JUBILEE OF CANTERBURY PRESBYTERIANISM.

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 12480, 17 April 1906, Page 4

JUBILEE OF CANTERBURY PRESBYTERIANISM.

SOME EARLY REMINISCENCES

As the jubilee of the establishment of the first Presbyterian congregation will be celebrated on Sunday next, in connection with St. Andrew's, the mother Church of Pre_byteriani_ni in Canterbury, some reminiscence- with regard to tlie early history of th© Presbyterian Church in North Canterbury, as found in the Rev. John Dickson's ''History of New Zealand Presbyterian Church," will be of interest. In 18-13 the late Messrs William and John Deans, of Riccarton, with Messrs John Gebbie, wife and children, and Samuel Manson, -wife and child- I ren, making a total of six adults and six ; children, came to Canterbury from Wellington. Theso were followed shortly' after by Mr Ebonezer Hay and family, and Mr Sinclair and family, who settled at Pigeon Bay. Subsequently tbe Gebbies and the iUansons went to the head of the Bay, Lyttelton. They were all Presbyterians, but were .isolated altogether from any religious ministrations. They had hoped that the site for the Free Church. Settlement would have been chosen in Canterbury, but the scarcity of timber decided the surveyors to decide in favour of Otago. Even for sonio time after tho arrival of the Canterbury pilgrims there was no minister of the Church of their fathers to baptise their children, ,bury their daad, or administer to them or the Presbyterian.*! who had arrived with the first settlers the other offices of religion. In October, 1853 the Rev. John Moir, who was on his way to Wellington, called in at Lyttelton, and he cro.-.sed tho hills to the Plains ono Saturday evening and officiated on the Sunday, a number of children. In January, 1851, tho first movement was made by the Presbyterian settlers in Canterbury towards inaugurating a Presbyterian Church for the district. A public meeting was called, and was largely attended, Mr W. K. Mac Donald, of Orari, presiding. The late Mr John Deans, senr., wrote, offering not only a contribution of £100 towards the building of a church, but also an annual sum towards the stipend of the minister. The other denominations who had been helped by tho Presbyterians, also notified their willingness to help. A committee was formed to obtain a minister, and a letter, under date July 27th, 1854, was written to tho Colonial Committee of the Free Church of Scotland, asking that a minister should be sent. The Presbyterian population of the settlement "at the time was 324, and a stipend of £200 was guaranteed. The letter stated that it had been the repeated and strongly expressed desire of almost every Presbyterian in tho settlement that none but a really clever minister should be sent, one who was not only fluent of speech and a good extempore preacher, but capable, should it seem desirable, of giving week evening lectures on astronomy, geology, na- 1 tural history, or other secular subjects of popular and instructive interest, Application was mado to the Provincial j Government for a site, and one of three acres, close to the junction of Lincoln road and Hagloy Park lyas granted, on which St. Andrew's Church, manse, and school, are now situate. After a' whale tihe convenor of the Colonial Committee of tlie Free Church intimated the selection of the Rev. Charles Eraser as the first minister, who | was described as a young man of superior talents and acquiremenits, who could speak and even preach in French, and who was bringing with him the necessairy philosophical apparatus for lectures, etc. The Rev. Charles Fraser arrived early in April, 1856, in the skip Oriental, with Mrs Fraser, and preached on the first Sunday in the Wesleyan Ohurdh, Lyttelton., and on. the following Sunday ait the Wesleyan Chumoh, Ohrietchuiroh, tho Wesleyans having granted the use of their churches in the two places until the new Presbyterian church was erected. The new church, -vv-iioh was called St. Andrew's, and which cost £900, was opened in February, 1857, when tho Rev. Mr Fraser preached from the text, "Holiness beoameth thine house, 0 Lard, for ever." There were good congregations at each of the two services, 304 in, the morning and 210 in the ©veniing, and the total collection amounted to £74 8s 6d. A baptism followed the opening service, the child receivings the christian names j of Charles Fraser, in accordance with. Scottish custom. In July, 1858, the first Deacons' Count was formed, co_ipriflLng Messrs John Anderson, William Wilson, _*lioma_ Anderson, and George Duncan. In the same year the Addington cemetery of five acres wa6 acquired, and the first interment was that of Mr Geo. Molim-raith, brother of Mrs Deans, . senr., who was killed by a fall from a horse. The parish assigned to Mr Fraser was an exceedingly wide ono, having Kaia-poi on one side and the Pendnsula ; and Lyttelrton on -the other, and ilt was arranged that ho should hold service in Lyttdton every Sunday evening, an arrangement which was cairried out for severad years. Education received a good deal of attention from bho infant Presbyterian congregation, under the Provincial Education Act. The Provincial Government granted subsidies to the different denomiinations for educational purposes, and each Ctoiwch provided-its own schoolmasters and conducted its schools in its own way. The Presbyterians erected a school in Ohiristohurcli. Which was called "The Academy," and others were built, on the Peninsula, at Lyttelton, Kaiapoi, Lincoln, and otho.r places. Many of the school masters •up re brought out direct from Scotland, j The sclioolhouses in the various districts served as churches, the schoolmasters acted as Sabbath whool teacher?, and in some cases as preachers. Mr Fraser had a strong desire to establish a High School, and after some time a building with tlhiree cfcirss-rco-nis was secured on the Lincoln road on. the site where the West Chrisdehurah School now stands. Tlie High School had a successful career, having for its masters Messrs Scotft, Cook, and toe Revs. Campbell and dimming. It had a boar_iin_ establishment connected wut'h it and pupils came from the North Island and Otago. The High School, however, possessed no endowments, and in 1874 it had to be given up and the building sold. vSt. Andrew's Church was twice enlarged during Mr Eraser's ministry, and after each enlargement there was a formation of new congregations, one at St. PaiilV in 1864, and later at the North Bolt and Sydenham. Mr Eraser's connection with the ministry of St. Andrew's concluded in January, 1883. lho subsequent minis- ! ters wero Rev. W. Dinwiddie, inducted 'November, 1883, Rev. J. Mclntob, Rev. Gordon Webster, iuducted Decemjber. 1887, and Rev. J. Mackenzie, now ministering at St. Andrew's. The j manse was enlarged in ISB9, and the ; church reconstructed in 1892, at a cost I of £2000. Lyttelton was recognised ! as a preaching station in July, 1864. and a new church, costing £2000, opened in January, 1865. Rev. John Gow was inducted as the first minister in December, 1865. In Akaroa Rev. George Grant was the first minister, ' and he arrived at the end of 1862. At 1 Kaiapoi Rev. W. Kirton was inducted ' to the charge of Kaiapoi and Kangiora in 1863. In January, 1864, Rev. W. j Hogg commenced to itinerate in the , Amuri district, working it from j Kaiapoi, and in 1866 from Sefton. The congregation of St. Pauls was formed in 1863 and organised in 1864. The Rev. Geo. Grant was the first minister, and he was inducted on April 20th. 1864 in the Town Hall. High street, which was used for | worship until the church was built in May. 1867, at a cost of £1000. This j is what is known as old St. Paul's, and has now been- superseded by the more

pretentious church of to-day, -which, costing with the site, £11,-00, waa opened on October 81st, itt/7. In 1-80 a manse was bought tor £160 U. At Prebbleton tho church was erected in 1860, and Rev. John Campbell inducted in February, 1866. The church at Leeston was built in 1870, and the charge being separated from Lincoln and Prebbleton, txev. J. W. Cree was inducted in February, 1872. A church was built at Lincoln in 1882, when Rev. A. Blake was pastor. Churches wero built at Ashley in 1872. at Sefton in 1873, and at Loburn in 1883. At Ashburton Rev. H. Burnett was inducted in September, 1875. and the church and manso wero built in 1876. Rakaia, Methven, and Tinwald were organised, and n church built in 1880. Rev. 'N. McCallum was inducted a minister for Cust and Oxford in Apri 1 , 1877. The Oxford church was built m 1880, and that at Cust in 1885. The Rev. W. H. Homer was in_iicted to tho charge of Papanui and Belfast in 1878. Subsequently, in 1898, Beltast, Papanui. and Now Brighton were formed into a regular charge, and the Rev. J. M. Simpson inducted. In 1878 Rev. J. F. Hnuxwe'.l, was inducted to the ohnrge of Malvern, and churches were built at Greendale nnd Hororata in 1892. In 1880 R«v. J. B. Westhrooke was inducted to tho charge of Rakaia. A church ivns built at Rakain m 1892, and a Sunday school in 1896. A Halkett a church was built in 1873, and in 1880 Roy. H. B. Burnett was inc'iieton. In Sydenham n Sabbath school vrnp orcaiii c ed by Mr D. Duncan, in 1878, and it wac formed into n separate charge in 1879. Rev. T. *>. Cairn.s was inducted as first m'nister in March, 1880. The new church in Colomlvo street was erected at a cost for Rite and building of £2800, and opened in Doocmber, 1880. In connection with North Bolt, now known as Knox Church, a Sabbath school was established in, the Montreal street hall in November, 1876. The first minister, Rev D. McKee, was inducWl in the Oddfellows' Hall in April, 1880. The church was erected in 1880, nnd the class-room in 1885. Since then the new church has been built and opened. Rev. S. Slooombo was inducted to St. PotorVs in May, 1831. and the church and manse were built in 1882. At Southbridge a church was opened in 1870, nnd Rev. TV. West was inducted in September. 18S2. and the church enlarged in 18S3. Springburn was formod into a separate charge in 1883, and Rev. A. McLnnnan was the first minister. Rev. A. Blake was inducted to the charge of Flemington and Tinwald in June, 1884, churches being built at Tinwald in 1885, and Flem-in"-ton in 1888. A church was built at" Rangiora in 1872, and in 1880 the charge being disjoined from Kaiapoi, Rev°J. McKelkr was inducted in November, 1885. At Waikari the church was opened in 1885, and the Rev. J. McKellar, who had been supplying, was inducted in November, 1889.