TARANAKI-STREET SUNDAY SCHOOL ANNIVERSARY

Evening Post, Volume C, Issue 91, 14 October 1920, Page 4

TARANAKI-STREET SUNDAY SCHOOL ANNIVERSARY

In continuation of the anniversary services of the Taranaki-street Wes'leyan Sunday School a tea and public meeting were held last evening. The tea in the schoolroom was presided over by the young ladies of the school, and so numerous was the gathering that two sittings had to be held. After tea an adjournment was made" to the church, where the scholar? repeated their hymns of last Sunday, a special feature of the gathering being the singing of the contest selection, as given 'at the recent competitions, by the Junior Choir, under the baton of Mr. W. B. Strong. The annual report and balance-sheet for the past year were' read, and showed the' school to be in a flourishing position. Mr. Freeman (the secretary) announced that the school attendance was affected by sickness and bad weather. During the year the scholars had donated £36 3s' 9d to Home Missions, £18 to Foreign Missions, and £9 7s to Indian Missions, a- total of, £63 13s. The total income received wa* £126 3s, and the expendl'ture £122 17s, leaving a credit balance of £.2 6s. Added to this they had donated £6 3s 8d to the Starving Children of Europe Fund. The scholars on the,, roll at present numbered 228, and the teachers and helpers 35. One of the teachers had just been recommended for the ministry. Congratulations were of- | fered to Mr. H. Miller, an ex-scholav, j who this year has been successful .in securing the Rhodes Scholarship Tho school has now a tennis club, three hockey teams, and two cricket teams ■ competing, while a Young Men's Club i has also been formed.

The election,of officers for the school for the ensuing twelve months resulted as . follows» —Superintendent, Mr. H. P^Mouranfc Mr. C. Freeman;'"musical conductor, Mr. W. B. Strong; organist, Mr. JR. Hayin.es; librarian, Mr. W A. Grenfell; treasurer, Mr. E. Upton ■, pianiste, Miss D. Russell; auditor, Mt.-'E. Kellow; a» sistant librarian, Mr. E. Fairburn.

Musical items were rendered by the children, solos and duetß- being contributed by Misses L. Delbridge, N. Bolton, M. Freeman, F. Haymes, V Hill, and I. and D. Russell. The Eev. H. E. Bellhouse presided over the gathering, and gave a short address to parents and children, stressing the need of home example to supplement the work of the teachers of the Sunday School. The total i amount collected at the services tills year was £95, the whole of which goes to the Sunday School, thi« being the only source of revenue the school has to depend on to carry it through the year, as the collections on Sundays go to various missions in connection with the church.

During the^ evening a presentation was made^by the members of the Junior Choir" of\a handsome silver-mounted baton to their conductor (Mr. W. B. Strong), who worked bo strenuously in preparing them for the recent competitions, at which they defeated last year's winners of the shield. The Rev. Mr. Bellhouae, who made the presentation, congratulated the young people on their excellent singing, and trusted- that next year they would do still bett#.' Prizes were donated for . the best decorated tables at the tea, and were awarded as follow : '— Girls : G. Strong and R. Bond, 1; B. fjlarke and N. Hill, 2; G. Herron, H... Jackson, L. Brady, arid V. Hill, highly commended. Boys: L. Tauner and K. Strong, 1; D. Sharp and J. Sharp, 2. The superintendent (Mr. Mourant) urged upon parents the necessity of cooperating with the teachers, thus forwarding the work of God t and the church. He concluded by thanking all who had assisted in making the 79th. anniversary one oi' the most successful in the history of the school. The prospects for the incoming year, he »aid, were of the brightest.