BISHOP JULIUS AT BANGIORA.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6887, 24 June 1890, Page 3

BISHOP JULIUS AT BANGIORA.

His Lordship Bishop Julius in visiting the parishes in his diocese could not have been welcomed at any one of them with warmer cordiality than he was at Eangiora last night. The reception was an unqualified success from beginning to end; the gathering being of a sufficiently free and easy character to be thoroughly enjoyed by all present. It was a fortunate thing that the Volunteer Drill-hall was built before the Bishop's advent. Some of the church officers doubted the wisdom of engaging so large a building as the Drill-hall, but the result went to show that had the gathering been held elsewhere it would have been a failure for the reason that their would not have been standing room, let alone sufficient space for a free and easy meeting — Buch as His Lordship enjoys. The attendance could not have numbered less than seven hundred, and the gathering was a thoroughly representative one; members of all denominations, and people of no denomination at all, being present. Some labour had been expended in decorating tho hall with greenery, flags, and paper lanterns, and over the platform there was the word " Welcome," worked in white : wool letters on a scarlet ground. At either end of the room there were tables devoted \ to refreshments. I The proceedings opened at eight o'clook with a selection played by the band of the Eangiora Eifl.es. The Eev W. E. Gillam then, on behalf of the parishioners, welcomed the Bishop. He said that his Lordship wished the reception to be as informal as possible, and consequently no addresß of welcome had been prepared. They were not to expect a lengthy address / from the Bishop, for he had spoken already at so many places, and those dreadful newspaper reporters had had so much to say about him. He (Mr Gillam) would like to say how very gladly he welcomed the other ministers of _ the town to the platform. Whatever views they might hold with regard to episcopaoy,

he was quite sure they were ready to welcome Bishop Julius, as a co-worker for Christ. The Revs J. Smellie (Presbyterian), A. Peters (United Methodist), and W. B. Martin (Wesleyan) then expressed a cordial welcome to his Lordship on behalf of themselves and their congregations. Mr E. R. Good, Mayor of the Borough, also extended a welcome from the townspeople, and Mr P. Morine, President of ! the Rangiora Trades and Labour Union, ! presented an address from the members, j His Lordship the Bishop, who was ' received with hearty applause, expressed his thanks for the cordial welcome that had been extended to him ; and then spoke at some length on the religious teaching in schools question, and with reference to the duty of the people to support the church, and the Christian organisations for the benefit of mankind, in proportion to the means with which God had blessed them. At the conclusion of the address refreshments were handed round to all who cared to partake of them ; and a programme of musical selections was rendered by the ' following ladies and gentlemen — Messrs ! Gates, M. Buss, Torlesse (2), K. Templer, Revell, the Rev W. E. Gillam, and Misses H. Templer and C. E. Torlesse. The Rangiora Eifl.s Band also contributed some selections. The proceedings were brought to a close with cheers for the ladies for providing the refreshments, for the Bishop, the performers, and for the Rev W. E. Gillam. At half-past seven o'clock this morning Bishop Julius delivered an address to church workers. j