PONSONBY BAPTIST SUNDAYSCHOOL.—ANNUAL SOIREE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XIII, Issue 4485, 29 March 1876, Page 3

PONSONBY BAPTIST SUNDAYSCHOOL.—ANNUAL SOIREE.

The annual tea-meeting of the above school •was held last evening in the school-roem, and was numerously attended. The tea was good, and the eatables excellent. The following ladies attended to the wants of the guests at the different tables :—Mesdames Gaze, Bigelow, sen., and Bigelow, jun., Carey Brown, Edward Brown, Roberts, Owen, Dewar, and Misses .Roberts, French, and Jones. After tea an adjournment was made to the open air, for the purpose of allowing time for the seats to be re-arranged. This having been satisfactorily accomplished, the visitors re-assembled. The proceedings were commenced with the singing" of the 6S6th hymn, after which Mr. Battley engaged in prayer. The Chairman (Rev. P. H. Cornford) then delivered a short address, in which he deprecated the exclusion of the Bible from the public schools of the province. Hefeltconvincedthatthisstateof things would not last for long, however, but that the good sense of the people would ultimately triumph and the Bible be replaced and read in their schools.—The Secretary (Mr. James Brown) then read the aunual report, from which we learn that the Sunday-school was started a year previously, with 2S scholars aud 10 teachers. The names on the roll had now increased to 90 scholars and 10 teachers, with an average attendance of 52 scholars and nine teachers. From the proceeds of a limelight entertainment given by Mr. Dennes, they had been enabled to form a library, which now comprised 70 books. A great want, and one greatly felt, would be supplied if they could obtain a harmonium. They intended from the proceeds of that entertainment to set apart a sum which would serve as the nucleus of the amount requisite to purchase a harmonium. The report also referred with sorrow to the removal of one of the first of their scholars by the hand of death, but they had the sweet consolation of knowing that he was with Jesus.—The Treasurer, Mr. G. W. Owen, submitted the following statement of accounts :—Receipts : Subscriptions from the teachers, £1 11s; donation from Ponsonby Good Templars, £1 10s; half net proceeds of lime-light entertainment given by Mr. Dennes, £10 4s 9d; half Inet proceeds of entertainment given by Tonic Sol Fa Society, 14s Gd; balance of subscriptions, 10s; received from the sale of magazines, £5 13s Sd ; balance due to treasurer, 16s 3d : total, £21 Is. Expenditure: Subscriptions to Auckland Sunday-school Union, 10s Gd; sundry requisites, £4 14s 7d; magazines account, £5 19s 2d; timber and materials for library cupboard, £2 4s 9d; library and hymnbooks, stationery, etc, £7 12s : total, £21 Is. Mr, Brame then related his experiences in connection with Sunday-schools.—Mr. Ewington delivered an able and fluently-spoken address upon the subject of "Annoyance, or Provoking Others to Love You;" and Mr. Carey Brown, Superintendent of the school, spoke upon the " Claims of Sunday-schools."—The Rev. Mr. Hinton then addressed the assemblage. He had recently come from New South Wales, and though hut a few months amongst them he had been present at the Thames at seven different tea-meetings within a short space of each other. He had noticed a great want at New Zealand teameetings which was not observable at those held in New South Wales. There was plenty of flowers on their tables but no fruit. This he afterwards explained to mean a collection before the tea-meeting concluded. He then drew their attention to the unlined ■walls of the building, sketched a picture of the poor shivering children who would there have to sit and listen to their teachers during the approaching winter and finally reminded them that they ware in the midst of autumn—the fruit season. He would therefore ask them to contribute something towards defraying the cost of lining the school. £15 would cover all the expense. To this purpose one gentleman promised £5, another £2, aud three others £1 each ; thus leaving only £5 to be still raised. —In response to a pressing appeal, three persons among the audience promised—two of them 10s each, and the other ss.—lt was then proposed by the speaker, aud seconded by another gentleman, "That the plate be taken round." For the proposition, two hands were held up; and against it, none. A collection was then made, which, with the 25s promised, realised £4 12s Gd. The remaining 7s Gd was contributed before the meeting broke up.—Mr. Hammond, Superintendent of All Saints' Sunday-school, was the last opeaker. —The proceedings were brought to a close by the Chairman pronouncing the Benediction. During the evening, the choir sang the following hymns in a highly creditable manner: —" Whosever Will;" "The Lifeboat;" "Forme! for me!" and "Washed in the Blood of the Lamb" (Moody and Sankey), and " The Shadow of the Hock," by Philip Philip, the Singing Pilgrim.