ARCHBISHOP STEINS' BIRTHDAY.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume VII, Issue 379, 23 July 1880, Page 17

ARCHBISHOP STEINS' BIRTHDAY.

[From the Auckland Freeman^ Journal,"] ' ON the Ist of July His Grace Archbishop Steins completed his 70th year and commemorated the anniversary of his Episcopal Consecration The nuns of St. Mary's, Ponsonby, availed themselves of the occasion to give an evening's entertainment to His Grace in the shape of a delightful concert. The programme was a varied one and very well earreid out. A few of the parents and friends of the pupils were invited and attended in good numbers. His Grace, accompanied by the Very Rev. Fathers Downey, McDonald, and O'Gara, 0.5.8., entered the Study Hall at 7 p.m., and took his seat punctual to the minute. The programme opened, as is usual on such occasions, with apiece of music. The following address was then read to His Grace by Miss O'Sallivan :—: — To His Grace Archbishop Steins, S.J., Lord Bishop of Auckland. Mat jt please Your Grace, We, the pupils of St. Mary's School, assemble on this memorable evening to wish your Grace very many happy returns of your two-fold festival, viz., your natal day, and especially the anniversary of your holy consecration, on w hich day you were ranked amongst the Princes of the Church. This is Ihe first time we have had this pleasure, but we trust there will be many more joyous days as this to follow. Your children are sincerely grateful for the untiring care and attention you have bestowed upon us, and for the beautiful instructions you give us from time to time. We know well that you have left in the beautiful Oriental India many dear children and made many gacrifices to come to our New Zealand home, to be a father and a pastor to the little ones in this far-distant land. Yes, beloved father, and we earnestly hope that you will find a place for us in your paternal heart, and we will endeavour in our own simple way to give you pleasure by leading lives worthy of Christian children, and by a strict attention to all our studies. Then your Grace will lov« us, the dearest portion of your flock. We are sure that many young hearts are asking for you at this time innumerable blessings from Heaven ; and we, too, unite in fervent prayer for the welfare of our beloved Archbishop. We pray that light from on high may ever guide you in your holy enterprizes, and that your Grace may be spared to us for many years to labour for the honour and glory of God. Once more we beg of you to accept the expression of our feeling of gratitude, veneration and respectful affection. We ask your Grace's blessing on our beloved teachers, parents and ourselves. We remain, with greatest respect, your Grace's devoted children, The Pupils op St. Mary's Superior School. His Grace was then presented with two beautiful bouquets of flowers, one of camelias and the other of violets, by two of the smallest children in the Convent School, Mary Eice and Florence Molloy. The Archbishop received them very graciously and the following programme was proceeded with : — Chorus, "The watch by the Rhine ;" duet on the piano, '' Maltese waltz," Misses Heighton \ and Butler ; song, " The magic of music,' ' Miss Tole ; recitation, , " The Lady of Frovence.' Miss Corcoran ; pianoforte solo, " iEolian Harp," Miss Philomena Darby ; vocal duet, " Come o'er the moonlit Sea, Misses Briscoe and Avey ; pianoforte solo, " Roberto Diavolo," Miss Avey ; chorus, " The emigrant's farewell ; pianoforte solo " Les cloches dv Monastere," Miss Carlis ; recitation, " The Irish Emigrant Girl," Miss Tole ; .'ongr, (i Like some sweet bird," Miss Avey ; trio, " Juvenile Quadrilles," Misses Laird, Fallon and Martin ; chorus, «' Elfin Call ;" duet, pianoforte, " The Blush Waltz," Misses Watson and Craig ; drama, " Mrs. Willis' Well ;" chorus, " God Defend NewZealand ;" pianoforte solo, " Blight Smile," Miss Lynch. Much credit is certainly due to the laudable manner in which the young ladies acquitted themselves. The playing and singing of several was very praiseworthy. Miss R. Tole caused great amusement by her droll rendering of the '' Irish Emigrant Girl." Miss Avey's singing reflects great credit on her teacheis and much prai&e on her own application. Miss Corcoran was beyond doubt the life of the evening's entertainment ; the very touching and pathetic manner in which she recited the long piece. " The Lady of Provence," proves beyond dispute that her mental capacities are of a very high order. The comic manner which she acquitted heiself of her part in the drama elicited great applause. The nuns are certainly to be congratulated on their painstaking efforts to make the evening a success, and we heartily wish them joy at the result. Before the proceedings terminated His Grace made the following reply to the address read to him in the beginning of the entertainment. My Dear Children : I am very thankful to you for all you have done for me this evening. You said in your very beautiful address that lam your Pastor and Father. I am, and certainly ought to be, and I shall endeavour to comply with the duties expressed in those words. Our Holy Lord has said that it is our duty to feed our flock, not so much with bread as with the precepts of sincere and Christian piety. Your care and education is in good hands, in the hands of mistresses who display energy and zeal in your regard : and as you congratulated me, I congratulate you on your fortune in thus being well attended to. lam not a prophet, but I shall predict something concerning you. You cannot now fully appreciate the benefits which will accrue to you from your present education. After a lapse of soiae twenty or thirty years, you v I then fully appreciate and thoroughly understand the benefit of your present education ; you will then see wl at it is to have been under the influence of good example. lam not very young, I have 6eeu similar institutions before, I have noticed how children whom I had visited on a like occasion fully appreciated in after life the advantages of a good moral and religious training. Education is now-a-days the great thing. The Holy Catholic Church lays great stress upon it. Education, as we may say, forms the world and makes it what it is. See how many religious corporations there are in the Church entirely devoted to notl.iLg el&c but education. And nothing can be done without unity, and there can be no unity which does not emanate from and

keep with authority. How many institutions are there not which on account of perpetual changes fall to the ground. Unity and respect for authority must always be inculcated and put in practice. I congratulate you this evening on your success. This evening's performance has been really creditable to the school, Tte music, drama, &c, each in its way, has given great pleasure and amusement. From each of these we can judge how well you are trained and brought up. Music and all the fine arts are good, not so much for their own sakes as for the refinement of feelings consequent upon their acquisition. These things show us how your studies are progressing. In after life you will most fully appreciate the blessings to be derived from such a training. Kemember what you said in your address, that you are determined to behave in such a manner as to show that you are good Christians. Keep that object constantly before your eyes, it will help you all to become good members of society. I congratulate at the same time the Key. Mother and all the Sisters for the creditable manner in which they have worked up the children ; the preparations must have been laborious. I congratulate the parents also who have witnessed this eveniiig such a good display from their children, and I conclude in asking the blessings of God on you all. The usual national anthem, followed by " God Save the Queen," concluded a very agreeable evening. We must not forget to mention that at the 7.30 o'clock Mass, celebrated in the Convent Chapel by His Grace, the music of Haydn's Imperial Mass was rendered with good taste by the choir, Miss Boylan, the Misses Lynch, and Miss Tole assisting. The latter sang the Offertory, " Jesu Dulcedo," with her usual taste, the early hour not in the least affecting her fine notes. " The Heavens are Telling," after Mass, was given with much power.