THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2287, 30 December 1897, Page 24

THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS.

Beautiful weiither prevailed on Christmas D^y, when a Sunday calm aud restf ulness was observable in the city. On Sunday a strong S.W. gale prevailed, rasing clouds of dust and rendering, the day a very disagreeable oue. Yesterday some showeis Ml in tUo morning, but the rest of the dnv was fine, and as the gala had moder* ed to a stiff brec-ze many were tempted to t'-ika a run into the country, whils picnics were largely indulged in.

CHRISTMAS DAY AT PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS,

Christmas Day at the Dunedin Hospital was m?de as bright and cheerful as possible for the patients. The wards had been nicely decorated with flowers by the nui&es, who del'ghtejd the inmates by singing a number of Christmas carols to them both in the rooming and again in the afternoon A number t-f donations weie forwarded to the institution by friends and sympathisers of the patients, who were supplied with a dinner suited to their several requirements, all the luxuries of the season in the way of cdibk-s being provided for the occashn. Two metnbe s e.f the medical staff weie p:esent during tho dinner hour, and also the following trustees :— Messis P. Miller (chairman), S. S. Myers, f»nd J N. Brown. The hospital nnd grounds were visited during the afternoon by a large number of the general public, who appeared to be gieatly pleased with whit they saw.

The inmates of I he Benevolent Institution were given every opportunity to enjoy themselves in a quiet way on Uhtit-tmas Day. There are at present 230 men and 60 women in the institution, anil of these 170 men and 40 women sat down at the Reneval tables io a liberal (JhrUtm-is dinner, the laige dining halls set apirfc for each sex being ueiitly decorated for the occasion. The inmates of the hos>pital \vaid-> and others no' able to get to the big tables were first attended to. The trustees were represented by Mr A. Solomon (chairman) aud Mr Colin Allan ; and Dr Cl'^s, the medical e>fficer of tbe institution, was alto present. The wards, the ground 0 , and the general suiri»undings of the esl iblif-hmeut, alvyay3 neat and clean, presented on this occa-ion quite a cheerful appearance, aud all concerned — the officials, the inmate"," the trusleep, ami the vUiting public — have reis 11 to appreciate the way in which the management carried out their responsibilities on the festive occasion

As usual, the Anglican cbildien at the Industrial School' attended church 6n the" morning of, Christmas Day; and on their return the bugle sound announced that the event of the day — Christmas dinner — was ready. Eighty chi dren sat down and did ample jnstice to the.good fare— geese, ham, plum pudding, fruit, and cordialsprovided. Tbe afien.oou was spent in various sui able amusements, and after a tua of cako, fruit, and lolllies given to .the little ones, more amusements kept all enjoyed till bed 111116. The manager wish's to take the oppoitunity of thanking all the kind friends who have by donations enabled him to carry out Ihe UMial ' hrislmas pragraiurne of pleasure and good cheer.

SEA3IB.V.S CHRISTMAS GATHERINO.

The annual gathering (tv.tnty fl.urM>)tookplacef I .urM>)tookplace on Saturday night at tli-s OboralHall. Thu hall had beeu nicely decorated during the day by several seamen and woikeis in connection with the Sailors' Rest. Home 18 tables, liberally spread with gooi thinK«, were pre-Med over by Mesdames Lindsay Maclcie, KirUland, Black, li'glis, Dicker, Mirams, Lawrence Cook, M'Carter, and Misses Torrance, Roy, M'lvor, Graves, Hall, Heycock, Miratns, Mickie, and others, aati.-itcd by numerous young Isvly hel erA. Afccr tea Mr A. R. Falconer (sailors' missionary) p-esidod, aud the meeting was opening with prav«r by the Rev. A. Todd. Cjptaiu Neville (s.a. Waihor^) then gave a very interesting address followed by the Rsv. David O'OonneU, the well-known Australian evangelist, and Mr William Ings, of Forbuty. A number of ministers of the Gospel were pr- sent, while several sent kindly words of encouragement. Christian workers from most of the town churches were also pee ent to show their sympathy with the work earned on amongst our sailor visitors. During the evening each seaman received a neat little bag containing Bible, hymn book, &c. Tlia hnlt was quite full, and the meeting closed at half-past 9 with prayer by Mr A. H. lleycock.

CHURCH SERVICES

Oa Christmas Diy h -ly communion was celebrated at Rt. Paul's Oatht-dral at ti, 7, and 8 o'clock in the morning by the Yen. Archdeacon | Kobiusoa, and matibs were liuld at 10 o'clock, the | preacher being tbe Rev. Mr Brooks. At 11 o'clock holy romnnnron was again &■ ministered by Bishop Nevill and Archdc-acon Ilobin3on, and ac vespers the preacher was Archdeacon Robinson. There was a very large congregation in tbe morning and also at the evening service, and there were about 200 communicants at the communiou services. The church was very handFomely decorated with flowers and foliflge— Hie pulpit, font, and chancrl being in particular beautifully dressed— to mark the occasion. Tbe choir Tendered tbe music veiy effectively, and MiTaylor presided at the organ. At All Saints on Christmas Da.y there were an early celebration of the holy communioD, matins at 11 a.m. and evensong at 7.30 p.m , the latter service beinjr followed by a rendering of «tlie firit part of "Tlie McssLh," conducted by MiHarold Brooke, whose beat was at times a trifle slow. '1 he choruses were fairly well sung by an augmented choir, and tbe bulk of the solosi were admirably rendered. Mrs Manson's singing of "Rejoice greatly" afforded great enjoyment. Miss Ij. Treseder's rendering of "O Thou that telledt' was very creditable, and Mr H. B. Kmith gave a good account of himself in " B it who may abide." Mrs Hawcridge and Mis-> Platts were hardly equal to tbe tnsk assigned to th<-m, but Mr J. Hagfritt's singiug of "The people that walked in darkness" was decidedly promising, and Mr A. Wright gave the tenor solos effectively. An orchestra led by Mr Nottingham assisted in the production, but the heat in the chinch led to occasional snappiog of strings, and to th's cause was perhaps also ascribablc the fact that "the instruments ' started the Pastoral Symphony badly out of tune, and that usuaHy most enjoyable number suffered from that reason, and al-so to some extent from the slowness with which it was taken. Mr A. J. Bith officiated ably at the. orcan, and played as an offertorium the barcarolle from Steraclale Bennett's piano cope -rto prior to the choir singing tbe " Hallelujah." chorus. On Sunday tho Rev. W. H. Browne preached at the forenoon service and the Very Rev. Dean Fitchett in the evening 1 , when the choir sang a few carols. On Christmas Day at St. Matthew's Church theve were celebrations of the holy communion at 7, 8, and 0 a.m., the celebrant being the Rev. W. Curzon-Siggers, who was assisted by the Rev. H. S Leach. Matins were also said at 0.30 a.m.,. and ihere was a full choral service at 11. At the last-mentioned service the Rev. W. CurzonSiggers gave a brief address appropriate to the season, aud a number of Christmas feymus were sung. The organist, Mr A. W. Lilly, played a selection of hymns during the communion, and also the " Hallelujah " chorus asan outgoirg voluntary. In the evening theie was a carol service, and the choir, which was largely augmented by a number of members of the congregation, sang several new carols, under the conductorship of Mr Ibbotson. " It came upon the midnight clear " w»»

also rendered as a. quartet by iresdames Bowling and Cuvzou-SiKgers, Miss Farquhar, Memo Wilkinson and Ibbotson. During the offertory Me Lilly played an off ertoire ontwo Chris turns themes^ by Guilmant. There were 220 communicants at the services during the day, and the offertories amounted to £91 13s. The font, pulpit* chancel of the church, it should be stated^ were nicely decorated with flowers and evergreens,, and the dossil and sanctuary hangings, which wera of white of white silk, were an anonymous gift to the church. A Christmas service was held in Trinity Wesleyan Church on Sunday, when the Rev. J. J. Lewis occupied the pulpit. The offertory was in aid of the poor of the congregation, and there was a large attendance. The Rev. J. .7. Lewis preached an appropriate sermon from the text, "Aud let all the angels of God worship Biro." The choir under the leadership of Mr Mauson led the congregational singing, and also rendered the anthem " O come, all ye faithful." The choir also gave in an acceptable manner si number of carols as follow : — " Merry Christmas," "As in the still night" (solo by Miss X Shepard), " It c-me upoi the midnight clear" (solo by Misa Sinclair), " Star of faith," "Arise, ari^e," " Hear ye now" (solo by Miss Gilmore), " Wenceslaa '* (solos by Bliss Shepard and Mr Scott), and " First Nowell " (solo by Miss Rawley). Miss K. Shepard nlso .«aug the solo " Star of Bethlehem." Miss A~ Oliver presided at the orean, and as an outgoing voluntary played the "Hallelujah" from "The Mi-ssiah." ' At Hauove-r street Baptise 'Church on Sunday foranoon the Rev. A. N'rt-th preachod a Special' sermos. The rails fronting 'the pulpit wera tastefully decorated, and special hymns w.cro . sung. Taking for his text tbV first verse of the sixth chapter of Kphesian's— " Children, obeyy&ur parents in the 1 ord-; for th"is is right" — tha pieacher referred to the importance of a pure and wholesome family life, lie said a light shone through the home where Jesus lived, and a home such as His was more closely akin to H^avun than anything else which this world could show. "Me North then dwelt at come length on the Importance of children obeying and honouring their pa-ants, and of parents enforcing obedience from their children. The three services held at St. Pbter'a oa Christmas D;vy were conducted by Canon, King. There were 8L c-mmunicants at the 7 a.m. celebration aud •35 at the 11 o'clo k service. Evening prayer was read at 5 o'clock The attendance at those boura *> was up 10 expectations. To Mr A. Fleet (choirmaster) and Mis 3 Favell (organiit) the acknowledgments of the congregation arj due for the adequate carrying out of the musical portion of the sorvices. J'he church was tastefully decovattd with greenery and flowers. • The services at St. Joseph's Cathedral on Christmas Day were in keeping with the joyousnesa of the fc-livul. At the high mass, which was celebrated at 11 a.m., the choir rendered, for the first time iv this colony, Beethoven's great Mass in C, with the exception of the third movement. The choir have benn prac'ising the work as-idnously foi- (he past six months, with the exception of the erf do movement., and had nia'le themselves familiar with the music. The undertaking was cer.ainly an ambitious one for an ordinary church, rhoir, but, on the whole, the vocalists of St. Joseph'a can fairly bB congratulated, the great classical mass being produced in a manner worthy of the occasion. The orchestral portion of the wmk was in-cipreted by a numerous band of instiumentalibts, led by Mr A. T Nottingham. Mr Ward conducted, and Mr Albert Vallisi, the cahhorir.il organist, presided at the instrument. Tho credo movement wastaken from Mozart's Mass No. 12. 'J'he solos were entrusted to Miss Rose Blaney (soprano), Miss JJI. DrumnV (alto),' Mr* E. Jflagai (tenor), and Messrs J. J." Woods and Jame3" Jago (bass). His Lordship the Bishop preached. MtSCKLTANEOUS. ' * On Chrirttmas T)ay the Tnverrargill and OneloW ran trips d'>wn tbe harbour, and as the weathet was beautiful "they were crowde'l. "Kesteiday morning both steamers were again we'l patronised, and ihe Waibora, which left for Oamaru, carried a lavgd number of passengers. The Icotorua, which wns announreil for a trip outside the hervis, did not start, as ihe weather was not too inviting. On Christmas Day the beach at St. Clair waa thronged with visitors, and large_ nurubars of tbese ii*Beinl>led t>i listen 10 the music or^ the Dunedin Engineers' Band, which occupieel the encloRuie opposite the Hotel Metropole, and played a lengthy programme of fcelections in a thorouehly enjoyable manner. The rhildren attending the Port Cbalm_erß Presbyterian Church held their annual picnic on the Quarantine Inland on Clmslmis Day. At Holy Trisily Church, Port Chalmers, a , carol service on Ohri&tmaa Eve attract d a good congregation The services on Christmas Day wera of the umal fcstivnl ord..r, and were well attended The church lo.iktd very attractive with its decor .-tions. The altar, which was suitably draped, and hail many vases of white flowers and h!urlßome bouquets placed above and upon it, looked particularly striking, at evensong, with, its many c.indles amidst tho fljwers. The font, choir stalls, pulpifc, and lecte-rn were hidden in ma-yes of evergreen and lovely floweis. The ritual and tmimc wore in keeping with the character of the festival. The anthem in the morning ("We have seen His star in the East") and that 'at evensong (" Urtuk forth into joy "), with v their respective solo parti, were ably and effectively rendered by an efficient choir. The offertorium Was tastefully sung by Mrs Kennedy, a former member of ths church choir, who has recently returned from Johannesburg. The care and cultivation which marked tho character of the day's services re'lected great credit on the church choir and. Miss Lees, its able organist. The church was well filled at both the services; and Ihe communicants showed an increase. The Rev, F. C. Platts, the vicar, was the preacher.

Wellington.— A southerly buster came-up early on Sunday night and the bitterly cold wind proved a trying contrast to the excessive heat which had prevailed dm ing the preceding two or three days. Rain fell heavily during the night and part of the morning, bub cleared off ab;ut raidd*y, aud the afternoon turned out bright, although a cold wind still pravailed. The unfortunate turn in, the weather interfered largely with, excursions and picnics, but 800 people faced the elements and went on a marine excuision to Picton in the Rotomahana. A fair number of excursionists patronised the early trains to the country, but the traffic would have been very much heavier had the weather kept up. The raiD, however, should do a great amount of good, as it was badly wanted. The wind is backing up strongly again from south to-night, and more rain is threatenir>g. Nelson.— The holidays passed off pleasantly here, a good many visitors being in Nelson. The interprovincial cricket match Marlborough v. Nelion was won by the latter with ODe inning 3 and 12 runs to spare. The athletic sports at Wakefield to-day attracted large numbers. This morning a remarkable southerly squall was experienced for about two hours. Hail fell in town, and it became very coM. On the mountains close by there was snow. The afternoon was beautiful. The lawn tennis tournament was started. ChristchurCH.— The crowds in the streets on Christmas Eve were unusually large. Rain fell all Sunday night, and to-day a gale- of wind waß bio w ing. Sydney.— The weather was fine and cool foe Christmas. — __ .