FIFTY YEARS AGO

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 150, 21 December 1929, Page 19

FIFTY YEARS AGO

SITTING ON SUNDAY

A WAB3II DISCUSSION

MAORI MEMBER'S REBUKE

"A rather warm discussion took place in the House of Representatives' on Saturday, evening on the question whether or. not the House* should continue sitting after midnight," states tho "Evening Post" of 15th December, 18J9. "Messrs. Macandrew and Stew-! art objected to sit after 12 o'clock, and both left the House. On the other hand, . Dr. Wallis and Mr. Dick, two prominent members of the Church of Scotland, supported the proposition of the Government that they should continue sitting. Dr. Wallis contended that bunday began whenever a man's conscience prompted him to turn to his religious duties. Mr. Tawhai protested against sitting any longer, and stated that the pakeha ministers had always taught the Maoris that it was not right to do any work oa Sundays; and it appeared to him that the European members of the House were acting in direct opposition to their preaching. The matter then dropped, and llio House adjourned shortly after mid- . Bight.?' ■ ST. PETER'S CHURCH. The last Sunday services in St. Peter's, old Church were'held on Sunday, 13th December, 1879, and the closing service in the old church was held on the following Wednesday evening, being "attended by a very numerous congregation." "Archdeacon Stock," we are told, "preached what may be termed the 'funeral sermon' of the old church, delivering an eloquent and deeply impressivo. discourse, in which he sketched the history of the edifice from its1 building in 1847. He mentioned .that hi ,the great earthquake of 1848 it formed a refuge for a large number of people for nearly a month. It was enlarged successively in 1857 18G5, 1868, and 1873, ,the total cost of the building and its enlargement being £2711. jfe dwelt earnestly on the feelings which the occasion should inspire, and alluded in touching language to. his own long association with, the parish—over 23 years ..." "•' The first' Sunday services in the new church was held in the new St. Peter's Church on Sunday, 21st December, but the first ceremony in the new church took place on the previous Tuesday, "being the wedding," as the "Evening Post"/o£ the following day records, "of Mr. Alfred de Bathe Bran- . tlon^jnr.^ barrister at law. of- this city, to Miss Louisa Kebbell, daughter of Mp.. ; Tlramas Kebbell. There was a large attendance' of guests and 'spe'e- > tators; The Yen. Archdeacon- Stock performed the marriage ceremony, and Mr. A. Forrest presided at the organ, playing Mendelssohn's " Wedding March' (from the 'Midsummer Night's Dream') at the conclusion of the ser-yiee.-:!The acoustic properties of the Bew : building -excited favourable comment, the improvement in the sound of the organ being specially marked, while every "syllable: uttered by the officiating clergyman. ;.was' distinctly audible in every part of the edifice." •■ PAVEMENT ADVERTISEMENT •■;„. 1;,.. ... humours. Fifty years ago, the "Evening Post" lad occasion to protest against "the practice of. stencilling the pavements with, gratis , advertisements," which lad., not .taken loug to develop into a public niiisadee." "Our pavements," declared '.'The Post," "are rapidly becoming almost covered with these unsightly inscriptions, and there does not appear at present to be any bylaw by which: it could be cheeked. We are glad to learn, therefore, that some of the City Councillors are going to move in the matter, and intend to introduce a new bylaw prohibiting these hideous disfigurements of our pavements. We hope., that, no time will be lost in bringing it into active operation.". That the-practice was not without its humorous .Bide, is' shown by the following "local'?:^'Lately pedestrians have been implored by this channel to 'Ask for Tiger Brandy.' This appears to have aroused the horror of some teetotalers, for. -now we find the words 'Certain death' painted underneath the alcoholic invitation. ■ If this sort of thing goes, on .we. may next have the footpaths covered by the publicans and Good Templars, with mutual denunciations of each other." A BELATED SESSION. The Parliamentary session was a belated one that year. The Te Ato Eeclamatioa Bill was read, a third time and passed in the Legislative Council on Monday, morning, 15th December, 1879; "while the Property Tax Bill, which' imposed for the year commencing Ist -April, 1880, a tax of one penny in the S, on'all property liable under the. Property Assessment Act, together with a duty of £ 1 10s per cent, on all premiums received in. respect of all fire, marine, or guarantee policies issued by any insurance company,, was only circulated the same morning. The fols lowing day, however, the Bill was read a third time in the House by a majority of 32 to\23; and, after what "The „Post" editorially characterised as an "idle and somewhat acrimonious debate" in ~ifs Legislative Council, was passed through all its stages that day by "the Lords." Parliament was not prorogued in 1879 until 19th December, only six days before Christmas Day. BRITISH FARMERS TOR NEW ZEALAND. "A remarkable movement is in progress in Lincolnshire," announced the "Evening Post" of 19th December, 1879. "Over 500 farmers and landowners, who occupy or.awn in the aggregate considerably moro than 100,000 acres;-have signed a requisition to two gentlemen (Messrs: Grant and Foster) requesting them to proceed to Now Zealand in order that, after personal inspection, they may report upon the Colony as a field for emigration for farmers possessed of means and capitalists^ with special tosuch as have had experience of farming in'Eincolnhire. Messrs. Grant and Foster have arrived in Melbourne on their way to this Colony." AFGHAN AND ZULU WARS. Fifty, years ago Britain was engaged in the.Afghan and the Zulu wars, and tho cable news made frequent reference to the arduous campaign of General Boberts (afterwards Field Marshal Lord Roberts) in Afghanistan, and his efforts to raise the siege of Cabul, etc. The storming of Morosi'a stronghold, described as "the crowning victory of the Zulu War," and the death of Morosi wore reported in a cable message "From our own Adelaide correspondent," in "The Post" of 17th December, 1879; and it was recorded aa "a noteworthy fact" that the news "was received in Australia and New Zealand almost as soon as it was in England, owing to tho excellent passage made by the .s.s. Orient from the Cape to.Adelaide. Simultaneously with a cable message from London briefly announcing the fact, wo have (said "The Post") received a long telegram from Adelaide giving the full details of the- victory.."