ECCLESIASTICAL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 11201, 23 October 1899, Page 3

ECCLESIASTICAL.

HELPING HAND ANNIVERSARY SERVICES. The anniversary services of the Helping Hand Mission were held yesterday ill tho Choral Hall, and were highly successful. The forenoon service was conducted by the Rev. W. Ready, whose topic was " Nehemiali Building tho Walls of Jerusalem," upon which incident lie gave a heart-stirring iddress to Christian workers. The Sundayschool children sang special hymns. In the afternoon the Rev. F. Warner gave an address from the passage, " What manner of child shall this be?" Ho pleaded with his hearers to be true to the home, true to the Bible, true to Christ, and their future would be God-honouring and man-blessing. .Miss Rimmer sang, "I Know That My Redeemer Liveth" and " Looking Over Jordan." The children sang, " Onwards, Christian Soldiers" to a new setting, " Hark, 'Tis the Trumpet Sounding!" In the evening the missioner (the Rev. C. C. Harrison) spoke on the subject, "Do not ."in against the child." The children's pleas: (1) That we live clean lives; (2) that we give them a clean home; (3) that wo give them a right example. Mr. R. James sang the sacred song, "The King of Lovo My Shepherd Is." Mr. Caley officiated as organist; Miss McMaster was leader of the orchestra; and' the conductor was Mr. J. G. Culpan. The musical arrangements were a very attractive feature of the service?. The collections were satisfactory. There wore crowded services throughout. The annual reunion takes place to-night at the Choral Hall, the tea being from five to seven in the ante room. At the after public meeting His Worship the Mayor will preside. There will be reports submitted by Sister Kenneth (treasurer and missioner). The Maori boys of the Three Kings College will give some musical selections, and special hymns by tho choir, with orchestra and Exhibition organ. Mrs. J. Stewart will also contribute a solo. BAPTIST UNION ESSAY COIIPPETITION. The Otago Daily Times, of the Ith inst., lias the following, relative to the Baptist Union prize essay competition About seven months ago the Baptist Union of New Zealand invited scholars in Sunday-schools and members of young people's societies connected with Baptist Churches to compete for prizes by writing an essay on "The Rite of Baptism as Taught and Illustrated in the Book of tho Acts of the Apostles." The competition closed on August 31, when as many a 6 110 essays were handed in to the secretary of the Sunday-schools committee (the Rev. John Muirhead, South Dunedin). There were five classes of competitors, one class being for Sunday-school teachers only, the other four classes being for scholars and young people, .divided according to age. In each class four prizes of books were offered to the published price of 21s. 10s 6d, 7s fa), and ss. The examiners were Miss Haig, Mr. Herbert Webb, and Mr. H. H. Driver (all of Dunedin), and their awards are as follows;— Special or Teachers' Class: First prize, Miss Emily I. Carson (Wanganui); second, Miss Jessie D Edmonston (Wanganui): third, Miss Isabella Spedding (Auckland); fourth, Mr. J. W. Fraser (Mosgiel). First Class: First prize, Lily Christie (Wanganui); second, William Wright (Caversham); third, Fanny Wright (Kaikorai); fourth, Olive Child (Nelson). Second Class: First prize, Lilian Smith (Sydenham); second, Alice A. Gaze (Wanganui); third, Grace W. Dudney (Spreydon); fourth, Lilian Breed (Wanganui). Third 1 Class: First prize, Maud Williameon (Sydenham); second, Edward D. Richards (Palmerston North); third, Arthur G. Brown (Mosgiel); fourth, Theodora M. Dudney (Spreydon). Fourth Class: First prize, Ivy Galiagan (Sydenham); second, Ernest Toms (aimerston North); third, Emma Alexander (South Dunedin); fourth, John Johnson (Wellington). The examiners consider the essay of Lilian Smith (Sydenham), first prize nf second class, to be the best in the whole'competition,' and recommend its insertion in the Baptist.