OUR PIONEERS' VISION.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 17022, 20 December 1920, Page 6

OUR PIONEERS' VISION.

♦- COMMEMORATION SERMONS. PLEA FOBj CHRISTIAN EDUCATION Only a comparative few of the pioneers and descendants of Cantoi bur\ pilgrims responded to the to attend Divine service .in the Christ- , church Cathedral yesterday to com- ; memorate the landing ofjtho pilgrims by j the Charlotte Jane, Randolph, j George Seymour, and Cressy. . 1 Dean Carrington, speaking from j Habakkuk ii., 3, "For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the en , it shall speak and not lie," said. t»a ■ the first lew Canterbury settlers came oilt with tremendous spiritual vision to this end of the world between bl) ami •70 vears ago, and founded a Christian coionv. iTom their livens and letters one could judge what niatmor ol men Uiev were. It was their ideal to foim a citv of Christ and they took the best spot of the city for the eliurch ol Chris , and named their city. Those had many disillusions and liuidsliips their ideals, but the geneTation of . today had to bless them for their vision. Look at the wide streets, the open spaces, the fine buildings, and tho liealthv bovs growing up to-day, and tno splendid Cathedral! Did those pioneers suppose in their vision, that such things could bo accomplished id 60 years it was almost beyond man's belief that all tlieso things could spring up in between CO and 70 years. If it had not been for these old dreamers and enthusiasts the city of Christ church would never be what it is to-day. But the visions of the first pioneers were not fulfilled yet. The Dean said the spectacle at the prize | giving at Christ's College had_ filled bim | with hope, but the College did not fulfill the dreams of the pioneers. They meant to have a Christian Lnivcrsity in Christchurch, and the College* was founded as a step to that purpose, but the establishing of the University was a part of the vision which had been allowed to tarry. There was nothing needed more to-day to uplift humanity in our midst than the _ establishment of" a Christian University. The old Testament said that when God's purpose is fulfilled young men sec visions and' old men dream dreams. "I am getting to be one of the old men," said the preacher, "hut I will bo perfectly content to go beyond in the assurance that the younger generation rising up will see the completion of tho pioneer s vision. There may. be backward influences now, but the vision will come true." In concluding his sermon, Doan Carrington requested the eoncreszation' to carefullv study the leaflet distributed in the Cathedral that day. This leaflet which was a plea for support of College House set out the following historical points:— Step I.—Bishop Sehvyn gave it his advice to tho Canterbury Association in the "London .Times" of December 19th, 1849: "Mark out good extent of land, and put Hp a. wooden building:; psoplc nro very tolerant, and will cull it 'Tho College.'" iStop II. —On May 21st, 1850, the Association published a detailed scheme "for tiro establishment of a College in or near tho capital city of tho settlement of Canterbury." S'tep lII.—A pilgTim speaking nt great meeting organised by the Association in tho Ipswich Council Chamber on Hay 30th, 1850, said: "I have children of my ov.-n; I want tlaem to he faithful and true-hearted eons of tho Reformed Church of England . . . . to enjoy, t'hait venerable colle<riato discipline and training which has raised _ generation after generation of English oentlemen." a Sir-p IV.—The' Committee of _ Management writing to J. R. Godley on October Ist, 1650, gave instructions: . "They. wore to loso no time in at once setting on foot a permanent plan for a college." Step V. —Tho pilgrims landed Dcceanlxsr 16th, 1850, lotting i tbe> km>wn that they were to bo held together "not just by a worldly inducement, but by creating a higher and purer motive, by substituting the. Bible for the purse, and by raising t'ho Cross as tit© self-imposed yoke." 'Step VI. —In January, 1851, the college was started in Lyttelton. "A room in the Immigrants' Barrack®, about twelvo feet square, very roughly whitewashed, with _ a small table and a few wooden stools for Rs only furniture, was the first college lecturoroom." _ ' •Among tho pioneers present at the morning service at the Cathedral were: E. C. Mnuldcy, 50 Railway terrace, Opawa, Cressy; Mrs Coxhead. Brougham street, Svdenha'm, Creasy; Mrs M. Rosindale, car© of City Council. ; Mrs F. Smith, The Spur. Redcliffs, Randolph; Rev. F. G. Brittan, 10 Chapter street," St. Alba.no, Sir G Seymour; Mrs Canon Coates, 10 Chapter street, St. Albans, Sir G. Seymour; Mrs Booth, 23 Cuba street, Bromley, Creesy; Mr Phillnot. Randolph; T. Parish, Burwood, Mrs W Blako, 121 Bristol street, St. Albans, Charlotte Jane; R. C. Bishop, 2«3 Cambridge terrace, Charlotte Jane; Mrs C. Jeffs, 28 Buskin, street, Addington, lotto Jano; R. G. HarpeT, 40 Randolph street, Woolston, Randorph; ». Rapley, '127 Hills road, St. Albans, Randolph; G. Duford, 12 Poulson street, AddinVton. Creasy; Mrs mitmorc, Charlotte Jane; F. Allen, Creasy; Jas. Stokes, Ran-, dolph; Mis "Wadman, 1819; Mr Lornmer, Randolph. SERMON BY BISHOP JULIUS. There was an unusually largo congregation at t'he Cathedral last evening, when Bishop Julius delivered his first sermon since returning to Now Zealand after a nine-months' absence. Preaching from the 45th Psalm, 17th verse, "Instead of thy fathers thou dhalt have children whom thou mayest make princes in all lands," his Lordship said that the possession of a great name might become a glory or a shame to the one who bore it. It would be a glory if the one possessing it strove with all his might 'to live up to it, or, on the other hand, if tho possessor was content with boasting of what his an- j cestors had done ana did not strive to : rival their service. Touching refer- j enco was made to the fame won for , New Zealand by her young soldiers at | the great war, and tno preacher said I he was confident that the glory of that, would bo carried' on in days to come, and then the preacher spoke of the little band of pilgrims who had founded Oaristehurch, and asked what was our state if, bearing their name, *wo had added no lustre to it. Someone siffd that the Church could not now compare with tho glory of its past, but. that was a lie, and what was being done in missions alone was a proof that j Hhe Chuxcu was doing its duty/ Bishop Julius said ho wanted to touch on one thing that lay nearest to hia heart. The people of Canterbury possessed ft great namo, and as ho called to mind those noble men. and women, so full of pluck and faith, who came out in t)he Ijfties and founded tho province, he hoped that Canterbury would never lose the spirit of faith which they had brought. It would be a shame if tha present generation did not live up to that spirit. The pioneers believed in having their children taught in schools where Christianity was taught, for they knew that tho feaT of the Lord was tho beginning of wisdom. They did not want their children to be merely growers of turnips; they wanted them to become God-tearing men and women, and with that aim they did all they could to have the children so trained. But since then part of their ideals had been dropped, *or Itad been lost sight! of. He was glad to see that Canon. Wilford was trying to advance one branch of Christian educational work in tho matter of College House. Christ's College had only done a bit of j the work it was yitendcd to do —that j work was splendid, but it did not go far enoug'h. to reach the aim of tho pioneers. He would like to see a generation growing up which would bo worthy of stepping fa to the shoes of their pioneer forefathers, and take up the work on tl*e? principles set up by them, but w'hich per hops for' a time had J been allowed to dip-