IDLE HOURS-

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIX, Issue 98, 25 March 1939, Page 7

IDLE HOURS-

(By W. J. Croucher)

Part VI

CHURCHES. So far these rambling notes of mine have made reference to old buildings that came into being for commercial purposes and have in the course of time fallen into disuse or are now being employed for purposes other than lor which they were originally intended. They were built because there was a necessity for them, and, as I have endeavoured to show, fulfilled a useful service to the community until time and change diverted trade and robbed them of any importance that may have previously boon attached to them and their concerns. Business institutions may flourish or may fade. They are ephemeral. The position is altogether different where fh ? -spiritual needs of the people are being provided for. Places of worship come into being for reasons which have no relationship with trade and commerce because they are intended to supply an entirely different need. There is no need for me to say anything about the functions of the Church, they arc well known to all. They are referred to in these musings more particularly because the two places of worship are numbered amongst the oldest landmarks in the village and also because of the early associations they recall. Tt. is characteristically significant that wherever settlement has formed new frontiers the men and women who have blazed

the trail have marie it a primal obligation to provide meeting places for the united worship of God. The pioneers of Sandon were no exception to this rnlc, as the presence of the two little churches abundantly proves. Tn external appearances neither of them conforms to the age-old conception, made familiar in poetry and prose, of the quaint old ivv-covered buildings nestling amid arbors of trees in some wayside nook in the hamlet. They are not set in plots of hallowed ground wherein rest the earthly remains of generations of families of worshippers whose names have been handed down to posterity on carved pillars and marble slabs. On the contrary, they simply follow the orthodox lines of architecture common to early colonial country churches and have not been altered in any way since they were first erected. Beyond the maintenance of a prim tidiness, no attempt has been made to introduce outward effects, yet there they stand as they have stood for well over sixty years in reverent and venerable peace, still serving their original purpose. The first to he built was the Wesleyan Chapel somewhere in the early seventies of last century; 1873, T think, was the year. The St. Thomas’s Anglican Church raised its spire about six years later. In the intervening years both have doubtless experienced their own peculiar vicissitudes during the waxing and waning that has taken place in the material prospects and a flairs of the village. They arc, nevertheless, visible monuments to the zeal and industry of the patriarchs who brought, them into being and by precept and example established religious life and teaching in the community. It is not for me to comment or enlarge upon the effect or influence of their ministrations. They have existed and will continue to exist, because tlicv fulfill a need ill the well-being of the people just as much ill the present as they have done in the past. T make no attempt to answer the oft-repeated ouery as to why congregations are smaller now than in the past or why it is that people appear to he more concerned now with secular interests rather than with a personal regard for the welfare of the eliurelies in their midst. As the solution of these problems and the remedy does not come within the scope and purpose of these passing thoughts of life and customs in the village of my boyhood, it may he .just as well "In leave that .aspect and pass on to other thoughts that come te mind, which in the telling may revive similar memories of others belonging to the older order. I have no recollections of niv first appearance at anv church, but surmise that it would bo on the important occasion of my baptism, when, after due deliberation and a search of the family records, a decision had been made as to who, among my forbears, should ho honoured by having his name handed down to posterity! So it was decreed that for the rest of my days i would he numbered among the goodly company of famous men who answer to the call of “Bill” or “Jack.” W.J. it was to be, and so it has remained. In any ease T was not consulted in i.he matter, and although one name may he as good as another I feel thankful that I have not been compelled to carry a combination of 1 effeminate appendages requiring a

deal of fortitude fo live up to. Those essential preliminaries having been settled to the satisfaction of all concerned, it is most likely my presentation to the officiating clergy man would follow the orthodox custon of the day, in solemnity befitting tin occasion. My innocent body—’tis nie< to think that ono has been innocen for awhile at least —would he docket out in a long white robe and perhaps an additional adornment would l>c < silk shawl or mantle that bad l>eei used for a similar purpose when souk remote, ancestor was christened. It i: more than likely that my parents wouk he nervous and that f would make aeon tribution to their uneasiness by clioosing the critical moment to display my vocal powers by indulging in a solo ol protest. That can, I think, he taker for granted, because I have been frequently reminded since alxmt having i decided tendency to cry out before being hurt. Seeing that I was nearing school ago when my parents came tc the village in 1874, it is most likely that the christening event took place before that date.

My father was a builder and probably took some part in the erection of the "old chapel which was used for many years by worshippers of all denominations. At the beginning Sanson was the hcadcpiarters of the Wesleyan circuit in the Manawatu, and ; the resident minister would make occasional visits to outlying centres, in- j eluding Feikling and Palmerston North. Periodically, a visit was re-[ ceived from the home missioncr whose j field work. I think, embraced the West, Coast as far north as New Plymouth. Many years have passed since . 1 1 have had any intimate associations' with the original chape], but there remains an indelible impression of many things seen and heard within its sacred walls and precincts. There is no; need for me to say anything whatever' about the scriptural tends that have! been propounded throughout, the 1 years. To attempt to do anything ofj that nature would lie out of place entirely in a story of this kind;, vet it may lie permissible to mention in passing something relative to the older congregations as they arc remembered. Perhaps the best means of. approach that I can. adopt to effect this purpose

Jftusings of an Old-Timer

will be to try to inscribe some of the thoughts and reflections which ran through my mind when revisiting the old chapel one Sunday morning about a, year ago. The wcll-remcmlxsrcd solid rimu pews were still doing service and gave no visible sign of their age except that repeated applications of varnish had produced a grained surface, which might be likened to the seams and wrinkles which betoken advancing years. Although it was a special service, the pews were not all occupied; vet there was a time when there would scarcely be a vacant seat throughout the year. That wa.s when large families were not the exception and parents regarded it as a bonnden duly to load their flocks to worship at least, once every Sabbath day. Each family had its own particular pew. and as I sat there after a lapse of nearly fifty years 1 saw again in imagination the bewiskered stalwarts of old proceeding along the aisle with measured slops and solemn mien conscious that the eyes of all were upon them. To those who had the misfortune to come late the entry was sometimes amusing to those already seated, but. embarrassing to these who had to reach their seats. Perhaps father and a few of the children would he wearing a newish pair of hoots which would proclaim the fact h.v giving off a variety of squeaks at every step, to the consternation of the wearer anil the delight of young pagans like myself. It is strange how trivial things like these are remembered while others of more serious import are quite forgotten. That Sunday morning of my visit I saw. in imagination, a procession of many of the old families and T wondered what had become of all the members during the passing years. Others have taken their places, but (lie successors do not fill the church as of yore. Then there were the old clergymen whoso mission it was to expound the Scriptures and whoso word was law. Not that I remember much of what they said, but no one who had heard some of them could readily forget the forceful manner in which their messages were delivered. Their exhorta tions to sinners to mend their ways were not told in whispers; indeed if would nob have been necessary to he in the building at all, for they could he heard in the street outside; consequently few, if any, were guilty of falling asleep while the sermon was being delivered. A special feature of the service, especially at the evening session, was the choir, which was composed of many noted vocalists belonging to those far olf days. I fancy that it is possible that the weekly choir practice had other attractions, which id

more than one instance resulted in a blushing maiden and a shy young man being presented before the altar to the strains of “The Voice That Breathed O’er Eden”; but that is another story I remember my Sunday School days and the teachers who from time to time endeavoured to direct my thoughts and train my mind to an appreciation of spiritual tilings, with what success I would not now venture to say. However that may he, there will always remain the recollection of a very earnest old gentleman who alternately expounded the gospel of fear or delighted us with stories of the manner in which the ancient Biblical warriors fought the battles of the Lord and overthrew their enemies. This meant that on the days that the terrors of hell fire and brimstone had been dealt with we would go home in fear and trembling about the wrath to come. When, on the other hand, the doughty deeds of Joshua or the overthrow of Goliath wore reviewed and extolled everyone would listen attentively and go away quite happy. Alore than likely a realistic imitation of these deeds of valour would bo staged at some secluded spot on the wav home.

My personal contact with the Church of .England was never very intimate, except on the memorable occasion when my bachelor days were brought to an end within its portals, but it is remembered that there was a large body of’ enthusiastic adherents of that I'nitlr who made valuable contributions to the building fund and for the provision of requisite accessories. Eor instance, lady members of the Church Guild provided the cash entailed in the cost of the erection of a Sunday School for children. Other private donations defrayed the cost of an expensive and rare Estey organ; and also for a specially cast tenor B flat hell, weighing 2101 b at the price of £24. Old church records indicate that the first organ ordered went down in the shipwrecked Southminister and that a similar instrument was supplied from stocks in hand at the time in Wellington, on December 17, .LS7D, at a cost of £SI.

In conuhon with many other insti--1 tutions in tbo village which at one time ‘ gave great promise lor future expansion the churches havo had their vicissitudes. No great city has grown up ■ around them; the members of the old ’ families are scattered far and wide and i a new order has arisen which docs ■ not regard church-going as an obliga- ; lion as did so many of those who have gone before. Other times, other eus- ■ toms. The future will tell its own story. POST OFFICE. I am unable to stato off-hand how long the Post Office building has seen ' service, but I can say with certainty that it is well over sixty years since it was erected in its present form. In j passing, it may bo mentioned that the postmaster of the day did not possess the saving sense of humour and could always be depended upon to rise to any little prank that was staged for the amusement of the practical jokers of I the day. Ho remained in Sanson for I many years and very few of the resi- ! dents failed at some time or another to incur his displeasure, despite the fact that lie was a first-class official and a good townsman. No doubt lie hacl a | good deal to put up with. | The first mail delivery that I can rc- ! member was a daily service from Bulls, but prior to that it is likely that Cobh j and Coy. brought mail to the old store. | This coaching service covered the route : between Wanganui and Wellington and II think traversed the road line through J the Manawatu Gorge, down through ! the Forty Mile Bush and over the ! Itimutakas. It was a common tiling for J residents of Sandon to ride to Welling- ! ton at that time. This journey would | take from two to three days. An alteri native route to that followed by the coach would bo through Foxton and down the ocean beach, but in the absence of bridges the rivers to be crossed often presented difficulties. Most of the Hutt settlers came this way and the old hands had many tales to tell of'

the difficulties encountered in getting their stock through when they' were treking to their now homes in the .North. Jt is on record that the first mails to Bulls wero carried on the back of a hardy old pioneer who made a weekly return journey to Wellington along the coastal route. When the post office 'was opened the mail from Bulls was carried by a well-reiiicinbcred old man on horseback who made a round trip through Carnarvon and back to Bulls by the river bank road. Later ltongotca was included in this service. The mail was carried in immense saddle bags in all weathers until the volume warranted a horse-drawn vehicle. Later an afternoon delivery come into oper- . ation which also carried the llangitikei Advocate, the only daily newspaper then circulating in the district. The firt>t telegraph wires ran alongside the Bulls-Sanson road anil were connected with I'oxlon some, years I Inter. The mysterious current that enabled messages to be transmitted from place to place was, 1 remember, very intriguing to the youngsters of the day, as also was the Morse code of dots and dashes that was employed for receiving and sending messages. Then, as now. the insulators on the posts provided tempting targets for stonethrowing boys, who were not gulled bywarnings issued by parents that when a wire had been struck it had power of communicating the name of the offender to the post offiec. Postage rates within the colony were twopence, and to Engl.and sixpence, per letter. It would take at least six months to get a reply from the Old Country, whereas it is now possible to make the circuit by ordinary mail in half that time or bv air- in less than six weeks. Telephones did not come into general use in the country districts until well on in the present century and wireless, of course, was unknown as a practical possibility. Nobody complained al>out the existing conditions before these present-day indcsponsablc amenities were introduced. It was a case of what you have never had you never miss. The local postmaster was also Uie Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages. In that connection the experiences of a young couple who presented themselves to be married maybe mentioned. Alter having been solemnly interrogated by the official, they signed some papers and went away rejoicing, to live happy ever afterwards in the certain belief that the proceedings had been in order. Some little time later the lady concerned made some purchases at the ■store and requested that the cost be charged to her husband’s account. Not knowing she was married, the grocer inquired how long sire has been enjoying that state of bliss and received the reply that the wedding had taken place at the post office a week or ten days since. Later in the day the grocer met the postmaster and made some joking remark about the latter having conducted a marriage service. This was flatly denied. No one hail been married by him. “’Well,” said the other. “Mrs—was in just now and told me that you performed the ceremony the other day.” “It must be so because they are now living together.” “Good lloril !”. said the postmaster, “T never married them, all that I did was to give them some good advice and a license to get married in the ordinary way.”_ Here was a fine complication. The official dared not go and tell the couple of his mistake, and was at his wits’ end to i know what to do. If headquarters found out he would be in trouble. At all costs a scandal must be avoided, but bow could this be done? In despair the advice of a shrewd and tactful friend was ought, who in turn took a clergyman into his confidence and eventually persuaded him to find I some pretext whereby the wrong could be righted without making the “’married” people aware of any irregularity at the post office. Acting under the privileges of his calling. the clergvman called upon the newlywedded pair to offer congratulations and in the course of conversation expressed a wish to study flic form of marriage lines as supplied from a registry oTlico. 'l'llis wish being granted, he professed to find some little irregularity anil severely blamed the person at the post office for issuing a document that was not quite complete, at the same time advising them that if they would cal! at his study that evening he himself would put the matter right. In due course the meeting took place, and, dispensing with all but the absolutely necessary formalities, a regular marriage service was read and the formal responses made by the unsuspecting couple, who went awly without any suspicion having been aroused ns to the real object of the visit. There wore only three who knrv of the circumstances, and with them the matter remained a close secret. An unfortunate mistake had boon rectified, the postmaster’s conscience had been salved, and gossipers had been robbed of a. rare titbit of scandal.

Externally, the old building has not altered in appearance during the intervening years. The fact of its being the property of the State is a sufficient guarantee that it will receive the regulation coat of paint every now nml again. It is not likely now that there will ho any need for extensions, so, barring accidents, it will serve for many years to c-ome. (To bo continued).