LECTURE BY THE REV. J. TAYLOR, D.D.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIX, Issue 198, 20 August 1884, Page 2

LECTURE BY THE REV. J. TAYLOR, D.D.

Iv accordance with advertisement tho Rbv Dr Taylor delivered a lecture in the Bishop's schoolroom on Monday evening- ou " Nelson in the year 2000, A.D." There was a good attendance, and tho chair was taken by the Bishop of Nelson. The rev lecturer commenced hy reading extracts from the New Zealand Hand Book showing* what Nelson is at the present time, and also from the last annual report of the Crown Lands department, in which reference is made to the capacity of certain parts of the colony for the growth of the olive, orange, lemon, aud vine, aud also for S'*riculfcure, and he proceeded to say that he saw no reason _ why these trees should not b*J cultivated in Nelson quite as successfully ns in the neighborhood of Naples, tbo latitude of tho two places b'.ing- much the same. After some furlher remarks upon the capa bilities of the place for numerous industries:, he went ou to say that being of an imaginative temperament he had occasionally fancied himself 1 1 (> years hence re-visiting some of the scenes ia which he had spent many pleasant days in the present century, aud among others Nclsou. As he came down Blind Bay in a vessel, which he subsequently explained was propelled by electricity, ho I could scarcely believe his eyes as ho observed the vast changes and improvements that had taken plaoe since last ho was in that part of the world. Tho Boulder Bank, to begin with, had beeu converted into a picturesque Esplanade, tastefully planted with trees. amid which Bands woro playing in the delicious summer afternoon to the delight of crowds of well dressed citizens. Tho entrance to the harbor was through a channel cut through the Bank to the south of the Lighthouse, and in reply to his enquiry what had been the re*-ul_ of doiug away wi.li (he '• scour."' he w.*.s told that that had been easily arranged by gates, whioh were, sometimes placed across the Boulder Bank channel and at others across the present entrance. The unsightly mudflat had been entirely reclaimed from Lukins' wharf up to the town and across to Wakapuaka, and was now tastefully laid out in handsome streets with elegant villas, each of which had a garden attached to ifc, in which the orange and lemon tree grew luxuriantly. Fortuuately he was provided with letters of introduction to the Mayor of the city, by whom he was cordially received, and who explained to him that the amount of land reclaimed from the sea was no less than . ! ]*jOO acres. " Where did you get thu money?" he asked. "The money!" was the reply, " why the task was au ea^y one There were plenty of hills close by which were only waiting to be removed on to the flat, aud the area thus reclaimed was worth far more than the cost of Idling up." " Ah," said the Doctor. " why wheu I was here before the cry was ' Oh ! we can't get the money to do it,' bub I did nob believe then in ' can't' any more than Ido now. J was a schoolmaster for many years, and if there was one thing more than another I used to impress upou my boys ib was that 'must' and 'try' were far better and far more practical words than 'can't.'" The Mayor then took him for a drive to the Port which, iv the old days, used to terminate iv a hill on which was situated " The Cliffs," bub now he drove on along a beautiful road made over "The Rocks," and which, after passing the steep cliffs, was bordered by elegant villas, to some exquisite s inds where were bathing machines, and some old ladies in bathing gowna all ready to administer a dip to the little ones of whom thero were plenty awaiting their turn. Then they went on toßichraond and returned by Bishopdale, but a great improvement had been made in the hills, the crowns of which had been carted into the hollows, and then said the Doctor, with a little touch of sarcasm, 1 found myself exclaiming ''Why, after all, the people of Nelson have learned that Ihere is such a thing as an easy gradient." To have done away with tho old dog's walk of out aud in again the samo way was in itself an immense improvement and added much to ihe attractions of the place. Then to the north of the town wore large groups of buildings., and these ho w.is told formed tho Sanatorium. "We have a grand climate " said the Mayor, ■' aud people with weak lungs come here to enjoy the life which elsewhere was a burden to them, and to delight in those advantages whicli iv no other part of the world could they obtain." " Man 3' of them," added his informant, ".have well-lined pockets, and to the money they spend here arc owing many of the improvements you see." Of course the railway had connected Nelson with the South, and perhaps this accounted for the fact that everywhere ho saw fine colleges, referring to which his friend the Mayor said, '• the fact is thafc this is regarded as the Oxford and Cambridge of New Zealand. The climate is so grand that there is but little illness and consequently the students arc free from those interruptions from ill health which occur elsewhere, and the result is thafc this has become the great educational cenbre of the colony." Then he began to mako further enquiries about a subjocb in which he perhaps took a deeper interest than any other— the Church. •' Wheu I was here beiore," he said, " there was a great talk about a Cathedral, but it seemed to mo then to lie ■in. nubibus, there was uothing doing, bub it was all talk." The Mayor replied by taking him to the centre of the town aud thero on that lovely site, which in 18S4 was occupied by a rickety old building known as Christ Church, was a beautiful cathedral. "Yes," : said the Mayor, " it must have beeu about the timo you left thab the Bishop set to * work and got out plaus for this building. He said to himself, ' Now there are plenty i of people who have money, and many of ■ them, if there is sometbing* definite in view, < will give to such an object in their lifetime, ; or leave it when they are called away, for erecting a temple to the honor and glory of God in that place where they aud their i friends aud relations have lived so long.' - and ao he had elaborate plans prepared, and < without going into all the details, it will '

be enough for mc to say ' and hero you see the result.' " And more th ni that, in well chosen spots on what even so far back as 1881 was known as " The Church Hill " were fom- canon's houses, built for the clergy who had worked hard and labored long in the service of their Great Master. ! and at lasb when they began to lose their physicaland mental powers found honi*. s h re whence thoy could go out; and taka occasional services in the city or suburbs. And he thought to himself " Ah. this md. cd is a noble thing, this provision for men who had given tbeir best days for the best purposes of humanity. How different to when I was hero before when men who had labored faithfully for -10 or 50 years lived to becomo almost paupers, their only fault being that God had allowed them to live too long," The reverend Doctor then went on to state what had been done in the old country in tho. way of establishing n'-w sees, and how in that of Newcastle when all was arranged for but the Bishop's home, Peace, the Quaker, had come forward and said " Take my house and grounds " and handed over a property worth .-li 10.000. And so, he believed, would all difficulties in the way of erecting a Cathedral here be. overcome did those interested in tho work start with a settled and comprehensive plan boforo them. Thus iv a pleasant genial manner did tho reverend Doctor chat away to his audience — ••* lecture " is too formal a term to use — aud finally impressed upon them the moral of his story which was thateach and all. impelled hy a spirit of patriotism and of love for their charming little town and settlement should labor st°adily on, doing all they could individually and collectively to elevate the community physically, morally, intellectually, and spiritually until Nelsou had become something like what he had feebly attempted to picture it. On the motion of Dr Boor, seconded hy Mr Pitt, a hearty vote of thanks was accorded to the Doctor for the pleasant hour for which his audience were indebted to him.