ALL SAINTS' CHILDREN'S HOME.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLI, Issue 9344, 20 October 1910, Page 6

ALL SAINTS' CHILDREN'S HOME.

FOURTH ANNIVERSARY. There was quite a large gathering of ladies and gentlemen at All Saints Children's Home yesterday, when its fourth anniversary was celebrated. Ihe children in residence were also'greatly in evidence, find appeared to fully enjoy the afternoon's entertainment and comestibles provided for them. ■ Afternoon tea was served to the numerous guests, and a most enjoyable afternoon was spent. Mr Allan. Skerman, secretary and treasurer . to the • Home, in the course. of . a brief address, pressed the opinion that* looking at the progress that had been made during the four years' existence of the Home, it would be admitted* that its. institution was justified. He said that feeding, clothing, and keeping in a quiet moral atmosphere the little ones who, through no fault of their own, were unable to obtain these things elsewhere, was not only a good work, and deserving of every credit, but a Christian service. Fortunately for the Home, it had secured for itself a warm place in the hearts of the people of P aimer ston; they had only to ask to get the help they desired. It was quite necessary for them to receive this material help and sympathy, especially since the Home was to lose the services of its orgJimser an its head, the vicar, who had been the life and soul of all its endeavours. (Applause.) This was the last occasion on which the vicar would be With .them in his official capacity, though tthey all hoped to see him there on narny occasions. They would also lose Mrs _Har per, whose work m connection with the Home Mr Skerman euiogieed most lv. With each of them it had been a labour of love, and however successful they were in filling their places they would always be missed at the meetings of the Board and Committee. Gn behalf of the staff of the Home and the children he thanked them for their g°°d ™ork, and wished them all happiness and prosperity in the future. (Applause.) PIF this juncture Master KenneJ Mouldey, the first inmate of the Home, oresented to the Ven. Archdeacon, on behalf of the children, a handsomely framed photograph of hi mself ; the staff, and the children, the work of the Crown

The Ven. Archdeacon Harper thanked the boys and girls very warmly for then gift, but said he was taking away >vith fiim something that he valued more the knowledge of their g°°d under all circumstances. The children could be trusted, he said, m every way whether in the Home or away from it. There appeared to be something in the atmosphere of the. Home gat prevented all bad from entering it. He added that the history of the Home was now well known to most of them,, but at the same time they were preparing a little pamphlet, illustrated with views of the Home and its inmates, so as to place on record what had been achieved in connection with it. It had been founded quite suddenly; the idea had been placed before the people based on faith and prayer, and results had shown that the Home and their efforts were fully justified Reference was made to the small start that had been made, and to the two enlargements the first year, but the greatest help of all was the paying oft ot the £700 mortgage in three weeks. He expressed gratitude for the help they had always received, and to show how necessary it was he remarked that it cost £400 per year to run the Home. Under such circumstances it was necessary that people'should not forget it. He said he wished ,it known that the Home was open to all the children of the Diocese, which extended from Wellington to Dannevirke, and he hoped, under the circumstances, that he would be able to enlist the help

and sympathy of numbers of people outside Palmerston in its welfare. Ihe Kev. Watson, who had been appointed to All Saints', would take his'place, and though he might be strange to the work still he would have the help of the old committee. ILo believed that throughout New Zealand the management and or- | ganisation of the Home was known, arm known exceedingly well, owing to the fact that Mrs Dick, head of the Government Department, was so greatly impressed with the management. He regretted the absence from committee work of Mesdames I 1 itzherbert and Palmer, and concluded by stating that though he was going away the future and the success of the Home did not depend upon one person, or one man or woman, but upon the people, and above all upon One to whom past results had shown they could appeal to with every hope and confidence. Cheers were then given by the children for the Archdeacon and Mrs Harper, and for Miss Foley, the matron.