HAVELOCK NEWS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 879, 4 January 1889, Page 30

HAVELOCK NEWS.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) Havelock, December 26.

There has been quite a new departure here in connection with church services. Hitherto it has been customary to hold services here for the adult portion of the community, wherein the children could take a part so far as their intelligence or aotual understanding went and no farther, but the Rev Harold Ensor is a man well suited for the requirements of this diocesan portion of the district. So much by way of preamble. On Christmas Day, at 10.30 a.m., the children belonging to the Church of England Sunday School were assembled a short distance outside Sfc Peter’s Church, and, according to previous directions, where properly placed with their clergyman as director ; the keynote was correctly given by that gentleman and taken up by the children to the tune of St Albans (old edition) hymns, ancient and modern, namely, “ Onward Christian soldiers.” And thus the first processional hymn ever sung at this, the Pelorus district,, i.e., in propria forma, was sung on this last Christmas morning of 1888. When assembled inside the church a children’s service, specially prepared, was gone through, strictly choral, and I think I am within bounds when I state that no religious service has ever been given in this portion of the dioceso that has been so highly successful and so generally pleasing as this has been. The church was crowded, and the offertory taken was on behalf of the Church of England Sunday School. Great credit is due to the Rev H. Ensor as musical director, and to Mrs Drury as organist, for the way in which every detail was faithfully carried out; but it is right here to state that the whole of the service recorded was done by the sanction of the Bishop of the diocese. The address or sermon given by the Rev H. Ensor was literally a multum in parvo. He instanced a notable fact that the Saviour of the world, whose nativity we were thereupon called to commemorate, was once a child, hence the necessity of its being enforced both on the minds of children and adults. Again, children formed a very important feature in the Church, inasmuch as the Sunday school was the nursery or train-ing-ground, and the Church the recipient. The rev gentleman also made an allusion to the fact that the children of our Church were, as a rule, too much overlooked. This circumstance was owing to the fact that the clergy had so many duties to perform outside their own immediate districts. The decorations in the church were unique—the best that ever were. The Rev H. Ensor is the right man in the right place. An accident happened on Tuesday morning last to Clark and Pickering's mail coach, the mail contractors between Blenheim, Havelock and Nelson. As Mr Pickering was crossing a bridge in the neighborhood of Happy Valley, abvufc 14 miles from Nelson, one of the leaders swerved; in consequence the rail of

the bridge was broken and there was a regular capsize. There was one passenger, a son of Mr C. S. Mills, of this place. He was thrown into the water, and got a thorough wetting and was otherwise much shaken. This necessarily caused much delay, as Mr Pickering had to go back to Happy Valley and get another vehicle ; and instead of arriving here about 10 a.m., as he intended, he did not put in an appearance until 3.30 p.m. It is unfortunate that such an accident should have happened, as Messrs Clark and Pickering have hitherto so satisfactorily carried out their mail contract, and have also given grea; satisfaction to the travelling public. [By Telegraph.] HAVEtodk, December 29. The Wairarapa patty aie getting good gold at Mahakipawa. They have a Californian pump worked by water-power ; they are driving the ground, as It goes to a great depth, about 35ft from the creek level. All other work is practically suspended, and will be until after the 6th January.