LICHFIELD CATHEDRAL, TO WHICH BISHOP SELWYN WAS APPOINTED IN 1867.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLII, Issue 21, 26 May 1909, Page 36

LICHFIELD CATHEDRAL, TO WHICH BISHOP SELWYN WAS APPOINTED IN 1867.

general. Fhi naval ■ • ' er ally ci _ ■ ; ' - ■ .- .... as kef ers express it. - ■. I ,i-i pr> b— n. Accepting Lichfield. \\ - first asked England . . ■ • • Set f Li fi« . Bis - ... ■ - - mt Mrs "■ n this f - ‘ ■ t> ■ r - - - I- • - n It • to a .inimanu. and !,,• accepted. As a Maori Scholar. Af - ■ t E: . ■: :. - ■ I- u. : V - — ' ■ ' " ■ - . . M v.ri < - a ra..- - _■ ' ' llltV . . . , ; U that is - - - ■ ' 'E ' ■ - - E . - . • ' ' - - on the i ' • out New Zeal it ti ■ a Ma - ■ ene I to 1 - □ ... ■ ■ M ‘ His One Defect. He .mid not tell ~ne tune iro n anoihe

The Melanesians' Idol. i M« lanesian boy - at Kohii . - • - rid of Bis i " Iwyn. After the consecration of Bishop Patteson. Bishop Selwvn was walking up -nd down lieaeh arm-in-arm with Bishop Hob- . - ■ I Bis o| Abraham —n« .-t er «ide. Thev were all tine men physically. ■Bis Hohl ous is a big strong i n. Bishop Abraham is a big strong man.’ . It . -bovs" sitting about the san 1. as tin .•' ft ■ • • tide!" Bush Surgery. , t fieri ards Bishop ■ f Wellingt n liking overland from Wei ngt n Xuekiai t B - ' to « saving. "1 . i rtak. ion in i mil ute." Ml ■- ’ tight t stt nge. ind staking the Bis • : rk n his

foot with his penknife. There was some proud flesh in a wound on the heel, and his Lordship was stolidly cutting it away with ■. i- knife: The Bishop’s Friend. (. aptain Jacobs. of the mi—ion schooner Southern Cross once overtook the Bishop veiling north—riding one horse ami leading an >ther laden with his camping imp dim nta. The captain urged that his Lordship should accompany him to ss the night at a settler’s house. The Bishop refit's-d. "People get up so late." he explained. "By the time they are havin'* breakfast. 1 will be half-wav on "X journey.” Next morning, however, the skinpei hail n t a ne ver\ far whei vert< k T Bi-i >" -if" - ’ fire at which he wa- cooking the - :-al. It appeared that the rses had strayed in the t igiM. and tl Bishop’s early start wa- frustrated. Seated on the ground with the head ot

the Church was the trampiest-looking ot tramp". "He hadn't 5 worth of clothes on him.*' was Captain Jaod«*< description. "Y<»u -ee.” -aid the Bishop, indicating the wanderer and turning to Captain Jacobs. "1 have a friend to breakfast.*’ And he meant it. too. A Bon Mot. Bishop Selwyn had a pretty wit. and no dinner table was dull when he was a guest. At about the tim ■ when the news of the present King’s betrothal to Princess Alexandra of Denmark came out. the Bishop was stopping at Archdeacon Brown’s in Tauranga on one of his overland trips from Wellington. When the subject of the future Queen was mentioned. -Ah.” said his Lordship. -England ome more conquered by the Dane!

STORIES OF BISHOP SELWYN.

The Bored Subaltern. Nothing annoyed the Bishop more than irreverence in a place of worship. On one occasion, when he was conducting the service to the troops in Auckland at St. Paul's in a part of the service, when the congregation are accustomed to stan 1. a nonchalant young officer maintained a lounging attitude. The Bi* hop looked .it him severely, and the young feilo.v looked at the Bishop, who presently lowered his book, as if to say, “Now. young man. when you stand up we will proceed with the service.’’ The eyes of the congregation were all upon him. and finally he stood up, looking very small, and his face as red as h:< jacket. He got a good wigging from the Colonel, who was present. “A Man.' Tie re was a lack of sympathetic cord between the Bihop and some of the N< n < nformists and some prominent members treated him with very scant < « ;i :*-*y. and u*vd to speak of him as “St wyn.” On one o easion, when one of tiie’: ministers going up the River llokianga in a whaleboat to a meeting, he was ontinnally shouting out, “Pull away. boys. er we 'hall be Lite." At last one • I the men said. “Look here, il the man y» :i call S’vlwyn were in the boat, he would pull off hi* coat and take the stroke oar: but he is a. man!" “ Hands Up !*’ A rather amusing incident occurred soon alter the Bishop took charge of bl. Matthew's parish, during the absence of Rev. David Jones, who was on a visit to England. A different warden was on duty, and the offertory was taken into the vestry. The Bishop was disrobing, when, to his astonishment, the w;i> ten commenced shovelling the coins into his pork nt. “Mr. Blank. Mr. Blank!" said the Bi-hop. “‘what are you <loing?" “Oh." said the warden. “I always count the money at home." The Bishop reminded him that the rule was that the money «houlj be counted, entered into the book, anti the entry initialled by the officiating minister. Still the s iovt ;i:ng went-- on. The Bishop t* ?n !o?kt i the outer door, put the key

in his pocket, and with his back against the inner door, said, “Now, Mr. Blank, you don't leave this vestry till you have complied with the rule.” Compliance ensued. An Ideal Nurse. The Bishop's sympathetic tenderness made him a perfect nurse in the sick room. An officer during the war told how one day going into the hospital that he found the Bishop kneeling down by the bed of a sick soldier with his arm round the poor fellow's shoulders, feeding him out of a enp improvised out of an obi teapot, or something of the kind. A story of a similar nature is recorded by Mr. J. Burtt, who says: “A lady friend told me on one occasion she was visiting a lady whose daughter was ifar gone in consumption, and while there the Bishop arrived. It was a most pathetic scene. The Bishop was on his knees in prayer at the bedside, when a fit of coughing came on. He rose, put his arm around the poor girl, and supported her while the paroxysm lasted. He turned his head aside, and she noticed that the tears were rolling down his cheeks. It was so like him: in the sick room he had all the gentle synipat'iy and tenderness of a woman.*’ “ A Merciful Man." Before finally leaving the Colony, Hu Bishop hail his several horse.* -hot and buried in Remuera. lest his good servant* should fall on evil days when they were past work. The Maori's Toast. A good story was told by ?%!r. J. McLachlan at the recent centenary celebrations at St. Paul's. Auckland. The Bishop was to go up to Kaiwaka—then a most out-of-the-way spot —to baptiee the baby girl, who afterwards became Mr-. McLachlan. "In anticipation of the Bi-hop's vi-it. my father-in-law.” said Mi. McLachlan, "had instructed a prominent Maori resident, whom he intended to introduce to the Bishop, in the rules of eiquette telling him. amongst other things, that when he drank with the Bi*hop, he -hould raise-hi-? and *ay. Your very good health, sir.' The h.—on. however, appeared to have been but imperfectly learned, and judge of the consternation of those assembled at the christening function, when the native raised his glass, and. in his broken

English, exclaimed: ‘You go to , sir!’” The Bishop, added Mr. McLachlan, amidst laughter, enjoyed the situation immensely—more go than many of the others present—such was his characteristic eense of humour. A Gentle Reminder. When St. Paul's Church was conseciated there wag no organisation of wardens and vestry; there was simply a committee of management, of which the Bi*hop wa* head, and a discussion arose a* to priority of choice of seats. Oi the committee was a member who had subscribed somewhat largely to the building fund. This prominent citizen s*.id he thought that those who had subscril»ed should, have first choice. 3he Bishop said he saw a difficulty in a-vertaining who was the largest contributor. The -.rominent citizen replied that there wa a subscription list, which could settle it. The Bishop admitted th:.-, but he still saw a difficulty: there was a case in point in which we were told that a certain poor widow cast two mites into the treasury, and we had it from the highest authority that sh? act* in more than ail the rest. The prominent citizen subsided. The Bi-hop was like a duck in the water. There used to be a bush at Eton (idled "Selwvn'r- bush." standing on a high bank of the Thames. To this he used to run up. take a spring, and go over it. head foremost, striking the water at a certain angle, and coming up to th.? *ui face almost simultaneously. When asked how to do it. he used to sav: "Fancv vour.-eif a dart, and you will do it with ease.”