PATER'S CHATS WITH THE

Otago Witness, Issue 2300, 31 March 1898, Page 57

PATER'S CHATS WITH THE

Otago's Jubilee. This looked-for celebration has cotne and gone, and I am sure you wou'fc mind' a word or two from me again on the subject. Why, it wpuld seem out of- place to write on anything else. As you will see elsewhere, Wednesday's celebrations were commences by services commencing at 9 15 and lasting until about 11. Three churches shared the honour — First Church, Trinity Wepleyaa Cbnicta, and Koox Church. The official celebration maj be said to have taken place at First Church, i for there were the Moderator, most of the i Presbyterian clergy, mosb of the real Old j Identities surviving, and the representatives j of the Presbyterian churches outside Otago, | these eomirg from Victoria and as fsr as Saonland itself. The Governor attended Kixox Church, perhaps es an act of courtesy to (.ho Mayor, who is identified with it ; while afc ifc and Trinity churcb, Presbyterian*, Baptists, Wesleyaae, and Congregationalists took active part in the services, and showed I that unity in feeliog and aim tbat characS terises what might be called by the Episccri palians the Nonconformists, bub what by • Nonconformists is called the Evangelical?, a , word covering all Protestants outside of the Church of England. .1 attended the one held in the First Church. Aa we entered we were given a booklet containing the Order o£ Sarvjce and ths hyinna in full. I tried fco get two; but no ! one to be given to every I actual atiendor, but. no more, nor to aayor.e else. Of course the church was* crowdedaisles, passages?, steps, and stairs. Punctually to time the church officer entered and cried, " Moderator," and as tha Moderator entered all stood, until by a stately bow the Moderator returned the recognition. The proceedings opened with Psalm 100 to the tune " Old Hundredth," the verses being sung in unison and harmony alternately. After | prayer earns Psalm 145, second version, to I the tune " Meloombe," and this was followed j by the reading of two Scripture lessons — i Paaim 103 and Ephesians i, 15-23. While : ihe collection was being taken up the choir i BRXig "Sicg, O heavens." Aftes: that we had the Rev. Mr CMaholm's address, aad a very sblo prayer by the Rev. Dr Watt. Hymn I 803 followed, verse ona iv unison, second by | men only, and third by all voices in harmony. j The Rev. Mr Gibb then gave a sermon, and iwe all again sang ; this time Hymn 15, three first, verses and the l&sfc ia unison, and the I fourtn by females. [ Never before, I fitiick, have I listened to | such massive singing. The massive basses I punctuated wifch empbasis and intense feelf ing. I have listened before to fine volumes | of sound the result of training, but never j before io singing intensified by so much i religious feeling and solemn enthusiasm. ' No one with any sympathy for the event 1 that was being celebrated could help being imbued with the pervadicg spirit. In one respect hardly again anywhere in the British dominions will a jubilee be celebrated under similar circumstances. The Puritan element entered strongly into the settlement of the province, and that element showed itself iv the service. Many a patriarchal face — aye, and youthful too — showed eyes that blinked oftener than usual or were i reddened by nibbing. Yet Scotchmen are i not over-forwaid in showing their feelings. I There was Mr Adam, o£ Bon Accord, the i first precentor ; there, too, were ths five ; daughters, now middle-aged women, of Dr ; Burns, the first minister ; and almosfc under | the pulpit sat Mr M'Caw, d minutive and j : bowed with his 85 years, and by him his tall ' ' stalwart soa, standing fnlly 6ft in his sock?, 1 and himself old enough to be a grandfather. What were the thoughts of these and others? Though they may have come out for what men call treasure, but what the gods call j dross, yet there was a strong religious backjng. Were they thinking of the Disruption j with bitterness ? As they looked back through and beyond the half century, did j memories pleasing rise before them, or did they see a gallery of their departed comrades and of those near and dear who had fallen by the way ? Did they regret having taken a part in the founding of a new colony, or did they look into the future and ccc a strong ! nation in these southern islands — a nation j tracing descent from them and the other pioneers in the neighbouring provinces 2 What were their thoughts 1 Why don't some of the remaining few write their biographies, and tell us what they have thought | and now think 1 j In looking round I saw many young faces, and wondered bow many of them would see the Centenary celebrated in tbe same building. A hundred or two present will no doubt live through another jubilee period ; but how many will be in Dunedin 1 There is one thing: those celebrating the Centenary won't be able to look back with pride on years of hardship and primitive simplicity. The difficulties of colonisation are now overcome, and nothing remains but to carry on the work so ably begun. THE PEOCESSIOK naturally follows the service. I was reckless enough to get on the roof of a business premises in Princes street, and from that coign of vantage gob a good view. Robin Hood's merry men locked fine, and the lads in the same dress looked bonnie; and the Highlaßderj &fldj>iJitt J»taP,tees bringing ttn {foe.

I rear formed a very inspiriting spectacle. The tableaux were w«H got up, and the I music discoursed by the Invercargill Pipers | was extremely sweet and good. I had an j idea that a band of pipers would be excru1 ciating, bub I have changed my opinion. And the Pipe-major was simply" immense. He wasn't so handj with his staff as the Dunedin Pipe-major, but he was every inch a Highlander. Bub there was one part I was very disappointed with. I thought it miserably mean of us and humiliating to the Old Identities jto ask them to walk. Physically it ought i not to have been expected of them ; and as j some were able to provide carriages and I others not, a distinction was drawn tbat ■ should have been avoided. However, they ! trudged along manfully — and womanfully too, for women were also in the procession — and they looked • happy and pardonably proud. Perhaps, coming fiom a warmer clime, my blood is a little warmer than if born in Ofcago, bub I could not help thinking that the Old Identities did not get th£.t la6ty cheering they deserved. Bat Daaedin people are nob too demonstrative. The Rev. Mr Gibb said that Scotch folk were sagacious, | solid, aad purposeful — and they are ; but a i little more democstrativeness would be help- ! ful sometimes, and relieve the general solidity of character.- But we cau'fc have everything ; and, after all, what better mixture can you have_than that formed by a nation having as ita complements English, Scotch, and Irish, ! each bringing its own characteristics ? j Now I think 1 have done enough moralis- | sig for oi'ice, and must gefc seriously to work ! sig&in, hnt ttofc to-day. Take your fill of ) Jubilee diet this wetk, and be prepared for a j change next..