PRESENTATION TO ALFRED COX, ESQ.

Waikato Times, Volume XIII, Issue 1064, 19 April 1879, Page 2

PRESENTATION TO ALFRED COX, ESQ.

The departure of Mr A. Cox and his family from Waikato was made the occasion by a number of personal friends of presenting him with a handsome testimonial m the form of a silver epergne together with an address. When the intention of making this presentation was made known, the vestry of St. Peter's Church m recognition of the usefulness of Mr Cox as a church member determined to suitably acknowledge his services m a similar manner-, aud j then, moved by the same spirit, the children of Hamilton, out of gratitude for the kindness and exertion of Mr Cox and bis family m initiating and carrying out for them a series of musical entertainments, expressed a desire to come forward with a special presentation of their own. A sufficient "sum was readily subscribed by < the little ones ou both sides the river, a^nd a very handsome silver inkstand was procured. On the silver top of the one ink bottle was iascribed Mr Cox's crest, and round it tne words " Presented to Mr Alfred Cox" while on the top of the other were the words, " By his friends the Hamilton Children," the latter inscription encircling the date of the gift. On Thursday afternoon the presentation took place on the croquet lawn, m the beautiful gardens of Gwynne's Hamilton Hotel. There was a large gathering of the friends of Mr Cox and his family, living m Hamilton and the surrounding district, and a large number of chil-

dren. The epergnc, the illnminated and framed address presented by Sb. Peter's Vestry, and the children*' inkstand, wero tastefully arranged upon a tuble at one end of the lawn, and around this the members of the family, and their more immediate f fiends were grouped. The epergne was a very handsome piece-of plate, of sterling silver^ exquisite workmanship, and tasteful and classical design. From a handsomely chased pedestal, surmounted by sphinxes, the stem rises, and from the stem there branch three gracefully curved arms, each of which supports an elaborately cut-glass dish, for holding fruit or flowers. The dishes being removed, the epergue may be also used as a candelabra. The height from the bottom of the pedestal, on which also rests a shield bearing the inscription, to the top of the centre is 30 inches. This elegant piece of plate was procured from Mr McLernon, jeweller and silversmith, of Hamilton, and reflects most creditably on his excellent taste and the resources of an establishment which- could turn out so elaborate and handsome an article of tue kind, at so short a notice. About four o'clock, Mr Cox was invited on to the lawn, ans Mr J. B. Whyte, the Mayor of Hamilton, stepping forward explaining that the address which was to have been presented by Captain • Sbeele had, through the illness of that gentleman been committed to his charge, read as follows : — To Alfred Cox, Esq.,— On the eve of your departure from among us, we desire to record our appreciation of your many estimable qualities, and desire to express our regret at losing one of our most useful and influential settlers. Your interests have ever been identified with those of Waikato, and you have, both by precept and example, striven to keep down those local jealousies which must, always militate against the advancement of young districts. "We recognize, with pride, the effect of your efforts to provide for the people rational and intellectual amusements, which efforts we feel assured have given a higher moral tone to the whole , community. Your enterprising spirit has left its mark on the country, and you will be remembered m Waikato, as one of the pisneers of reclamation and agriculture on a large scale. In your social relationships, your genial disposition has endeared you to the hearts of all classes. Your unselfishness and sterling integrity have won the admiration and respeot ox all who have been m any way connected with you. 1 The departure of your amiable family will be a serious loss to the district, and we wish them, with yourself, every happiness m your new home. We take this opportunity of testifying our appreciation of the esteem m which yourself , and Mrs Cox are held m the district, by presenting to you a small memento, m the hope that it will, from time to time, recall to your remembrance the many sincere friends you will leave behind m Waikato. The Rev. Mr Calder, Incumbent of St Peter's, then, on behalf of the vestry, read the copy of the illuminated address as follows : — To Mr Alfred Cox, The Lake Hamilton. We,— The Vestry of St. Peter's "Church, desire, on behalf of the congregation, to thank you and your family ' for your valuable help, during the last six years, m all that concerns of the Church, more especially for your hearty zeal, when decorations needed the taste and energy you so ably contributed. In bidding you " God Speed," we can only hope that the kindly help we lose, may be blessed to thore who surround you m the future, and pray that He for whose glory you have striven, will have you m his keeping, both here and hereafter : — Fred. Gaudin, Richard G-wynne, P. JjeQuesne, J. D. Hill, James Hume, . Chas. Laishley, It. F. Sandes, I. R. Vialou, Charles Walnutt, William Calder, Presented to Mr and Mrs Alfred Cox, by the inhabitants of Weikato, as a token of esteem and expression of regret at their leaving the district. April 17, 1879. This having been handed to Mr Cox, two little girls presented the inkstand, with the following short address : — x A little present for our dear friend, M Cox, who has always been so good and kind to us, and who will ever be lovingly remembered by all Hamilton children. - Mr Cox then stepped forward* and said : Friends, — I would like, if I were able, to do justice to this occasion; m fitting terms to acknowledge the warm reception that you have given us this day ; thanking you eloquently, if I know how, for the hbarty sympathy that you have expressed towards me and those near and dear to me ; but if 'you have come here expecting me to accomplish this, I fear you will go away disappointed — for although it be said that or.t of the fulness of the heart the mouth speaketh, it is equally true that the heart possessed by a strong emotion is too apt to interfere with the discipline of the mmd — and thus, I fear, it "will now be found tihat I shall not succeed iv thanking you as I would wish for your friendly feeling towards us during the now nearly six years that we have lived amongst yon. In speaking of these years, I would like to place on record, at once, and refer to what has been a source of ! satisfaction to me, and that is, that i during the time I served you, as your representative m Parliament, although differing from me, as, j certainly, many of you often did, on large political questions, I am able to say that you never failed to give me credit for sincerity m the views that I have from time to expressed, and that is all the return a man m political life ought to exact at the hands of his constituents. Mote than this, it would be unwise to look for, less than this, I confess, would not have satisfied me. Political life, rightly understood, means really a great trust. It implies devotion to what may be called a noble cause j the cause of the many, and puts upon a man undertaking it, the necessity of self-sacrifice, forcing him, m the interest of the many, to smother his feelings, to give up, at /

times, his opinions and prejudices, and, what, perhaps, is hardest of all, compels him at times to turn away from his friends ; oftentimes finding him engaged m a struggle to do justice, nob always successfully, to his political opponents, to those who are fightiug against him ; for, m party political life, we are bound to fight, or, we may as well stay at home ; but, admitting- the necessity of fighting, we are bound to fight fair. But, perhaps, you think that m those good old times that old men love to look back upon, men were animated by. a better and more patriotic spirit, agreeing- with Macaulay, who, m speaking of Old Rome and the Bomans, and of times that some irreverently assert never existed m reality, writes : — Then none was for a party ; Then all were for the State ; Then the great man helped the poor, And the poor man loved the great ; Then lands were fairly portioned, Then spoils were fairly sold, * The Bomans were like brothers, , In the brave days of old. You say, and I am proud to believe you, that you regret the departure of myself and family from Waikato ; speaking m a kindly spirit of us all — m such a way indeed as to make it impossible for ns ever to forget the years that we have lived together, I remember being once called by a friend the typo of a happy man — but I am conscious of developing into something more, and you all are responsible for thechange that has come over me — you have this day made me a proud man — for think yon, that I can go away from amongst you unmoved, leave you or live away from you, and not boast of your past friendship and of this crowning act of your warm l'egard. Friends, astthis day is nearly the last we shall he among3t you, the last occasion that I shall have an opportunity of speaking to you \ m public, let me with a view co tbe completeness of the story of my Northern experience, tell you hovr I first came to Waikato, what m the first instance brought mo here, and who induced me to come. In the year 1871, whilst m a neighboring province, Hawke's Bay, I received an invitation from my friend Mr Williamson to visit Auckland, and while there I readily yielded to his further invitation to accompany him to Waikato. I might add here that this, however, was not the first time that he had spoken about this land, not so many years ago a wilderness, and now so tair to look upon. At Wellington he had often spoken enthuiastically of Waikato, never wavering m his faith that it would one day grow into greatness. But, to resume my narrative. When I consented to visit Waikato', I little dreamt that 1 should ever become one of you. Well, " I came, I saw," and if you are inclined to say I have not " conquered," inasmuch as I have left behind me work yet undone, it is satisfactory to know that I am succeeded by one enterprising enough to devote his resources to the completion of our undertaking. It is a satisfaction to me, to feel that my late partner — my now successor — m the property, who may be fairly classed m the category of the financially strong, is able to carry ou to completion what I have commenced, and am not staying to see the end of. At this moment, comes back to my recollection, a remark made by my friend, Mr Williamson, when we bad signed our names to the deed of partnership, now come to an end. He then said, " I have this day done three good things : T have done a good thing for Waikato, I have done a good thing for the proviuce of Auckland, and I hope I have done a good thing for you." Well, I trust that his bringing me amongst you has not been a bad thing for Waikato. Tiiat it has, at any rate, been a gain to me, your presence here to-dayi and your words of sympathy satisfy me, for whereas m that year, 1871, of which I have spoken, when I first came amongst you, you were strangers to me, and I an utter stranger to you, and. now, m looking around, I know you all, and have good reason, indeed, to speak of all, present as friends. To hear you say that you appreciate my efforts to promote amusement and recreation amongsb those m the midst of whom we have lived these few years, and to provide entertainment for the young, is very gratifying to me, but I may not appropriate all the honor that you so freely bestow, because I have no wish to forget that, with all tue will m the, world to do such work, I should, have ill-succeeded, if not utterly failed, had I not been ably and willingly assisted from the beginning by one and all, men, women and children, who had gifts m that line. What we should do well always to remember is, that no man, no individual is independent of his neighbour, that most of the good that this world witriesses, is the result, the outcome of the combined action of the many — remembering the old saying, still a true one, "It is the long pull, the strong pull, and the pull altogether," that overcomes obstacles. If you really appreciato the little I have done m the direction indicated, continue the effort to entertain and amuse, as well as to instruct young children — these little men and women who, are so intelligent, and so easily pleased. In these days, happily, their instruction is very well looked after, the only question amongst men being, who shall do the work, and m. the course of years, when their turn comes, they will bleas your memory, and do all they know

to render the lives of their children, their successors, happy as well as useful. Mr Calder : To you, sir, and to you gontlemen, comprising the Vestry of St. Poters Church, Hamilton, who, m yonr address to us, have spoken m the name of the congregation, we ought indeed to be thankful for such an expression of kindly interest m our future. As to the little we have done m connection with chnrch matters, that little would certainly have been less, had we nob been assisted by many amongst you, and encouraged, I may truly add, directed by you sir, and Mrs Caluer. Your efforts m the Holy cause of religion and m the carrying on the services of the Church, never forgetting the Apostolic injunction that " All things should be done decently and m order," as well as your anxious zeal for the religious education of our children are known to all, and can hardly be forgotten. To render such occasional seryices as we ,have done, is indeed a small matter by the side of such daily devotion to duty as your lives are made np of. My earnest hope is that you may live long, and be strong to carry on the work that you have undertaken and never stoop to serve any other master, and that you, friends, who make up the congregation of the Hamilton Church, may continue to appreciate the efforts that your Pa3tor is ever making to promote the religious welfare of the extensive district committed to his care. For ourselves m relation to these matters, we earnestly hope that m the parish for which wo are bound, we may witness an equal amount of earnestness m God's Service. And now my small frienls, girls and boys, let me especially and heartily thank you for your address, and this really valuable gifb. Although it is always a sad business to say farewell, I am very grateful to you for thus coming forward to wish us God speed. I have been more than repaid for the littlo I have ever done to promote your amusement by ypnr appreciation of it. The account between us it made up to date will show I think that lan now much m your debt. How shall I repay you ? Well, the-' ouly way that I can think of is that whenever I have the opportunity, and wherever I find myself I must produce this your certificate aud ask to be employed m a similar manuer. I shall always be very proud to hear that your amusement aud recreation are being thought of by your friends and made to form a part of your education, but more proud to know that while it i 3 being looked after, you are making the most of your time m acquiring all such knowledge as may fib you for the parts which you will have to perform m the world when you become men. Little ones, I have grown deaf m my old age, but the echo of your voices will long ring- m my ears, and the free and simple words inscribed on this inkstand will comfort me m life's journey, many a night and many a day cause a thrill of pleasure to the friends to whom I am returning. Friends, if I have not thanked you as you desire to be thanked for your kindness to us past and now, my failure is due to my poverty of speech, and not to the coldness of my nature. God knows that I have never been more strongly moved than lam at this moment. In conclusion believe us when we say that we can never forget Waikato or the friends that we are leaving behind us, and let me add, that valuable, costly, magnificent as is, this your gift to us, it is m our estimation of less value than the feeling that has prompted you to bestow ifc. At the conclusion of this speech, three cheers were given for Mr Cox, and three more for Mrs Cox and family. Friends pressed round to say ofood-bye, but, before leaving, the company was grouped round the table, and a photograph taken of the scene, by Mr Low, of Hamilton. A very successful view was obtained, the likenesses of Mrs Cox and Mrs McPherson, and of three children of the family, sitting on the lawn m front of ths table, are really excellent, and indeed scores of "faces of those present may be recognised at a glance. Yesterday, Mr Cox and family left for Auckland, and embarked to day, on board the Rotorua, for the South.