CHRISTCHURCH.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume IX, Issue 465, 10 March 1882, Page 11

CHRISTCHURCH.

(From our own correspondent.) March 6, 1882. Under this heading an English piper gives a very " utilisation long account of the fin-d dissolution of one of the OF very few ancient Catholic hospitals still remaining AN obsolete in that Protestant land. Years ago I more than CHAKiTY." once viM'ed that do-nly interc-tin? old hos)>itil — S . Ciops Wiiichrsu i. — wlieic the farce of ii w.mVn, or rither " nuistcr,'' :i.> he is still calkd. is still retained : >\ Liile thi; *' brethern," very » _iii infirm men, among whom at the time of my visits, were more than one retired English clergyman, might be seen sitting on benches outside, basking in the sun. whenever weather permitted. On application, visitors could be supplied with loaves of bread, in accordance with the terms of the foundation, beyond this, so far as I can say, no remains of the ancient customs exist, indeed I confess my entire ignorance of the original provisions of the charity, an ignorance shared by the friends who accompained me, themselves very old residents of Winchester, and I need hardly say non-Catholics. All this is, however, a mere digression. The " Obsolete Charity" which has been so judiciously and benevolently " utilised" is that of St. John's Hospital, Bedford, which was founded so far back as the year 980, by Eobert de Parys, who ordained that there should be in the said hospital two or three brethern (one of whom was to be master), to live there in common, to recite the canonical " Hours," and to celebrate the Divine offices daily for the living and the dead, and to spend the rest of their lives in " psalming," and praying for the soul of the said Kobert de Parys, and for the souls of John and Henry Saint John, and of John le Neve, as also those of other benefactors actual or prospective. In addition, the founder ordained that all poor men of the town, of free birth, if their poverty resulted merely from misfortune, should on application at the hospital, be charitably received in the same house by the master and co-brcthern. It would appear that the Rectory of St. John's is in some way connected with the hospital, as attempts have been made for some years past by the corporation of Bedford to promote a Bill in Parliament to authorise the sale of the lands of the rectory and hospital. It was eventually decided by a Court that the right of presenting to the mastership and to the rectory belonged to the corporation in its corporate capacity, and not as charitable trustees. The late attorney-general was next called upon to formulate a scheme for the disposition and management of the estate. There seemed to be a consensus of public opinion in favour of allocating a large portion of the land for the purposes of a People's Park (Ml) The present attorney-general took up his predecessor's work, and an Act has recently received the Eoyal Assent, by which the ancient corporation of the master and co-brethern is dissolved. St. John's Rectory is, however, to remain an ecclesiastical Protestant benefice, the present aged incumbent to receive £450 per annum, while £350 is secured for future rectors ; all payable out of the revenue of the hospital estate. The inhabitants of Bedford receive the " boon of a public recreation ground, comprising an extent of 61 acres in a most eligible locality, the approach to be a spacious loulevard, on either bide of which superior villa residences are to be erected." So once more the wise and practical utilitarianism of modern Protestant thought and progress supersedes the obsolete and exploded superstitions of prayer (especially prayer for the dead) and charity. This new school was opened last Wednesday withthe new out any formal ceremony whatever, the number of school OP art. pupils entered being seventeen for the morning classes and twenty -five for the evening. The building itself is the one previously used as the Girls' High School, and it has been thoroughly prepared for its present purpose The school is under the management of Mr. David Blair, and is, as the pamphlet containing detailed information respecting it states for the " systematic study of practical art and the knowledge of its scientific principles, with a view to developing the application of art to the common uses of life, and to the requirements of trade and manufactures." The course of instruction is " freehand, geometry, and perspective (light and shade), painting in oil and wattr colours, botany and anatomy as applied to art, design, modelling, building, and machine construction, besides drawing on wood and stone (lithography)." In addition to the ordinary course of an art school, lectures have been arranged for in elementary and advanced mechanical drawing, and elementary and advanced building construction. In elementary building, for instance, six lectures will be given, the subjects being : brickwork, masonry, carpentry, joinery, all in detail ; and two on notes on materials. In the advanced classes the lectures will be twelve, viz. : brickwork, masonry, beams, floors, partitions, roofb (timber and iron), btairs and handrailing, doors, windows, skirtings, skylights and ventilators. The appliance* arc numerous and effective, and there is a very large number of models, castb, aul en /ravings. The new school must prove of incalculable seivice to the true study of art in this province, and will at the same time offer the greatest facilities for instruction to the mechanic and artisan ; the fees being most reasonable. The cordial good wishes of the public for prosperity and progress should go with Mr. Blair and his pupils. Messrs. Carmichael, the contractors, have very THE nearly completed their present contract ; the exhibition, greater part of the flooring has been laid down, and the whole is expected to be completed in a day or two. The windows are almost all fixed, but I cannot say I admire them, they are so love and wide, and I much doubt there being sufficient light, but perhaps it is premature to judge. Tenders are invited for the ari-gallery, veiandahs, and annexes, lhe octagons are making satisfactory progress. Otago has secured no less than 29 bays. Mr. Joubert — who is said to be a cousin of the Joubert of Transvaal fame — brings with him all the British, foreign, and Australian exhibits entered at the date of his leaving Melbourne. The paintings and works of art are stated to be

of the most beautiful and choice description. A flower show is to be held early in May, and a special exhibit of bacon, hams, butter, and dairy produce will be shown in June. The m.xials aie of Parisian design. On the obverse side is the figure representing Zealaudia, and the words " New Zealand International Exhibition, 1882," while on the reverse is a florally designed border, with a blank space for the recipients name. The bronze medals are about 2^ inches in diameter, and two-thirds larger than those of gold and silver. An " Exhibition Travellers 1 Guide " has just been published, containing useful and interesting information for the benefit of visitors. The good folks of Papanui, determined to contribute their share towards the projected entertainments, have held a meeting at which it was resolved thac a steeplechabe meeting be held during the time of the Exhibition. Very suitable ground has been offered by a gentleman in the district, and as the tramcars run quite close the meeting should prove an attraction. Many new buildings have been recently completed, varieties, or arc rapidly approaching completion. In Lichfield street the premises of Messrs. Butterworth liro^. arc well worth notice, and the grain stores in Durham street s-outh. belonging to the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company, are just finished. " The Hall,"' the new building in High street, belonging to Mr. May, which replaces the curious old structure now amongst the thing's of the past, promises to be an addition, to the many handsome shops in the immediate vicinity. Mr. Bishop's buildings in Armagh and Colombo streets are the greatest improvement on their shabby predecessors, though they are far from finished. The very ordinary buildiDg known as Morton's Hotel is to give way to a large and handsome brick building to be used as an hotel by Mr. Hadfield. The well-known " Shades" is to be entirely altered* and improved. What promises to be an effective looking erection of brick and stone is going up in Lower High street, where the old Chiuaman's garden once stood ; a part of the town perhaps more thoroughly metamorphosed than any other, though much cannot be said for its beauty. Several other good shops have just lately been put up there. A handsome three-storey brick building is in course of erection in Cathedral Square for Messrs. Wheeler and Son, next to their present premises. The very handsome shops built by Mr. John Anderson in Cashel street are now all occupied, one being a splendid boot shop belonging to Mr. Harris-; the business of the Wesleyan book depot is carried on in another ; and the third has a most attractive display (to ladies' eyes) of the latest fashions in millinery.—With regard to the inspection of dairies, it seems that the Board of Health has no power to inspect those outside the health district and it has therefore invited the co-operation of the various suburban Road Boards so as to extend the area in which the regulations may be enforced. The report from Auckland concerning the spread of scarlet fever in Onehunga through the carelessness of a milkman, who allowed his scarcely convalescent children to milk, and so occasioned the disease in at least fifty other cases, makes on« tremble at the thought of being at the mercy of ignorant or careless dairymen, and long for greater security. It is to be the business of the ordinary inspector, not the medical officer, to inspect dames.— ln reference to the recent correspondence between the health officer and Government on the vaccination of the children attending public schools, it appears that the public vaccinator has power to rigorously enforce section 152 of the Public Health Act, which is, I suppose that relating to compulsory vaccination : but as to 164, it is unadvisable to press it, as the school committees object to the examination. One is tempted to ask "of what earthly use is the Act ?" The very able report of the health officer has met with general approval, and the table of statistics given by him of the state of the public health eight years ago as compared with the present time should call for teelmgs of thankfulness among the ratepayers who have hitherto grumbled, perhaps not unreasonably, at the burdens on their pocket, on account of drainage work. In 1875, there was, to use Dr. Red will s words, a population of one-third less, having an aggregate of deaths of onethird more, and the death rate in the zymotic class very nearly three times as heavy as at present ; typhoid fever, with its forty-nine deaths in one year, or more than six times the present number ; diseases of the lungs carrying off victims in the proportion oi nearly three to one as compared with what they are now doing ; ; an infant mortality truly alarming." Once a hotbed of fever, diphtheria, etc., our city is rapidly becoming one of the healthiest spots in the colony, we must not therefore grudge the cost. At the last meeting of the Board of Health Dr. Doyle brought forward his motion that " the powers delegated to the City Council under the Public Health Act be revoked." The doctor being a member of the Board, and therefore the representative of the city, ana yet finding that the representatives of the city have no voice whatever in matters of health, not unnaturally feels himself somewhat oi a dummy iv a position where his knowledge in health matters is practically useless, and says that under the circumstances he would prefer to resign his seat. He, however, agreed to withdraw his resolution for the present, and bring it before a fuller Board.— A pretty quarrel is going on amongst the Board of Governors of the Canterbury College respecting a misappropriation of funds in connection with the circulating library. I cannot make out the ngnts ot the matter, but so far as I understand, Dr. Turnbull alleges that the library has been robbed of £1692, whereas Mr. Inghs asserts that era the contrary it has robbed the other departments by something like that amount. Meanwhile, Dr. Turnbull requests the public to withhold their judgment, and promises to substantiate his statements. A very disgraceful practice is going on of damaging books and removing valuable plates in the reference library, and the Loaid say they will gladly give £50 to discover the offender.— l he Lytteiton Harbour Board have ousted Mr. Richardson fiom the chairmanship. That in so doing, they overwhelmed him with compliments, goes without saying ; in fact, he had been a model for all his successors. Mr. Richardson did not conceal his disappo ntment that, after having done all in his power to further the works undertaken during his Jive years of office, he should be deprived of presiding at their com1 plution— the opening of the graving dock,— the only reward be naa

desired, and certainly deserved. No very alarming amount of perspicacity is needed to discover the true reason of the Secretary's severe snubbing a week or two back. — The Queen's providential escape from assassination must be the subject of universal satisfaction and thankfulness. It is also matter for congratulation that the would-be murderer, the " miserable object"," Roderick M'Lean, can scarcely be an Irishman. — Monday, the 20th ult., the anniversary of the creation of the present Sovereign Pontiff was observed as a day of particular devotion in the Church of the Most Blessed Sacrament. Masses were said at 6, 7, and 9.30 ; and in the evening, at 7 o'clock, there was a special devotion of thanksgiving, followed by Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament. Last Friday, the anniversary of the Pope's coronation, similar services were held at the same hours. On both occasions the parish priest spoke of the undying attachment of Catholics to the Holy See. Addressing a large and devout congregation, he briefly sketched the office of the Vicar of Jesus Christ, and, whilst surveying other earthly sovereignties, he dwelt forcibly on the great power of the Papacy, proving, in conclusion, that if there be a moral force in any power it is clearly traceable in the Apostolic See.