PRESENTATION.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 9546, 30 September 1892, Page 3

PRESENTATION.

The members of the English literature class of the Technical Classes Association last night presented the Key. Rutherford Waddell with a very nice study chair at the conclusion of his final lecture of the session. Mr A. G. Melville, in making the presentation, said :On this, the last occasion upon which this class will have the pleasure of meeting you, 1 have been deputed by the members to perform a duty at once important and pleasing. The class feel, sir, that they cannot take their leave of you without expressing their deep sense of the obligation iimlui- which you have placed them by the delivery of your highly interesting and instructive lectures—(applause)—and their appreciation of the enthusiasm and ability which have characterised your endeavours to instil into the members and cultivate in them a taste for wliolesonioliterature.—(Applause.) Of this appreciation the regular attendance which has been maintained throughout thesession is unmistakable evidence; but us the term drew to a close, the desire became general simung the members to show in some tangible form their fueliii" of indebtedness, and their personal regard for you. Accordingly a meeting was held this night week to consider how we might bent express onr feelings, with the result that wo are now able to present to you this study chair.—(Applause) I need not assure you, sir, that the chair—which bears the following inscription: "Presented to

the Rev. Rutherford Waddell by the members of the English literature class (technical classes); session 1592 ; 29/9/I)2"—carries with it the'best wishes of every member, and but feebly expresses the indebtedness of the class to you for introducing them to an inexhaustible source of pleasure, profit, and instruction. In asking you to accept this token of our esteem, we sincerely hope' that you will long be spared to continue your communings with those great and noble minds that adorn the ranks of English literature, and that there might be associated with it pleasures as sweet as those which, through your efforts, have been meted out to the members of the English literature class of ISD2. On behalf of the class, I have very much pleasure in handing over to you this study chair.—(Applause.) Mr Waddeli,, in returning thanks for the presentation, said that the hour he spent at the literary class had been one of the pleasantest hours of the week; it had been pleasant absolutely to himself, aurl he rejoiced to learn from the words which Mr Melville had spoken to him that night, and the attention the class had displayed, that they themselves had found some pleasure in what he had to say to them. He regretted that what ho had to say was not more worthy, but such as it was it had been spoken of iv terms which rendered him somewhat humble. He, however, felt that there was no necessity for any presentation to keep him in memory of the class. He was amply repaid by the attention which they gave him, and by their apparent interest—which he was sure was real—in the subjects which they had pursued there ; but now that they had chosen to commemorate that "breakup " in such a tangible form he could not find words to express his great thankfulness to them. It had been a pleasure to him to do what he had done, for the sake of literature, and for the sake of the joy he derived in seeing others enjoy what he himself possessed.—(Applause )

BRITISH MISSIONARY SOCIETIES.

TO THE EDITOR. Slit, —I observe in this morning's Times a paragraph stating that "100 years ago, on October 2, 1792, was born the first of modern British missions, in the formation of the Baptist Missionary Society." Apart from the fact that mission work has always been a leading feature of the church's ■work from her infancy, let me state for the benefit of your readers and the general public that the Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge was founded in 1698, a century before the date in the paragraph. As there are also other ' Church of England missionary societies fouuded about this date (the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel was incorporated by Royal charter in 1701) I fail to see how the Baptist Missionary Society, with their " modest sum of Ll3 2s 6d, started the project to evangelise the world."—l am, &c, September 29. Lay Churchman.