THE SEAMEN'S INSTITUTE.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18182, 19 September 1924, Page 11

THE SEAMEN'S INSTITUTE.

TO THE EOrrOE CP "IKE FES" £>ir,—With regard to your report of tho meeting held at. Lyttelton yesterday for tho formation of tho new Lyttelton Ladies' Guild m connexion with the Seamen's Institute, I should like to correct a misapprehansion which might arise in tho minds of lonio tut.h regard to what -1 said. I ,rafi replying to an argument, used by one oi two people who seemed to have the impression that tho Institute existed tor the-purpose of providing sea-men U T what they could afford to buy;, and _ f-aid that a charitable institution this kind (please excuse this abominable and too common misuse ot tne word •'charitable") was th© last thing the Institute wishal to be. Jhe average sailor, who has his own indcpcnt enco and. Kclf-rospcct as much as any raan, would have no use for such an institution. At the same time the institute has from time to time bl r cll of assistance to many seamen wlio nave, through no fault of their own, foun themselves in difficulties. At the ® a ™° time, as a member of the Board of the Institute, I wish the people of t.:nris - church and Canterbury could realise what a tine Institute we havo in " telton—it is a three-storey brick bui ing, with every convenience. On tJie top floor is a billiard room and anting and reading room tor officeis. Un the fir&t floor there is a billiard room, and a writing room for sailors ana firemen, etc., with a largo reading room, and a largo and well-appointed concert, hall, iu which concerts are held every iliursday night, and services, conduc - ed bv the Superintendent and tne ministers of Lyt.telton. every night. lam sure that. Mr v., ten ait would be glad to show any enquiring visitors over the building, and tu. . very few visitors would depart out making a resolution to pay "VJ guinea and become) members or tne British and Foreign Society. Mr E. C. Stewart, the bupcruitendent, is devoted to his work, and does it faithfully and effectually, both o the social and spiritual side, co-operat-ing freely with Anglicans, Presbyterians, and other Umstian bodies; and has received tributes o gratitude from many sailors who e found in him a friend and counsellor The sailors certainly make free uso of the building for amusement, , reading, and lotter-writing. There ■ wero few vessels in port on Tuesday mght tor instance, yet fully 40 sailors found then wav there, and when I arrived at tho Institute that night, billiard room, reading and writing rooms were m swing, and .Mr Stewart, and his wife were moving about in frien dly tercourse with tho sailors. I s like to recommend the Institute to the ■hearty support of all in Canterbury. After all,, though Lyt.telton seems to be a "tarra incognita'' to many P ans " church people, still .it is the sole po » and outlet of tho Cl ty„ and it is only fair that a vital interest should bo taken in the welfare of all the meu by whose labour the trade of Christchurch with the out-side world is maintained. —ours* etc., , nTTTivnw tremayne m. curxow. Chaplain to Seamen (C. of \j.) Lyttelton, September 18th.