AFTER FIFTY YEARS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1318, 22 December 1911, Page 5

AFTER FIFTY YEARS.

AN ARCHDEACON'S RETIREMENT, PIONEER WORK IN CANTERBURY, (By Telegraph.—Proes Aesooln.tlon.l Christchurclv December 21.; : One of tho outstanding figures of th« Anglican Church in Canterbury is Archdeacon Harper, who is just closing a ministry of over fifty years in this country. The Archdeacon's namo is indissohibly connected with tho early history of the Church in Canterbury and West-;' land, and mora intimately with the Chinch in Timaru. During the past 36 years he has been vicar of tho Anglican Church in that town. The Archdeacon missed the first eovon years of the Canterbury settlement. It., was ta help his father, the late Bishop \ Harper, that ho camo out lo New Zca-' land in 1857. Ho commenced' his work' in 1858, when ho had under his chargetho whole district between Iho Rakain,. and the Waimakariri, extending back to,,' Lake Coleridge and Porter's Pass. Them" was practically no settlement beyond Riccarlon in thoso days, and the population of the vast district over which ho had charge numbered about four hundred, souls, nearly all sheep-farmers and shepherds The Archdeacon made his headquarters at Malvern Hills, where his brother had a sheep station. From this centra he used to work over nine hundred square miles of country, making it his business to see every soul, in it onoo a month. After six years of this church pioneering work Archdeacon Harper got the hrst church built on the Plains at Burn ham. Jt was a modest buildingwhich survives to this day in tho grounds of ( the Industrial School. , Tho population of flic diocese having - increased Willi tho passing of tho years, Archdeacon Harper was appointed to organise five districts, one below the Rakaia, onp between tho Uakaia and tho Ashley, and tho others between tho Rakaia. and the Waimakariri. Ho travelled over these, districts and got promise's <)1 sufficient support for clergymen lor threo years, and in most cases Iho passage-money also was subscribed. The Archdeacon returned to England, where h« remained for about two vesrs, During that lime ho secured tho Services of fivo clergymen for these' new districts, aud also the Ucv. C. Harris (afterwards Archdeacon), who ultimately became headmaster or Christ's College. ' When Archdeacon Harper returned to New /calami ho was appointed to taltn charge, ot Westland as Archdeacon, mid lor nine years he was among the thousands of- diggers who were there in tho halcyon days of tho Coast. Churches wero.bmlt at Hokitika, tireymoutb, Ron, Juimon, Arahura. Wnimea. and Sbflord. ICumara did not exist, in' tho* (lays. Alter umo years on iho Coast, Uio Arcliedncon was tranforrcd to Tf maru, whero ho has been for thirty-six years. Naturally ho has an almost inexhaustible tund of reminiscences and experiences accumulated in tho davs when New Zealand history was just beginning Ho had innumerable adventures by field mid flood. Ha had frequently to swim tho Rnkaiu, the Rangitata, and Waitaki. Narrow escapes from drowning wero not. an infrequent experience of those who battled through tho unbridged rivers bctwean Christehurch and Timaru. A. very large portion of Canterbury was neither roaded nor tracked. Tho* Archdeacon carried a compass with him on his journeys over tho plains. Ho retains a very vivid and affectionate rc-| menibranoo of tho early Canterbury settlers, and his fondest hope is that tho - sons- of tho pioneers will prove that the), havo tho grit and quality of their fain, crs. ' ■ lii' tho early days tho Archdeacon wn.s a welcomo; visitor at the liousos and huts of the parishioners of his extended parish. As he says himself, ho was tho unofficial postman, 'gossip, and' general newsmonger of the district. He was tho medium of all sorts of iiilcr-communica-t ions, and he got very hearty welcomes from tho isolated shepherds and sheepfarmcrs. A very afreetionate memory of the old West Coast and its population of fttirdy diggers is retained by the Archdeacon, The diggers were drawn from all tho nations of iho world. Whilo they had - their occasional fights and sprees, they were a genial and law-abiding body. During tho nine years Archdeacon Harper was on tho Coast, thero was not a. single stieking-up case, or any crime of violence, or any case of gold robbery. Tho i average digger-on the West Coast never carried a weapon at all, aud tho only, firearm tho Archdeacon saw in the possession of any digger was a fowlingpiece. .The Archdeacon's prowess as an onrsmnn gained him at least one enthusiastic., admirer on the West Coast. He was returning lo Hokitika from Ross on one occasion and on arrival at the estuary uf the Hokitika River found that it was in Hood and had not been crossed by anyone for live. days. He was anxious to get over, and un old Thames waterman made up a crew. The Archdeacon 4ook ■ an oar. After the boat, had been buffeted for an-hour and a half, tho distance of a milo and a half was covered. When flio Archdeacon got out of the. boat the waterman who had been rowing next on? took him aside and whispered (hat thero was a regatta coining on. "We'll row iu the pair oars," he proposed, "and keep it dark!" History does not say whether tho Archdeacon agreed lo this highly sporting proposal. When be was at Eton, Archdeacon Harper hail won tho pair ours, nnd at Merlon Ccllege, Oxford, ho was in the college cloven. Archdeacon Hniper will say n final farewell to New Zealand on December 2H, when he leaves by the Orient Line for 'London. He is etese on 80 yenrs of age, and says that while ho has still a little work In do he does not wish it to bo hard work. Ho will in all probability write u history of the Church in' Canterbury and Westland, making it a personal rather than o formal account. He is eminently qualified to produce a most informing 'nnd interesting hook on that subject. The Archdeacon is to be met by 'the citizens of Timaru to-morrow evening, and will bo in his old town on Silndav nnd Christmas Day. After that. h«will say good-bye to Ihe town which has known him kindly since 187").