 1905. PRESENTATIONS.

Otautau Standard and Wallace County Chronicle, Volume 1, Issue VII, 14 June 1905, Page 2

The Otautau Standard AND WALLANCE COUTNY CHRONICLE. Wednesday, June 14th, 1905. PRESENTATIONS.

Thk gathering m the Town Hall on I* riday last, on the occasion of the anniversary of the Otautau Presbyterian Church, was m many respects a unique one. Not only was the meeting one to commemorate a year's work m the church, but vvas ..chosen as the time to make a presentation to Mr and Mrs John Lindsaj', of Strathmore and the fact that the presentation was purely confined to those associated with ihe Presbyterian Church, and as a recognition on the part of that body alone, of the services of Mr and Mrs Lindsay, does not detract from the importance of the event, and affords an opportunity for some trite remarks on the custom of making presentations. The chairman of the meeting, the Rev. Mr Macdonald, with the directness and terseness characteristic of him, really struck the nail on the head m his remarks when making the presentation to Mt* Lindsay, and his utterances are really worthy of serious consideration. We do not for one moment desire to cast; any reflection on the sincerity of those who are responsible for the getting; up of presentations m general, but what we do hold is that trie principal adopted appears to us a wrong one. Presentations should be made m recognition of services rendered m excess of the ordinary duties incumbent upon the recipient m the exercise of his usual work. For the 01 dinary duties of life it is presumed that a man receives an equivalent of the service rendered m the wages he ispaid and therefore there is no call to ask the public to subscribe to a presentation, when no service has been rendered to the public over and above what has been paid for. There are also duties incumbent upon all as citizens of the country m which one lives and which should be recognised as a responsibility to be met and filled without pecuniary reward. These facts are too often lost sight of. Because a person happens to be popular or have an engaging manner with his fellows, he. is made the object of quite a lavish presentation, although Jiis services over and above his usual calling may be so infir.itesimally small as to be unrecognisable except to the particular coterie with whom he immediately associates. The obverse of this is seen every day m manifold instances. Men who for half a lifetime have devoted time, energy, brains and money to the furtherance of the public good and the alleviation of the conditions of their fellows, have, because they were through it all, modest and unassuming, had their services pass unrecognised and without word or act of approbation ever bestowed on them. 1 hat this is wrong does not require . great perceptive faculties and no happier example of doing the right thing m the right way could have been devised than the presentation to Mr and Mrs Lindsay. It is a slight acknowledgement of real worth recognised, although the two people most closely associated with it, would be the last to admit

that they had done aught more than their duty. 1 his is a characteristic of genuine worth, it does not obtrude itself and deprecates any allusion to itself. When a' man stands the test of trial for quarter of a century m the crucible of public opinion and comes out of it m the end pure gold m their estimation of his character, he is worthy of receiving the applause of his neighbours whose interests he has ever sought to advance. The Home at Strathmore has always been a model one of kindly hospitality and a very haven of rest, and that its worthy occupants should now be recognised by the members of the church of which both have been helpful members for so long is exactly m accordance with the true fitness ot things.