REV. F. RULE.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 20088, 18 November 1930, Page 15

REV. F. RULE.

APPRECIATION OF WORK. LONG YEARS OF UNSELFISH SERVICE. "On be-half of the Justice Department and the Magistrates of Christchurch, I desire to express our extreme sorrow at losing the Rev. Frank Rule— Mr Great-Heart as we call him amongst ourselves. Mr Great-Heart! Was ever a greater tribute paid to any man than that?" Mr E. D. Mosley, S.M., speaking last night at the annual meeting of the Christchurch Presbyterian Social Service Association, referred in the terms given above to tho retirement of the Rev. Frank Rule from tho position of Superintendent of the Association. Mr Mosley said that they regretted that after twenty-one years' strenuous labour they had to part, officially, with Mr Rule. Only those who had been brought into intimate contact with him could assess his truo value. Ilis work, for the most part, had been of a silent nature, but it had been prompted from tho fountain of God Himself. His work amongst the young peoplo they knew of, but it was only part of his great work. His work in connexion with the Courts had been of inestimable value to the community, and had been of great value to the Magistrates of Christchurch. He did not know how they, or how he himself, would have got along had it not been for the assistance rendered by Mr Rule. (Applause.) He did not know how it would have been possible for himself, dealing as he did with the criminal work in Christchurch, to carry out his duties but for the assistance given by the various social service organisations—those of the Presbyterian Church, tho Roman Catholic Church, the Church of Fiiigland, and the Salvation Army. "We are exceedingly sorry to lose Mr Rule as an official worker," Mr Mosley concluded, "but I trust that wo may not lose his cheery presence for many years to come." (Applause.)

The chairman (the Rev. W. Bower Black), who spoke earlier, in referring to Mr Rule's retirement, said that the history of the Association was tho history of Mr Rule's work. It was he who had been called to begin it, to discover ways and means for it, and to lay down the lines of work to bo followed. Through hia personality, enthusiasm, and interest he had established the Association in the place it now occupied. (Applause.) A minute setting forth the committee's appreciation of Mr Rule 'a work was included in the report. lie read an extract from a letter written by the Rev. John Mackenzie, the first convenor of the committee of the Association, in which the writer expressed his appreciation of the loyal and generous service Mr Rule had given to the Church in the sphere of social service for so many years. The wonderful progress of the work was due, under God, more largely to the enthusiasm and devotion of Mr Rule than to any other single factor. Mr Mackenzie di ired that his appreciation should accompany other expressions of appreciation of Mr Rule's whole-hearted and efficient service. (Applause.) At a later stage Mr Bower Black

said that the committee wns taking steps to say good-bye to Mr Rule in a more official way, and to hand to him some token of remembrance of his 21 years' strenuous work. Not a Melchizedek. Mr Rule said that one could not approach his nunc dimittis without sadness, and when he recalled twenty-two years ago he wondered, had he known us much as ho knew now, if he would have dared, or would have had the pluck, to go on. He sometimes thought of the hours he oould not sleep, times when his heart was heavy. Tennyson spoke ot the life he had lived "on a broken wing" ; he (the speaker) knew something about the "broken wing," but as he grew alder it appeared to him that he had a wooden leg! Although his name was not plastered ou the walls of the Association's homes, he trusted that he would not be quite forgotten. Many of the children had only known one father. Father Rule Retirement had to come, for ho was no Melchizedek. (Laughter.) Although he would cease to bo Superintendent he had told the children that he would always be interested in them, and they were still to think of him as their father.