Coronation Carnival, Christchurch.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXX, Issue 21, 22 May 1902, Page 6

Coronation Carnival, Christchurch.

(From our own correspondent.)

The Coronation C;eni\al. in aid of ti-o b lilnm/ fund of a new presbyt. ry for ht. M :y '-. Mai.c'iusUr i-fivt, ua« opened on Thursday evening i.-s }, y hi-> W'on-i.ip the Mayor of Chii-uehureh. On the hU^k w r l.i- ■.■■ri.ship f'.i -n ( ,p G.nn s. hli« primed, the Miyor(Urll.F Wiltkuh) ami Mm Vu/>a;n, the Ili-zi, C'.ai.il Mrs L iiiiKSon, the Rev J\ah<r Main.nie (chairman of tlie Kxccutive Committee), a number <jl the clergy, and a repiedent iti\e gathiring of the laity.

B shop Grime*-, uLo was nouved with applui«", s r ud that they were rul together in veiy no diy niiuiK-rs f<.r a iw-t praiseworthy purpose. Title n) c w->w -> nr-on r -o tiie ci rgy of the 1 ugp and Mititt'ied pir.,sh or Si. Muy s h.t i t.-ik n to llitui-i-hei "a resuUnoe that b.ire traces ol what .ie might call, ewn in this you' g couutiy, venerable ant.quity. Tune lri.l not removed th".se trace.-, and the building wis nt"v al.iost m th<; last .stage of decrepi ude, and not a t-a.'e shelter lor these wjio dwelt within its crumbling walK The clergy or the pirisn ha-1 made .strenuous ami .successful efforts to lurthyr the prngiv--. of the pari-h. During tho p-iiod of fifteen y<ars th< y had made s-ucct>bJul eJT'orts to erect moie than one church in the district Lad t recte 1 c> nvents ami rchools, and now their people, reowgn sing th'ir elevotMiie-.s. had .started th<; baziar, with tne ru pe. < f ailing in the g-ail work of giving them a better lesideixe, in r< < oguition of their lovir<> Kr ices 'j he, principle of faith had moved their gen ro-ity, and it was for this reason thdt he was able to ;.sk the M i^or to inaugurate the vvor.-c. He wished to express their heirtfdt thanks t) tl'e Mayor tor his presence aim ng them, which w...s a proof of hi.s broadmindedne's.s and his readiness to t%vor any cause th;-t was for thcwelfaie of his fellow-eitizeup, who we^e his loyil constituent?. It was a happy coincH< nee that the Mayor ah' ml 1 be^in hin term of office 1 by inaugurating a, goo-1 work, and a no le->s happy coincidence that iv this year he should inaugurate the Coroi/ation Carnival, ile would ask his Worship to accept not on'y the gratitude of these present, but also their tert wmhei for the year on which he was entering.

The Mayor, who was receive 1 wi h loud and prolonged applause, said that he wishe-i t<> thank lih Loid-^hip very earnestly for his kind remarks and to assure him oi his pleasure ut opening his Mayoral care rou such an occasion. It had struck him on looking round the building that the. work of preparation done by Father Marnane and his willing helpers since the cessation of tkating at 11 o'clock on the pievious night was a most burpiisiug one. Such effort as theirs dtf-erveel success, and would, he was f-uie, obtain it. He mute congratulate the promoters of the bazaar on their happy ch< ice of a name, a name happy not only in its alli-terativeiH-bs, but also in it^ expre.s-ion of the loyalty that filled the hearts of his Mi jej-ty's Catholic subjects. He thanked them most earnestly for their hearly expression of goodwill, and he was very sensible of their desire for his suicesf. It gave biin great pleasure to declare the Cortnation Carnival open.

The Rev. Father Marnane thanked the Mayor and the Bishop for their kind references to himself, and the ceremony closed. The entertainment programme was then proceeded with. The first item was the grand march of stallholders, assistants and children, numbering over 200, under the direction of Mies Lowe The participants were dressed in the costumes representative of their st.ill-<, and made a beautiful picture, especially noticeable being the yung ladies in Highland costume, and a number of very diminutive Lancers clad in khaki. While the march was in progress a tableaux, repressing the ' Coronation Court,' was staged. J he King, the Queen, ai d the noble courtiers were dressed in lavish style, and the scene was a very beautiful piece of realism. After the grand march came a number of attractive dances. A wreath dance was very cleverly danced by a number of young ladies, aa were a Scotch dance and a pretty peasant dance, and some little boys went through a lancers' exercise in good style. Miss Alice Saunders danced a shuffle hornpipe and an Irish jig very gracefully, and Miss Millicent Jennings gave a clever exhibition of olubs winging and a fascinating skirt dance. Scotch and peasant dances were given very effectively by several young ladies. The Woolston Band played selections during the early part of the evening, and also provided the music for the grand maroh while an efficient orchestra attended to the second part of the programme.

The management and those assisting certainly deserve very great credit for the way the building was arranged in so short a time for tho purposes of the carnival. The northern half of the huge building is devoted to the bazaar, the stalls being ranged along either side. Then comes a clear space in front of the Btage situated at the southern end. The stalls, eight in number, are lavishly decorated in attractive colors, well calculated to draw the attention of the pas B er-by to an inspection of their contents, comprising almost everything, both useful and ornamental. The fair etaU-helders are most assiduous in their attentions to the prospective buyer, and their efforts are indeed worthy of success. The stalls, however, form only a part of the whole. The pillars along the sides of tho hall have been tastefully adorned with evergreens, palms and flax, and the ceiling is gay with strings of flags. The stage, also, is blight with beautiful chrysanthemums, that give pleasinsr variety to the attractive scene. The work of transformation w.ts so complete that it is almost incredible that it should have been performed in less than 24 hours.

On the following Friday and Saturday evenings there was a change in part of the programme, when five tableaux, representing scenes in a 'Mid-summer Night's Dream,' arranged by Mrs Deamer and Mrs Mead, were given with brilliant success. On Saturday afternoon there wai a matinee performance. The attendance so far during during the season has been very good, and the business don^ satisfactory.