THE RELIGIOUS COLUMN.

Otago Witness, Issue 2275, 7 October 1897, Page 53

THE RELIGIOUS COLUMN.

• . ' The Rev. James Duncan, of Foxton, the oldest minister in the Presbyterian Church in the colony, who lias just, at the eighfcy-flfrh year of his age, completed the fifty-fifth year of his service in the church, has resigned his charge. • . ' Rev, W. L. Watkinson, the new president of the Wesleyan Conference, was born under the shadow cf the church, for hia father was chapel-kfeper at Kingston Chapel, Hull. It happened that it was at the Hull Conference of 1883 that the future president was eltctcd to the Legal Hundred, and in acknowledging the honour be said, " Tho last time I went into Kingston Chapel, till last night, was when I used to go round with my father on Saturday n'ghts to help to dnst the pews for Sunday." • . * His Holiness Pope Leo XIJT, is preparing instruction upon certain reforms, which will include the abolition of femnle voices from liturgical services. Instrumental music meets with the Pope's approval. He consider', however, that it ought to be limited to the barp and gentler wind inbtruments, the violin being discarded &s feusual and profane. English Roman Catholics will be eorry to hear that theic time-honcured comro era, Mcz*rt and H«d?n, ar« not in the g od books of the Vatican.

• . •An interesting misMonsry lecture entitled "Daybreak in Darkest Africa ; or, the Thrilling Life Story of RoberS Hoffafc,"' was delivered by Pastor F. W. Boixham, of Mosjciel, on Thursday evening in the Kaikorai Baptist Church. The lecturer introduced the missionary learning at his mother's fireside, and after giving an account of his conversion, and his accej tanco for work in Africa by the London Missionary Society, 6poke of Robert Mi-ffat's devotion to his work, and the loving respect in which he was held by those among whom he laboured duriug his 50 yeara' missionary career. A voto of thanks was accorded to the lecturer and the chairman (the Rev. R. R. M. Sutherland).

.•. "Presbyterian" writes in the Daily Times: — "The paragraph among your locals in last Friday's issue referring io returns from presbyteries on the proposed union basis is cot quite correct, inasmuch as it is a fact that all the congregations of the Dunstan Presbytery are distinctly opposed to the abolition of the Synod of Otago aud Southland. Neither is it correct to say that all the congregations and members in the other presbyteries are in favour of the basis. There are sessions and many members throughout all the other prefbyteries entirely opposed to the abolition of the Otago Synod, which is the crux of the whole queetion. The relative number of members quoted in the paragraph alluded to is therefore quite misleading " ,

' . • Plans, which with the exception of a few details have been approved by Bishop Verdon, have been prepared by Mr F. W. Petre, engineer and architect, for the construction of a hall in connection with St. Joseph's Cathedral. The building, which 'will be a two-atorey one, will be built of brick and stone snd will be oH somewhat extensive dimensions. The main hall will be in the jpper storey, and will provide seating accommodation for about 1000. persons. On the main floor there •will be a library hall, gymnasium, tea buffet and refreshment rooms, committee rooms, &c. Provision will also be made for living rooms for a caretaker and probably a. coachman. The bishop's stables were also to be attached, but ib is understood this portion of the plan is subject to alteration. The building will be erected just below the bishop's residence. • . • The Rev. J. B, Newell, for 17 years one of

the missionaries representing the London Missionary Society in Samoa, arrived in Dunedin on Thursday, and h&s, together with the Rsv. R. Baron, F.L.S , F.G.S , who has been for 25 ' years labouring as cn9 of the agents of tbe society in Madagascar, been conducting during the "week a series of meetings in Dunedin and suburbs. Perhaps no better authority ou the outlook of affairs in Madagascar would be found than tbe Rev. R. Baron, who has been so long labouring in that country, acd Irs addressee will be listened to with peculiar interest at this present crisis in its history. The annexation of the island of S^moa to New Zealand has been discussed more than once upon the floor of tho House of Representatives, so that ia addition to the interest that always attaches itself to the mission work so long carried on wiih astonishing sacc(S3 amongst those islands, their very proximity to our own colony should intensify the interest in tbe story.

• . * First Church was very largely attended on Sunday morning, -when the Rev. J. E Newell g«ve a discoutsa. He took his text fivm the necond chapter of Isaiah and the fifth verse. He referred ab length to the "■ work done in Samoa during tha 17 yeara Le had beeu there, and to the manner in which the Gospt-1 bad been spread amoDg the islands ot the Samoan group from the time they were first taken in baud by the Rev. John Williams. As before stated, tbe congregation was a large one, and' tbe surplus over and above the ordinary church collection (which was to ba devoted to the London Misisionary Society) mufct have been considerable.

Oa Sunday evening tho Rev. Mr Newell preached in the Choral Hall to a large congregation, his subject being "My Fellow Labourers." Ho gave a very interesting account of the work of the Samoan native teachers, and aleo of their training. He referred to the fact that he was tutor to 108 students, and that aboui 1000 native teachtrs had been sent out since the establishment of the mission in 1844. Mr Newell also gave an interesting description of the induutrial training of the nativrs. The collection which was taken up was in aid of the mission fund.

• . • A series of services in connection with tho visit of the Rev. R. Baron, from Madagascar, and the Rev. J. B. Newell, from Samoa, both of whom are missionaries of the London Missiouary Society, was commenced on Sunday in the city churches. The" former occupied the pulpit at the Moray p'aee Congregational Church in the morning, and in tbe evening he appeared at First Church. On both occasions he gave an address with regard to the present; condition of things in Madagascar iv relation to missionary work there. He pointed out that the chief difficulties the missionaries had to contend against were the native rebellion and the interference of the Jesuit priests, who had entered upon a career of intrigue aud intolerance, terrorism, and persecution, which were a positive disgrace to this nineteenth century. But despits the difficulties, Mr Baron said the missionaries had souio grounds for encouragement and hopefulDees as regard* the future. In the firft place, the people of Madagascar bad an open Biblf, which was vtry widely r,ead by them, and ib seemed to him tbab neither heathenism nor Roman Catholicism could nourish very well in countries where the people had an open B:b'.e, and were givtn to reading their Bible. Among other grounds for encouragement menl'oned by Mr Baron was the fact that the majority of the people of tbe island remained faithful to the Protestant religion. In the afternoon the Rev. Mr B»ron and the Rev. Me Newell addressed a large gathering of Sunday school children at Kaox Church. The former give the young folks some idea of the condiriou of Madagascar before the advt-nb of tbe missionaries, and then referred to the chango tbat had been effected by missionary enterprise, 'ihe Key. Mr Newell gave an address relative to miesionary work in Samoa, and also sang some hymns in the native lauguage.

AN AERIA.L PHANTOM.

BY A J3A.SKKR.

Amongst the strangest of all natural phenomena may be included that remarkable optical effect known as (he mirage, or Fata morgana. The cause which produces this singular and somewhat rare spectacle is at present but impeifectly understood ; it is howevtr assumed' that an aqueous condition of the atmosphere must exist {.uffiriently dense as to form a forb of mirror, more or Ic-s concave, upon which the objects in the vicinity are reflfCed and magnified, the apparent tff-cb being that they are brought apprtc ; ably nearer to the beholder. TLe writer has on two occasions bsen fortunate in ■witnessing Jh'fl phenomenon in the South of England. A considerable number of ships were sailing on the fcoriz jn, when gradually a most extraordinary appearance presented itself, for over each vessel appeared an inverted duplicate, a veritable phantom eh'p, the top of the mainmast restiDg upon the corresponding part of the real ship. As the vessel tacked, co the course of the phantcm was altered ; as a sail was lowered, so the phantom sailors, standing- on thtir beads, lowered a phantom sail, every movement of the real mid substantial vessel being exactly imitated by its spectral companion ; the one, however, being apparently equally real and solid as the other. Every vessel in sight had its double, fallowing it about overhead as a living nightmare ; every sailer on deck had an inverted ghoafc, who copied his every movement with exact precision ; if he ran up the ratlines the sp?ctre ran down to meet him, returning upwards to his overhanging deck when the living sailor descended. If he saluted his superior officer the spectre did the same at the same moment, as if the two were animated by tb.B same power. After a time all this vanished away, and^

Ijiko tbe buselpss fabric of a vision, Left not a wraith behind. Occasionally this phenomenon is observed to invert high in air objects far below the horizon, bringing them within the range of vision of an observer situated far beyond the natural rang-}. In this way some of Sir John Franklin's ships were discovered ; and in the English Channel, Dieppe has beeu seen from Djver, even tho fiahiog boats in the harbour, the buildings, and the different colour of the land on tho heights beiug also visible. Of course, this was ordinarily quite ouu of sight, being below tbe horizon.

This form of mirage occasionally happens in the desert ia a most tantalising manner, for the weary traveller sees, a short distance in front of him, a beautiful oasis ; palms waving in a, refreshing breize, •which he feels not in the parching, sultry, benvy a : r ; green grass on which be hopes to regale his exhausted camels, pools of delicious water rippling in the moving air, to which he hurries ou in ord^r to assuago his burning thirst, and to bathe his heated and weary limbs. Eagerly he presses forward, impetuous for a draught of that cool and grateful liquid, when to his dismay and hopeless despair he finds that ib was all but a tantalising illusion, which has faded away into nothing, dasbiugall his hopes of pleasure to the ground, and leaving him to pled his weary way over the hot, burning sand. And do nob very many of us in our pursuit of pleasure exactly repeat this traveller's experience, and find that the pleasure we had been eagerly pursuing, to the eternal ruin of soul and body, was bub an'ia6ubetanbial mirage, which eluded our ardent grasp, and left us a pantiog and exhausted wreck, ruined both for this world and for the next ? But there are pleasures, solid and lasting pleasures, so ecstatic that tbe miod of man is incapable even of conceiving their overwhelming glory, which are accessible to all who care to possess them. And the only way to secure an inheritance to those pleasures i« to "Fear God, and keep His commandments," the atonement made once for all by the Saviour of the world being a sure' and absolute passport to all who will but accept it.