UNKNOWN

Otago Witness, Issue 2309, 2 June 1898, Page 24

UNKNOWN

TO THE EVnTOTJ.

SIRv — "Will you kindly allow me space in your valuable- paper to raply to. » lettar signed! , by David Doull, appeariaog int. the. Qtaaa Witness of May 19. Tae letter iv» question misrepresents matte s, o,nd is evidently iutended 1 to try to clear the Rev. J. B: Smelffe of unconstitutional and- ungentrenmnJy eoudnct tow-trds me. Mr D'oufl would iarre lb«eu. modi wiser had be refrained from- enfcertug into a naw?gituei: correspondence on this matter, but m he has now doneiao, I must defen-d my, sfili* and. therefore- m-ay be^pardoned for referring to a few of: ths emissions he has made, and if fhey do not redound, to the credit of hnn whom he tries to> wphold, tke whole blame lies wjcb Mv RoulL for beginiciug thu ctrrvftdpoadeirca

Mr. Doull in hjis lelter ataitea that he gi«e»a, briaf ckutline of tbe cas«- Kow, I ca.an.ot see that hs givea any outline of t&e case a£> all. for hc'ocly makes a statement or twoito suffe his own purpose and leaves- tbs rest" ortt. He says Mr SmeHie receivadi a note fmm me just- before goin-g into tlie pill pit tatlie effect tha* I did not in-tend tto officiate that day aa pwceatois.. 3Sow, ( it is misleading to only nut it that w&.y and withhold the real meaning of the- note. Ihs following is- an outline of. tbefstcra-, pub as briefly as I can-: -I asked Sir Macpherson to relieve Mr* D-rwmmuad a.tr, thie nr-^fau. for. a few month 3, which he \--ery generoii'-ly consented* to do. ( - !nt Saturday, April 39) at nearly 9 o'clock at nieh.tr, I received a; note from- tha Rev. J>. Be Smellie simply inforaving nre that Miss had been; appointed to>plaor thes oatgan next morning in. place of Mr Alacpher3on. Tbfe- arrangement, Tleano, was maiie eatlienjn the week, but for reasons best known to Mr Smellie it was kept r from my ears till, the verr last moment, when it was nob possible for me- to- see' Tttisa , as- sfie resides abotifr four miles fivoia. Wyndh-ami.: However, after receiving Mr Sm«llie's. not® I -further learned that Mias- had been, in "Wyndham,. and that sh.e amd Mr Smellie had been at the chuvch arranging, and practising tunes. T&ey also went to the church together fully half an hour before gfii'vice on Sunday morning to practise- 1 he hymn, tuaei. I could' then' see that I wag beiag ignored and any duties taken out of ray hands for that, dajr by tihe Rev. Mr Smellie ; .therefore I se?it the fallowing le*ter_ to. Mr Smellie : " L cannot ace my way to lead singing to-day, owing to reasons I will give later." Surely the reasons- 1 have given were sufficient excuse for my declining- to officiate as choirmaster that day. 16 wa3 not possible £01 me to give, earlier notice, seeing that; I did; not get possessed, of nxoafc of the facts till, about church time. So.- far I have received no notice of dismissal, neither have I resigned my position* but. the Rev_ Mr Smellie's actions were such, together with Bis refusal to supply me with the hymns for the following Sunday, as I requested' of him, that I informed him if I d'icb not. receive- a, reply to. thei note I bad sent him by Saturday evening I could, only conclude that, my position as choirmaster had. been cancelled. Having received no reply, I at. once put in a claim for three months' salary in advance from that date-. Although-, in Me Dqull's opinion, , it will cause- very little inconvenience to a pa»rt of a congregation which, has- tried ten ahow that ' if finance is righb all ia well* still that three months' salary may give them more inconvenience yet than they anticipate. MTr Doulr also states • that " for the interests-i of peace" I was' not clis- ■ pensed with, before-, but left alone. I partly? agree . with Mr Doull oa that: point, and' I ami satisfied that he will ere long agree with me> when L say that Mr Smellie sacrificed those interests and lost many of his best friends- and" supporters , through his. unconstitutional and ungeatlemanly action towards me in this affair, as abo tawands my wife, whs has, acted as honorary, organist eyer since the organ was introduced into the church. She has not as yet been notified' ef nee services Having' been, -dispensed with,, let alone being , thanked for what, she has dune gratis, although another person, has been appointed ba fill her position. Surely the bare facts I have given will now satisfy Mr Doull as to whether the Rev. Mr Smellie or I haver been the more graceful,— -I am, <£c, Wyndham, May 24. • R. S.'Dkuscmskd^

The death is reported of am old colonist m the person of Mr W. T. Smith-, o£ Kaitangatwi where he has resided for about 35> years. Born ia 1837 at Stobo, Peebles-shire,. Scotland, na came to Otago ia 1863, and after working, & few months, at his trade aa a joiner, he went tia fcb.e.Dunafcaru He has taken %, prominent part in aJLjjuMc afMya it Kai<jaiu»fe..and nia a