FOR THE SAILORS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLI, Issue 306, 15 November 1906, Page 3

FOR THE SAILORS.

-;THE REV. . MR 'MATTHEWS IN y-y- . yNELSON.

MEETING A.T THE PROVINCIAL "'•''.. HAUL. ;•'■•' -Last evening this Rev. E. JV. Matthews, Secretary to the British and : foreign Sailors' Society, addressed ... a :punlic meeting at the Provincial ■Hall'. ' There 'Was a very fair at- "'..' tendance, the Mayor (Mr J. Piper) -presiding, and there being also, on . the platform Bishop Mules, the ';.;-■";' -Rev. Dr G rattan Guinness, and Mr '-;■-- 'A. T. Maginnity (Chairman of the Nelson Elducati on Board). Taie- meeting opened with prayer by the Bishop: i- ■' The Mayor, -in.the course of an opening- address" introducing Mr Matthews, said /that their visitor's reception in Nelson should be the .... heartiest in allfNew Zealand, for ■tho reason thatythis .city was so closely identified, by the names of its streets, -with the illustrious hero of Trafalgar. (Applause*} Speaking more particularly of the mission of Mr Matthews, tbe. Mayor said that British i Sailors were to be found in all parte of the -world, and could be regarded as representative men and the advance agents of the British nation. Mr Mat'thews was with them to advocate the sailors' cause, and to raise funds for the establishment of '•'Bethels," the. value of which the Mayor cduld personally testify to. The Mayor referred, to tho great help the' "Bethel" at Port Chalmers had been to Frank Bullen, the now celebrated author and lecturer. and then formally introduced the Rev. 3fr Matthews to the audience. v (Applause.) The/ Rev. Mr Matthews met with - u a warm, reception on rising to speak. He acknowledged tjio Mayor's kind Words of welcome, and expressed: his pleasure at visiting Nelson. He had met here.anvold friend— the Rev. Dr Gratton Guinness, preacher, writer, and teacher; and 'he also saw beforo him the son of. ah eminent missionary .to sailors —he referred to the Rev. Mr Garland. (Applause.) The speaker Bpoke of the late Mr Seddon in feeling, terms,, and mentioned that the. deceased ""statesman, when attending the Coronation ceremony,* at Home, had warmly taken up the idea >of having a •'■'Victory" stall at the Christchurch Exhibition. MiMatthews then went on to deal with the work of the Society ho rojiresepted, and appealed for remembrance of (the sailor on whom our Empire and her dominance of the sea so much depended. One vast Empire came .to us from yho sea, and it was a trust from God. The speaker unfurled the Bethel flag, which he said was made by a sailor and hjis wife in 1814, and had become the seamen's symbol. !(The flag has a blue field, with tho word "Bethel"— "House of God':'— in white letters running across the centre. On the upper part of tho flag is a star, and on the lower a ' dove). Tho audience was next - told how the British and Foreign Sailors' Society had arranged with the 'Admiralty to have tbe oak and copper of Nelson's old flagship made into souvenirs for tiie children of the Empire. Tbese souvenirs were sold, and any surplus was (devoted ' to provuding new Bethels, etc., for sailors. Any school purchasing 108 of the " Victory " charms would be given a challenge shield made from Victory pak and copper. Thene was a "larger shield for schools raising £25, and it was desired that one of the latter should be obtained for Nelson College.and the -Principal had expressed his willingness to receive donations from old Collegians towards the cost of tho shield. Mr Matthews presented Bishop Mules with a plaque made of "Victory copper, and handed to the Mayor, for the city, a bust of Lord, (tfalson (manufactured frc|m: ■ iVic- i lory." oak and copper) bearing tht following inscription :— t'Enelarrd expects every man wiU do his duty. October 21, ISOo, October 21, 1905— This bust of Nelson, standing on Victory oak cast from copper taken - from his historic ship, is presented by the British and loreign Sailors* Society (Patron, hTr.H. the Prince of Wales, ICG.,) to the Corporation of <" Nelson, and is associated with the New Zealand Inter-national Exhibition, 1906-7, and the Wist anniversary of the cteatn ol Nelson'.— Thank God I have ■done my duty.— E.R. \UI." "The presentation was made ejnidst applause. The Mayor accepted the gift on behalf of the Corporation of Nelson. Bishop Mules explaineS that Mr Matthews was endeavouring to raise £50,000 for the furtherance of the work of the 'Society , and all money Raised in Nelson would go towards making up the sum named. New Zealanders, sard the Bishop, were distinctly a maritime people—were necessarily so from the nature of the countiy ; therefore there should always be a kindly feeling for the' s a ilors. The Bishop proceeded to . speak of the great VFbrk done for sailqrs by the Society represented by Mr Matthews' Mr A. T. Magihftity, speaking as Chairman of tlie Nelson Education Bdard said the Board, the teachers" and the scholars in this district would extend their co-opera--SS.«Ed sympathy to Mr Matthews, ami his work. He sa*d the New Zealanders did . appreciate _ *he ships, shipmen, and "those who go down to ' the sea in ships —and certainly the New Zeatander should appreciate thei, saeinff ... What this colony owefl to v the manne. . The sailor should lie provided for in his old age in the samo way as the • police.and, nowj the school teacher are provided for ; and Mr Magin ; nitv hoped before lonq a sailors periston scheme would be in opera- * 10 The Rev. Dr Gratton Guinness said in travelling aU over the .world for 64 years he had seen a good deal of sailors Thousands of sailors had a hard tame on board snip? but a harder, time on shore, where they were even . now sometTm«. a prey to designing, cruel, . and voracious landmarks Miss Weston's work on behalf of the sailors was mentioned, and tne weaker wished God's blessing on the to-racking, world-embracing w^rk The British and Foreign - Sailors' Society. „„• The Mayor tflianked Mr Mat thews for having lent a bust -of "Nelson for the Nelson Court at «,e Exhibition, and the meeting closed " with the. singing of. the Doxology . and the ;£<*™S ot ■ the Benediction by the Bisnop. Thos* desirous of obtaining souvenfre made from the /'Victory are requested to apply to Mr G. A. TOdmcmds, assistant Town' Clerk • , consented to act as local secretary*-