WELLINGTON SAILORS' MISSION.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 8099, 26 August 1904, Page 3

WELLINGTON SAILORS' MISSION.

OPENING OF THE NEW BUILDING. "A PP.INCELY GIFT." [From Qtr. CoimisspoNDKXT.] WELLINGTON, August 26. "A noble dedication, a princely gift, an endearing memorial." With these words the Governor yesterday, in the presence of a great and goodly company, opened the new building for the Mission to Seamen. It is a noble building, plain, strong, well ventilated, in excellent taste, and, as the missioner said in his speech, "modern, up-to-date, and completely equipped." It was the handsome gift of Mrs W. R. Williams, who had originally undertaken to provide the site, but, finding no one coming forward with the building, had undertaken to, provide that, too. Ib is a twostorey building, the upper floor being the church, and' the lower the clubroom, tearoom and reception rooms. The front is remarkable for a noble window in stained glass, and there are smaller ones. Th« windows are large and numerous, fitted in .the most perfect way with everything modern. The ceiling of the church is in polished rimu, in selected planks, and ap propriate texts abound, on the walls. This room is lighted by incandescent gas-lights, grouped in twos, great chandelkra dispensing between 800 and 1000 candle-po\ver. There is a handsome pulpit and lectern. The clubroom is big enough to seat 800 or 9CO people, is very lofty, provided with handsome windows, and the others are in proportion. There is a marine flavour about the subject of the stained glass design, and marine pictures hang on the walls of the clubroom. The- furniture is. complete. Chairs for the clubroom., benches for the church, the gift of th= donoress of the building, and partly of some' well-wishers who recently forwarded sixtj- or seventy articles, varying in value from £25 to a penny. The building, which cost some £13,000 or £14,000, is the first of the kind erected, in the Southern Hemisphere, and in Britain there are none superior. The opening ceremonies began with a service of hymns and prayers, the Bishop of Wellington officiating, and every seat was crowded. After eervfce the company adjourned to tha clubroom, filled it to suffocation—that is, it would have been suffocating if tha building had not been co admirably ventilated—- and the Governor duly declared the place open. Many speeches were made, but the main interest was for the speech of the Rev , J. Moore, the mission-er to the seamen. This went ov*r the history of the mission since its inception, six years ago, telling of the hardships and vicissitudes, the outgoing© and the incomings, and when at last they moved into this noble home, given them by Mt» Williams, they found it was , the twenty -fifth move of their chequered life. The Governor, who spoke very appreciatively of the work done by the Mission, took the. opportunity io refer to the trip he has just returned from, and said that it had made an impression upon him which will never be effaced from his mind. He could not do justice to the manner of his reception; he would only say that everywhere, from Christchurch to Dunedin, h« had seen things which would mako him report to his- Majesty the King that he found the people of New Zealand of undiminiehed loyalty, animated by strong love for the Old Land, nnd determined to maintain their distinguished position in the Empire. Inter alia, Lord Plunket mentioned that during the said trip he had attended over seventy functions. He pronounoed the words with feeling. Several speakers testified- to the good results of the Mission, and the improved "tone" of the wharves, and in tie num ber of well-behaved seamen one se«e. A well-known old official, who knows his seamen, it was told to the meeting, was heard the other day to wonder -how it was that the firemon had taken to putting on stand-up collars and black coats to go off the wharf i&, and had forgotten, on coming back, to knock down tV Quartermaster on duty. Another was heard to declare that he*" had seen a hundred sailors ashore together and not one of tbem drunk; so there you are." The attendances during the year, «*»»-■ sioner stated- from his books, were W.UUU at concerts, 18.000 on off-nights, l W u * J church, and a* many as 400 had signed tne pledge unasked. . Special thanks were given to Mrs Williams for her noble gift to the sailors of -all nations and creeds, and the old iaay responded with a word ox two d a ™^' ledgment, and the proceedings ended who the Doxology. # _ After the ceremony the Bishop of v*eilington went south, to attend to .. s ° m episcopal work in Chriotchurcb for Bis&op Julius. •