JUBILEE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2206, 11 June 1896, Page 13

JUBILEE.

A fiooi&l gathering was held in the Choral Hall on Monday night for the purpose of meeting and congratulating Bishop Neyill on the occasion of hii episcopal silver jubilee. There was a very large number of persons present, the hall being densely orowded. The following gentlemen oooupied- seats on the platform : — Bishop Nevill, the Yen. Archdeacons Edwards and Fenton, Mr B. C. Haggitt (oh&Dcollor of the diocese), Mr H. F. Hardy, and Or Hocken. The- Yen. Archdeacon Edwards, as ssnior clergyman of the diocese, said he had been requested to presant an address from the olergy of the diocesa. He might say tint the address had been signed by four archdeacons, three clerical members of the chapter of the cathedral, and all the clergymen of the diocese. Before he read the address ho wished to say a few words with regard to the state of the churoh before the pr sent bishop arrived. As all present were no doubt aware, for some years the provinces of Otago aud Southland formed part of the diocese of Christchuroh, and the people of this diocese were then uuder the loving mle of that' devoted servant of Christ, Bishop Harper. — (Applause.) The time eventually arrived when it was thought advisable to separate Otago and Southland from the diocese of Chriktuhurcb, as it was quite impossible for Bishop Harper to overtake the Work over so extended an area. An offar of the bishopric of this diocese was accordingly made to a clergyman iv England. He accepted the offer and was conseorafced to the post, but the General Synod refused to coufirm his appointment. Thus bf'gan what was well-known m that unhappy Jenuer controveray, whioh did infinite mieohiof to the pieaeut dioress. He did not wish to make any further allusion to that— indeed he shoald not have alluded to it at all if it hid not been for the fact that at the time referred to' the clergyman who was now Bishop of Duudin arrived in Duuedin, and the bishopric was then offered to him. And he (the speaker) had no hesitation in paying that — considering the distracted state of this dioctse, considering tho' fact that the endowment was a most miserable one, aud also the "fact that there was no See house, and, as was po'nted out to Mr Nevill, no prospect of there being such a house— he thought it was greatly to his credit that the bishop consented under those unhappy circumstances— especially -considering the distracted state of the church— to accept tho See.-— (Applause.) He (the spraker) thought they would agree with him when he s»id that one prominent feature of the present bishop's character was this : that if he thought it was for the advantage of the church that some particular path should be followed, whatever obstacles might be in the way, he. determinedly opposed those obstacles, and, God permittiog him, overcame them'. — (Applause ) As an instance of the bishop's determination, the speaker alluded to the obstacles he had surmounted in connection with the esfcablighment of a cMhedral in the diocese. Considering all the difficulties in the way of that project, the result had been on the whole satisfactory. They were not to suppose that the Anxiety of the bishop to obtain a cathedral simply rested on the grouud that he might have a chu> eh of his own. That was not the chef cbj set 'which stimulated the bishop in bis efforts to establish a cathedral. There was something higher than that. The cathedral was to be of use to the whole of the diocese. As the bishop had told them when he delivered an address on the subject, the cathedral was to be the centre from which rays wera to bg distributed throughout the whole of the dioof so — (Applause ) Passing from this subject, he would say one or two words regarding Selwyn College. Hire again Bishop Nevill had met with very great obstacles indeed ; still he persevered till the college was established, presided over by a vi ry able man in the person of the warden. — (Applaud.) Called very properly Selwyn College, after the name of New Zealand's noblest bishop, it had gradually prospered, till now it had students — young men who bad done good work, and who no doubt would do further good work in the future. The bishop in establishing the college raised all the money by his own exertions, and it was greatly to his credit that it was in the position it was at the present day. In coucluaion, and before reading the addresses, he would like to say a few words regarding Mrs Nevill. — (Applause.) Mrs Nevill had endeared herself very much to all those who knew her. She was not one of those ladie3 who put themselves prominently forward, and she was not one of those who attended women's conventions or anything of the kind.— (Laughter and applause.) She did not talk much about women's right*, but ha was quite sure they would all agree with him when he said that she occupied a very high place in the loving affection of all the mambers of their church. — (Applause.) Archdeacon Edwabds then read the address, which was couched in the following terms :— To the Rigbt Reverend the Lord Bishop of Duuedin. We, tin undersigned clergy of the diocese of .Dunedin, have great pleasure in congratulating your Lordship on the completion of the twentyfifth year of your episcopate. We gratefully call to mind your disinterestedness in accepting a see co inadequately endowed, and the detarmiued porßeverance with which you have faced the trials and difficulties of the poaition for so long a period. We gladly bear witness to your earnest and self-denying eff -rts to advance the spiritual welfare of our church, aud we are thankful for the degree of success which God has granted to those efforts. We pray that the Great Head of the Church may grant you strength long to perform the duties of your high office. In conclusion we desire to express our high appreciation of the unfailing kindness aud tenderheartedness of Mrs Nevill, which have won for her a waim place in the hearts of all of us. Bishop Nevile, in reply, said that it afforded him the very deepest pleasure to receive the address, and he was to tender his thanks also for the exceedingly kind words used by the archdeacon in making the presentation. He was good enough to allude in his remarks to the circumstances under which he (the bishop) had accepted the bishopric of this diocese, and in the address itself he noticed that an allusion, was made to those circumstances. He could only Bay, and, perhaps, that was the frst opportunity of a public character that was afforded him of saying it, that his reason for accepting the position, difficult ashe knew it was and not possessing many worldly advantages, was simply and solely because he had always been convinced from the earliest part of his career as a clergyman, and indeed before he was a clergyman, that it was the duty of one who gave himself to the work of Christ's church to go wherever the head of that church would seem to direct. He had no doubt he was directed to come to this city, because when he first came to New Zealand he v had no thought of filling the position of Bishop of Dunedin. He was indeed introduced to this churoh and the olergy of the province by letters from the Bishop of Lichfield and Bishop Abraham. He had had an interview with those gentlemen at Lichfield, and they had asked him if he would allow himself to be aominfcted foe tho ge» at Wellington, j&ea

rendered vaoanb by the resignation of Bishop Abraham. As a oonpeqnepoe of that conversation he placed himself entirely in their hand 3to do fts they thought, fib. He said he should certuinly not send in his own name to any synod in the world, but if they liked to suggest his name to Wellington he would be led to do what appeared to be his duty in ths matter. They were informed that Bishop Hnddeld was nominated to the See, and if he declined the diocese would be in a difficulty. Iv was under those circumstances that he (the speaker) came before the church in Now Zealand. When it was afterwards found that Bishop Hadfield had accepted the position, his (Bishop Nevill's) name was passed on to the diocese of Dunedin. Thereafter he bad become their servant, and he had endeavoured whilst holding his position as bishop to do what he could in the cause of religion. He recollected well on the night of his consecration the archdeaoon was good enough to meet bira after hi? induction, when their highly-estetm'id friend Biihop Harper (the Pi-imate of New Zaaland) was present, and they had some words of a private character in the parsonage house. He recollected that, in reply to some kind words addressed to him, he expressed a hope that their relationship would be characterised by sincere aff action, and he added that he wished for his part to receive all the clergy of the diocese within his heart, and it was his earnest desire that no fault of his should interfere with an intercourse founded on love. It was vpry gratifying to him to bs able to state at this time after the yen. archdeicon's kind remark* that he had to a very large degree the affection of his brother clergy to sustain him in his work in this diocese — (Applause ) He could say to all of his d -ar brethren who were present that night that ho thought there was scarcely a clergyman who had left the diocese who had nob written to him after they left thanking him in the very warmest terms for what he had been able to do for them and for the relationship that had existed between him and them. Most of them said that they did not really kaow how much they loved their bitshop and how happy their portion wa3 in thr.ir relationship to him till they had left the diocaae. He had received such a letter bub recently from their dear friend Mr Melville, who missed very mach indeed in the great City of London the familiar inter* course between him and his bishop and the "God bless you" which alway* followed him when he left Bishopagrove —(Applause.) Mr B. C. Haggitt, chancellor of the diocese, said : I have been requested, on behalf of the laity, to present your Lordship with another address. It is in these terms : — In God's good providence it has been granted your Lordship to celebrate the completion of the twenty-fifth year of your oversight and labour within this important New Ze iland diocese. We tbink the occasion ona specially maiked to join with you in thanking God for the great mercies He has vouchsafed to yourself and to us during this_ long period, and in beseeching Him graciously to continue the same. We remember that at the time your LorJbhip assumed the episcopal function the church had not recovered from those painful discussions which had agitated it for more than two years previously. At that time, too, the rapid stream of immigration was still flowing in^o Otigo, demanding increased spiritual provision fur thosoof the Anglican Church scattered throughout' theprovinca. There were then but 10 clergymen ia charge of as few districts, two of Nyhonvre-ided in Dunedin and one in the suburb of Caversham. There Was but one clergyman— who dwelt at Tokornairiro— between Dunedin and Invercargill/ and but one between Dunedin and Oamaru— at 'Waikouaiti; Further afield — at Lawrence, Qaeenstown, and Rivertou — three clergymen held their respective curea. Three years later the change was great; there were IB clergymen, and provision existed for holding services ia no les3 than 6:J places. This was p%rtly effected by the appointment of lay readers, and by the occasional visits of the clergy to various points within their charges. It would be tiresome and certainly unnecessary to give your Lordship continued details of a progress which you vouraelf directed, but we cannot abstain from adding that at this moment thera ara 30 clergy and 50 lay readers within the diocese, and that provision is thus made for religious services in no less than 100 places. Your Lordship early saw the impossibility of holding out pecuniary inducements to English clergymen to take clerical charge in New Zealand. With a rare determination, »nd almost singlehanded, you steadily wrought to establish an institution for the training of clergymen amongst ourselves. Five years ago this bore fruit in the foundation of Salwyn College, where are now nine students, three of whom are in deacon's orders. Though you have honoured it with the name of Selwyn, you have raised this monument, to yourself.

Another long- cherished desire of your Lordship has also been realised, that of raising the mother parish church of St. Paul's to the status of a cathedral. Though this was accomplished but 18 months ago, and that, too, in the face of great difficulty; the result has been much more than was predicted, if not all that was wished. /Your Lordship's untiring zeal, emiuent ability, and constant self-sacrihce, have, under the Divine blessing, mainly contributed to effect those chauges which are so plainly visible throughout your diocese. We heartily congratulate you upon them, and desire you to accept the accompanying expressions of our esteem and goodwill. We must also express our sentiments of warm regard for Mrs Nevill, who has endeared her e^f to all who know her through her many unobtrusive acts of kindness. Of theae we need not here further speak. Throughout your labours and anxieties she has been your closest and most valued companion. That with her you may be long spared in health and all happiness to direct the concerns of your diocese is the earnest desire and prayer of your people. Accompanying this aldre3B I have also to present your Lordship with a purse oE sovereigns. It is expected of me, in presenting this address to your Lordship, to add a few words to what is written therein. I will first call your attention to the fact that the address is beautifully illuminated, and that it is bound up, together with the signatures, in handsome covers. I trust it will afford you pleasure on many occasions in the future to refer to it, and to feel assured of the individual respoct and goodwill towards yourself of each one of those who haß signed it. It would have been tedious to put into a printed address to be presented to your Lordship a re c >rd of all that your Lordship has done and attomplei for the service of the church during the 25 years of your episcopate. It is well said in the address this evening presented to you by your clergy "that they gratefully call to mind your disinterestedness in ac.cepting a See so inadequately endowed and the determined perseverance with which you have faced the trials and difficulties of the position." On behalf of the laity I assure your Lordship that they also recognise your extreme disinterestedness, your absolute unselfishness as regards all pecuniary considerations for yourself, thegrest pains you have taken, and the large amount of time and energy you have bestowed on the advancement of tho interests of your diocese. Not for your Lordship's information (for the facts must be fully within your kuowledge), but for the instruction of those who are here present, I may perhaps be allowed to compare the state of things prevailing in this diocese when your Lordship took charge of it in 1871 with the condition of things at the present moment. It was, I believe, in the beginning of June 1871 that the Bishop of Christchurch resigned his charge of this diocese. There were then nine churches only, every ona ef which has since been enlarged.

There are now 62, an increase of 43, There were then clergymen nine, there are now 29, increase 20 ; parsonages five, there are now 18, Increase 13. Fourteen sohoolhouics htve also been built during that timo. la 1871 there was no bishopric endowment ; the bishop received nothing for the first year and only £100 for the second year. There is now an endowment whioh yields £400 per aunum. In 1871 there w«s no general clergy endowment fund. There is now invested for this purpose £3300, the annual mc -ma of which is between £300 and £400. In 1871 the revenue for all church purposes amounted to £4200. For last year it amounted to £10,000. The total capitalised property of the church was then £300 ltmt on mortgage and five shareß in the Dunediu Waterwork? Company. It amounts now to £23,500. The sssefcs in the shape of church buildings were then ia value about £12,300. They now total £64,000.— (Appkusa.) In addition to this really wonderful progress considering the dfSoulties which have had to be contended with, many important institutions have been provided for the better management and security of church property, the more efficient conduct of church work and its extension, such as the incorporation of the Trust i Board, the establishment of a Theological College (the buildiugs and site costing about £5000), the procurement of a very valuable library for that 'institution, the establishment of a Bjard of Missions and of the Sauday School Union, and last, bat not least, the transfer of St. Paul's to the diocese as its cathedral and tha constitution of a chapter. Dr Hocken suggests to ms the. establishment of the Orphanage at Biehopsgrore also — (applause), — but -that I take it is your own and M-sNevili's private personal charity, a monument of the goodaes3 of both your he uti and of your personal loviog kindness to little children, but constituting no part of the church history. But for this good work that you have done, and are still doing, may Mrs Neyill and you both receive the reward of the righteous, and may the King say unto you and each of you, " Inasmuch as ye have housed and fed and clothed and cared for these the lees'; of my brethren, ye have done it unto me " — (Applause.) ' Now, sir, to your personal exertions, for the mosS part, all the progress the church has made iv this diocese is to be attribateJ. H*d it not been for you little or nothing of what has been done would have be >n done, or even attempted, and the position would in all probability have remained pretty much as it was 25 years ago. We have every reason to be grateful for what you have done for us in this diocese, and for the absolute self-denial and disinterestedness which have characterised your labours during the past 25 years. And what have we done for your Lordship in return P I have tried, and tried, and tried again to recollect something, ever so small, that we your people h-vve done for you in return for all you have done for this diocese, in order that I might mention it hereto-night ; but I am ashamed to say that I cannot call to mind one single solitary thing which is worth the mentioning, and I dou't think it is my memory that is in fault. Like tho apostles you commenced your work without purse, er scrip, or staff. You are now better off than an apostle, inasmuch as you have already a staff and a chair.— (Langtter.) Presently you will have a purse also. As I have already mentioned, for the first year of your episcopate your Lordship received nothing, for the second £100, now you receive £400 a year, and that it is so much is altogether owing to your own exertions in raising a bishopric endowment fund for the church ; bat I dare to assert that you always have given away, and still do give away, annually in charity and in assisting people who are iv difficulties, far more than you receive as income from the church. We have all heard of your recent generous offer to give up the onehalf of your income from the bishopric to I retain in the church here in Duuedin a clergyman who is exceedingly and deservedly popular with his congregation, and wbo would be willing to remain with us, but who cannot afford to do so upon the pittance he would receive. This is but an example of the disregard for money in payment tor your own valuable services which you have invariably exhibited since you became oar bishop. We <recognise that a man of your Lordship's distinguished ability has sacrificed much from a pecuniary point of view in leaving the Home country, where there would certainty have been. many openings for you to distinguish yourself and obtain high preferment in the church in order to remain bishop of a diocese where there | was nothing but hard woik to do aud next to I nothing to get for it. We cannot but recognise that nothing but devotion to the service of your Master could induce you to mike so great sacrifices. Some may say : " Oh, but there is the honour and glory of being a bishop ! " But who would be a general, a judge, or even a monarch on the same terms P Your Lordship's unselfishness and self-sacrifice have been th» meaus of establishing this diocese and of rendering its future maintenance possible, if not ceitain. I will only say, in conclusion, that we all devoutly hope that your Lordship may live to preside over this diocese for another 25 years — (applause), — and that long before that period has expired a return of prosperous , times may, render it easy tor your people to assist you with your various endowment funds as they ought to do, and that when prosperity does come to any of them they may recollect the source from which alone it oan come, and not neglect to apply a reasonable proportion ef their riches to the service of the church. My Lord, I beg most heartily to congratulate you on the completion of the twenty -filth year of your labours as the bishop of this diocese, aud to hind you this testimonial and purse. — (Loud and continued applause ) The address presented by Mr Haggitt was beautifully illuminated, and had about 4000 signatures attached to it, the address and signatures being bound up in book form. Bishop Nevill, in acknowledging the presentation, said it wai quite impossible for him to find terms to adequately express the appreciation that he felt for the warmth of the greet* ings which had been extended to him in the address just presented to him. He cou'd never have imagined when he was informed that something of the character of an address was going to be presented to him at the end of his 25 years' episcopal work that the terms in which Mr Haggitt had referred to him would have sounded in his ears. The warmth and sincerity of those expressions that had been used that night were ample repayment for anything he had been permitted to do. He felt that it was now really only beginning his work amongst the members of the diocese. He had been sometimes charged with leaning more to the clergy than to the lay members of the church ; and, perhaps, of considering the clergy at the expanse of the laity sometimes. If such a thing could be said of him he should, perhaps, find an excuse, in the fact that ho had felt it to be bis dnty to stand up for what appeared to him to be the weaker side. Now that the opportunity was presented to him by the loving address which he had received from the lay brethren, he wished to say that his whole heart had been open to them, and if he had not been as fully understood by them ac he had wished to be he could assure them that ib was because in the multitude of his engagements and his frequent absences from home

he had not been able to penon&liy oultivate thf aoquaint&noaa of so many of the dear brethren of the laity as he should like to have done. H§ felt sure tlut such gatherings as the present would do a great deal to alter anything that might be wanting in that respecb. — (Applause.) Whilst fully acknowledging the kindness of Mr Haggitt in alluding to his past labours ia the manner tht>t he had done, be (the speaker) wanted to say that he did not wish to take the credit to anything like the extent that had been attributed to him for what had; been accomplished in the diocese. It was quits manifest that however one^» man mgh 1 : work or exert himself he 'could noB have done what w&a represented by the statistics that had bean pkced before them thiti night by Mr Hajfgitt, unless he had received a very large measure of support from the lay members of ths churoh. He, therefore, wanted to s»y that he was deeply grateful to those who had aided him in the work that had been acsouiplUhed in the diocese. He had bean a leader it was true, and had tried to lead in the right direction, but a leader without a following in a battle was of no .use, or in any other undertaking. Consciously' or unconsciously a great dual of the work had coma from ths lay members of the church, and he trusted that if it pleased Providenoa to bless them in tho future with a larger amouot of property ' thau in the immediate past they hjd enjoyed, the sketch which had been made somewhat in outline of the diocese nyght be filled up, and those institutions which wera set on foot might; ba es'ablishdd on a firm basis, and there might be solidarity where now there was only the frame work of the building.— (Applause.) He was exceedingly grateful to Mr H*gg'tt for his very kind remarks ; and ho oonld oaly inadequately express the sense of obligation that ho felt for the presentation, which he would value deeply as a testimony of the esteem in which he was held by his people. Ha could not sit down without acknowledging the kind expressions made use of by the archdeacon on behalf of the clergy and by the ohancellor on behalf of the laity in reference to Mrs Nevill. He could only say at that moment that he could not have done, what he had been able to do had ibnot been for her.— (Loud applause.) Mr Hardy said some of their friends who formeily residid in Dunedin, but were now liviog in Wellington, had not forgotteu his Lordship, and dcs-red to participate in the congratulations upon the present occasion. With that object iv view they had had prepared a beautifully illutnimtod address, which read as follows :— _ „ Wellington. June 1898. To Samuel Tarratt, D.D., Lord Biohop ot Dunedin Right Rev. Sir,— We, the undersigned former residents of Otago, desire to congratulate you oa the attafnmant of your nilver jubilea as head of the Anglican community in the southernmost diocese of New Zealand. Apart from a religious standpoint, we also take this opportunity to record our appreciation of the zeal aud practical sympathy you have always shown in connection with various scientific, philanthropic, and other aoci*l organisations during the past quartor of a century, and hope that your influence may be as effective In tne future as it has been in the past. Wishing your Lordship and Mrs Novill a lons' continuance in your present sphere and the enjoy meat of good health,— We are, yours very truly, Robert Stout, Jamsa Ashcrofr, F. J. Wilson, Ch»s S. Owen, Thomas Bai-mby, F. Shaw, M. 6. Young, Alex. Low, R. Brfty, 11. C. Young 1 , P. E. Fulton, Wm. Baumber, Richard Coffey, J. E. Dennhton, H.M ackenzie, J. B. Griffen, Fred G. Odell, Arnold B. Williams. D'Arcj Ha&gitf juu., H. F. Allan, S. P. Curtis, G. F. Richardson, Herbert Crowther. Morton Driver, W. J. Wyatt. Hugh Wright, Henry Howattb, T. H. Laganv, tieo. T. Bell. Andrew G. King Henry W. 11. Millais, James Pfeadorgnat, Joseph Lachraan, W. Morley, W. B. Edwards, Alfred • H. Miles, Theo. H. Ritchey, Forester W. Styles, Chaa. Bdrgh, D. G. Mainwaring, and W. B. Fisher. After reeding the address, Mr Hardy said ths Mayor of Wfliington had forwarded it to the Mayor of Dunedin to present upon the present. occasion ; but »« his Worship was very unwell, and' unable to a'.tsad ■ the gathering that night, he had asked him (Mr Hardy) as a member of the City Council to present the address. He, therefore, had much pleasure in doing so. B ; shop Nevill said that he had very much pleasure indued in receiving tbis address coming from his dear friends, some of whom were no longer amongst them, and who had jo kindly testified to their pleasant recollection of Dunedin. He had noticed amongst the numes in the address those of coins who were not members of his commnnion. As Mr Hardyhad said, it was intended tbat hi» Worship the Mayor should present this address ; and as they knew Mr Wales was nob a member of the English Church, he took that opportunity of saying , that, while his heart; went warmly to tho brethren of the denomination to whioh he belonged, he had always re-r celved the kindliest sympathy from other* who were not of them. On many occasions he had! been stopped on the street by members of the Presbyterian Churoh, who had »pokea to him of matters whioh happened to be on the public mind, and mostly kindly expression had been made by them as to the work in which he was engaged in connection with his church. More than once it had been said to him both in writing and by word of mouth tbat he was more appreciated by the member* of the Presbyterian Cfiurch than by those of his own. (Laughter.) And while, of course, he could not a'lotv there was anything in such an assertion, he accepted it as evidence of the kindly feeling towards him of those wbo belonged to other communions. He euteitxined feelings of deepest gratitude for the terms expressed in the addresses concerning him and for the reception he bad received at their hands, and he trusted by the blessing of God that by his acts in the future he would show what he endeavoured that i<ight to express in words. An allufcion had been made to his interest in scientific matters and philanthropic organisations. He had always felt that the great; demands made oj his time, and the short handed condition in which the churoh was at the present time, demanded from him self-denial in respect of having the happiness of taking part in many artistic and gc : entifio tooieties and of taking part in innocent soojal engagements in whioh he would have been greatly pleased to participate. He wished to take tbat opportunity of thanking the members of other communions and organisations generally who had so often extended to him kindness and the light hand of fellowship. — (Applause.) During the evening refreshments were dispensed, and a programme of musical selections was gone through under the supervision of Mr W. E. Taylor, who also played the accompaniments. Those who contributed items were s— Misses Treseder (2), Moiely, Robinson, Blacke, Meisrs Bray and Lilly.

Jane Breeze w»b fined 20s and costs by the B.M. at Auckland on Saturday for transacting business on Sunday in view of a public place.

Never neglect a Cough— it's a mistake. On first symptoms go to your Grocer or Chemist and get a bottle of Woods's Gbeat PjzpfbbMSK Cube ; ib is only Is 6d or 2s 6d,