THE PROCEEDINGS.

Press, Volume XLVII, Issue 7541, 3 May 1890, Page 6

THE PROCEEDINGS.

The proceedings were opened by the Chairman, who gave oat the hymn "All people who on earth do dwell." Sir Johx Hall—Bat few words will be required from mc to introduce to you the object of this meeting. Its object is to enable our new Bishop to be introduced to the people of Christchurch. He has already been seen and heard in the Cathedral and Council Chamber; but I am sure it is his wish, as it must be yours, that he should see and be seen, and be heard by a far larger audience than could be contained in those buildings. Before going further, however, I should be doing injustice to my own feelings and to those of most persons here, if I did not say a few words about the old Bishop from whom we are parting. (Applause.) You know how zealously he has labored among us daring the many long years of his episcopate; how, during the early days, he never shunned hardship or fatigue in visiting every part of his lanre

diocese; and how, in later times, he has beea indefatigable in dealing with dimculties of another class. You know-hove, to his wise, moderate, and conciliatory 1 counsels we ate largely indebted for the absence in oar own Church of the religions strife which has been a punfu feature in Borne other the Church, and also for the friendly relations which have subsisted between various relieious denominations in oanterbory. And now that fall of years, and honorf most meekly borne he has resigned into other hands the burthen he elm no longer bear, we rejoice that while we mast say farewell to him as Bishop, the good old man tnniself will still be going in and out among us. ! gladdening our eyes with his presence, and shedding around him the genial influence of his kindly, gentle, Christian spirit. (Applause.) Turning to his successor, iet mc say that _as we were fortunate in our first Bishop of Christchurch. so I feel sure we are in our second Bishop. He has been chosen, according to the good old primitive plan, by the voice of the clergy and laity of the diocese ; the choice has been conOrmed by the Bishops, clergy and laity of the rest of New Zealand; and yesterday in the Cathedral he received from his brother Bishops his great commission to rule over, labor for and safeguard an important branch of Christ's Church. Though liis face and form are as yet unfamiliar here, ha is not unknown to* us. News travels now-a---days, and from Victoria there ha-s come to us abundant testimony of his work done in. that colony. He coins* to us accredited with testimonials on his leaving: from uieii of all creeds and all classes. They tell of his eloquence, his wise counsels, his earnestness, and above all of that large heartedness which is the safest key to the hearts and feelings of other men. Ihey tell us that we shall noc only have a gaol Bishop, but a patriotic citizen, who will show that power possessed by any man is a trust given to him for the beneflc ot all brother men within his reach. We may feel sure that he will not give up to a part chose abilities which were meant for mankiud. That wnile his first thoughc, his nrs>t care may be for the Ghurcn over which he rules, that in any movement for the social, moral, or material improvement of the people, any attempt to relieve distress or alleviate suffering, in any attempt in short to leave this poor world a little better chau we found it, the eloqueut voice, the sagaciuu3 counsel, aud the nrui will of our new Bishop will be found in the front of the battle. Bub while we expect much from our Bishop, he will expect something from us. He will claim that we should not expect too much from him. While he is* a Bishop, he is still a fallible man. As such we may llnd that he also has faults, and, if so, we must remember the admouicion to be "to his faults a little blind, to his virtues ever kind." Further, we must give him our confidence and our help. Every man and every woman can in some way give some help. If we do this, I hope and believe, though I and many others now here will not live to see it, tuat at the end of Bishop Julius episcopate, he will indeed be able to leave this little world of ours a little better than he found it.