The Western Times 29 Apr 1910 United Methodism Bible Christian Cause in Holsworthy New Church Opening inc John and Mary BRAUND Rev Thomas BRAUND

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The Western Times. With The Devon Weekly Times incorporated. Friday 29 Apr 1910

Page 12 Column 1-5


UNITED METHODISM

Bible Christian Cause in Holsworthy.

NEW CHURCH OPENING.

Yesterday another important era in Free Church history in the West was marked by the opening at Holsworthy of a new United Methodist Church. The event is one which for months has been looked forward to with the keenest interest by Nonconformists not only of the old-fashioned market town itself, but of the surrounding district for miles around, and, as was expected, hundreds of people congregated to take part in the ceremonies with which such an important event was commemorated. The new structure stands on the site of the building it supersedes in Bodmin-street, and is further convincing evidence of the vitality of Nonconformity in remote parts of the West, and of the rapid progress which in recent years it has made.

Bible Christian Story

True, as it doubtless was, that “a large district in the north-western part of the lovely and romantic county of Devon was emphatically, in a spiritual sense, one of England's waste places less than a hundred years ago,” such a state of affairs cannot, happily, be said to prevail to-day. It has long since ceased to exist, and for the vast change which has been wrought we are indebted in large measure to the great Methodist Revival which took place in Cornwall in 1814. One of the results of this revival was the formation of the Bible Christian Connexion, a cause which, with other Nonconformists bodies, has done much to illumine the darkness which prevailed, and by dotting the countryside with those innumerable chapels and educational establishments which have in recent years sprung up, has quickened the whole spiritual life of the north-western portions of the two westernmost counties. The Forward Movement has been real. There has been no turning back, no standing still, since those early days when William O'BRYAN, a native of Luxillian, in the county of Cornwall, kindled the fire and laid the foundation of the Bible Christian Connexion. The story has been one of steady, persistent, and continual progress, often, unfortunately, against much opposition and serious difficulty. Compare the state of things as they exist to-day with those of those pre-Bryanite times, when, as James THORNE, another of the great pioneers of the cause, said, “from Exmoor to Boscastle, a distance approaching 70 miles east and west, from Hartland Point to Plymouth, a distance more than 40 miles, and from Newton Bushel to Minehead, nearly an equal distance, there were scarcely any Nonconformist chapels.”

Holsworthy in the Van

Holsworthy has taken its part in this advance, and the fervour which was aroused by the eloquence and enthusiasm of these early champions of the movement has never dwindled. It has strengthened and spread, and the growth which has taken place is tribute to the steadfastness and earnestness of those who have been identified with the cause in that part of Devon. The West was one of the strongholds of the Bible Christian Connexion when the amalgamation of what are now known as the United Methodist Churches took place, and its history in Holsworthy is full of interest.

Humble Beginning

It is believed that William O'BRYAN paid his first visit to the town on May 19th, 1815, prior to which no Society had been formed there, though the Methodists had been in the habit of preaching there once a month. A Mrs. ROWE, who lived where Mrs. YEO's show now stands, opened her house to Mr. O'BRYAN to hold services, and such was the wonderful power and earnestness of the man that Mrs. ROWE soon became converted. At the following Christmas, Mr. O'BRYAN brought his wife and family from St. Blazey, and they rented two rooms, one being a front room in which preaching services had been conducted. The first quarterly meeting of the Bible Christian Denomination was held on January 1st, 1816, at Mr. O'BRYAN's house, and a great spiritual revival was the result. At that time the number of members belonging to the Connexion was 237, of which Holsworthy returned eight. The second quarterly meeting was held at the same place on the following April 5th, and the third at Bridgerule on July 1st.

The services at Holsworthy continued for the first 26 years to be held in rooms, and among those utilised in those early days for the purpose were Mr. JORDAN's Malt House, which stood in the Square, and a room at the back of the Golden Fleece Inn, access to which was obtained through the passage of the public-house.

The Power of Prayer

It was in 1836 that Holsworthy was made a separate Circuit, certain places having been taken from the Shebbear and Kilkhampton Circuits for the purpose. William REED was its first superintendent minister, a man who attracted large congregations, and produced a profound impression by his powerful discourses. So successful was Mr. REED that at revival meetings at Ashwater nearly 150 people confessed conversion. Mr. REED's great gift of and fervour in prayer exercised a remarkable influence for good over those among whom he laboured. A striking story in illustration is related. While in the Shebbear district he preached once a month at the cottage of John and Mary BRAUND, in the parish of Woolfardisworthy. One night after preaching he retired to his room and spent much of the time in devotions. In the morning Mrs. BRAUND heard him praying as she passed his door, and having got breakfast she went to call him. He was still at prayer, and she withdrew. The same thing happened at dinner-time, and it was not until tea was ready and Mr. REED having to presently leave for another engagement that he ceased praying, which he had continued throughout the day without tasting food. His words, however, had reached the ears and heart of his hostess, and a soul had been won. Little wonder that great good followed on the work of such a man. William REED was president of the Conference in 1832, 1837, 1845, and 1855.

Holsworthy as a Circuit

The Holsworthy Circuit lies well within the circle where the Bible Christian Connexion had its rise, and where many of its most self-sacrificing toils, bitter opposition, and glorious triumphs have been witnessed. To Shebbear is the honour of being the sacred ground on which the Connexion had its birth, but Holsworthy had the distinction, as we have shown, of having entertained the first and second quarterly meetings. At the second meeting Society tickets were used for the first time. The first chapel in the Circuit was built at Clawton, and is still standing, though it has been turned to more prosaic use. It was superseded in 1879 by a much more modern and convenient building. The Circuit to-day has twelve chapels, six of which are practically new, and most of them attractive structures from an architectural point of view. There are 37 local preachers, 12 Sunday Schools with 657 scholars, and 140 teachers and officers, while the church membership is 624. The places in which chapels have been opened are Holsworthy, Clawton, Marhamchuch, Bridgerule, Derril, Whitstone, Tamerton, Grimscott, Tetcott, Ashwater, Anvil Corner, and Buckhorn.

Though it was not till 1841 that the Holsworthy Society was able to have a chapel of its own, the fault did not rest with the local members. They had made many earlier efforts in this direction, but had encountered many difficulties, mainly in the procuring of a suitable site. At last, however, Mr. John COLE, of Derraton, and Mr. James COLE, of the Bank, were, with Mr. Thomas Jago BATTEN, Mr. T. VEALE, and others, instrumental in purchasing from Canon THYNNE, of Kilkhampton, some cottages in Bodmin-street. This formed the site of the first humble chapel, as it is also the site occupied by the imposing edifice which was opened with so much rejoicing yesterday. There has been an unbroken continuity in this Bodmin-street association with the Cause.

Some Early Workers

Mr. JORDAN was the first Sunday School superintendent after the original chapel had been built, and later on he was succeeded by Mr. SHAPTON, who was also relieving officer of the town. There was no choir in those early days, and the tunes were raised by anyone. Musical accompaniment was supplied by flutes and a bass-viol. With Mr. John FURSE, sen., is the credit of bringing about vast improvement in the musical part of the service. He organised a choir and acted as its conductor, and devoted himself to bringing it to a high state of efficiency. The flutes and bass-viol gave way to a small pipe organ, and this in turn was displaced by a harmonium, at a cost of about £30. This instrument was presided over by Master Alfred FURZE, who though but eight years of age, proved himself a capable musician. Mr. Alfred FURZE is not organist of the Barry-road Wesleyan Chapel, East Dulwich. Miss LOVELL (now Mrs. W. PENHALE, of Penbode), was appointed in succession to Mr. FURZE as the accompanist.

In 1876 a larger building was erected, and subsequently this was enlarged at a cost of about £300. Now this has been found inadequate to the demands of the worshippers. Thus the steady progress is marked.

Lights of the Cause

The pulpit at Holsworthy has been occupied by many of the stalwarts of the Cause, including the Revs. W. MASON, W. CURTICE, Paul ROBINS, Matthew ROBINS, J. KINSMAN, W. HOPPER, John HOPPER (the latter now being at Barnstaple), and Thomas BRAUND. Mr. BRAUND came from Milton Damerel, and as a local preacher in the Shebbear Circuit was ever welcome on the occasion of his visits to Holsworthy. Though now retired form the ministry, Mr. BRAUND is one of the most esteemed men of the Connexion for his ripe experience, sound judgement, and kindly sympathy. Among the ministers who have gone out from the Holsworthy Circuit are such men as William GILBERT, J. C. HONEY, J. HONEY, D. MURLEY, J. C. BASSETT, S. B. LANE, T. ROWE, John ORCHARD, and W. L. GIBBS.

The Present Effort

And now with regard to the present effort, which, of course, is under the auspices of the United Methodist Church. The movement was inaugurated while the Rev. J. DREW, the late superintendent minister, was in charge of the Circuit, with the Rev. A. R. BALMAN as the assistant minister. Mr. DREW was transferred before the work could be completed, but his successor, the Rev. W. H. WEBBER, has taken up the task with zeal and whole heartedness, and has been nobly supported by Mr. BALMAN, the stewards, trustees, and, indeed, the whole church members. The need of a larger building, both for divine service and Sunday School work, was generally conceded, as for some time the accommodation had been found to be totally inadequate to the demands made upon it. The total cost of the scheme is about £2,700, and the handsome sum of £1,100, most of which has been subscribed by local friend, has already been contributed. It was hoped to raise another £200 or £300 by the opening services. The foundation stone laying took place on April 22nd last year, so that the building has been in progress just a twelvemonth.

The Building Described

It is a very imposing structure, and is attached to a newly-built and very commodious Sunday School and class-rooms. It may be considered to be one of the most modern and up-to-date blocks of church buildings to be found for a very long distance, and adds greatly to the appearance and character of the growing little market town in which it is situate. The style is of the Decorated English Gothic. The front is built with very heavy basements, plinths, buttresses, and pinnacles of freestone. It has an imposing spire about 70ft. high, finished off at the top with a nice weather vane. This tower answers the purpose of a stairway to the gallery. The filling in connection with the Bath freestone is of dressed Plymouth limestone very neatly pointed. The sides are built with pointed local stone, with heavy buttresses and white brick dressing, with six heavy freestone Gothic Decorated windows on each side. One feature in the new premises which is an improvement upon the old, is found in the convenient passages on either side, which lead direct to the gallery entrance, ministers' vestries and boiler-house on the one side, and to the entrance of the church on the other side, and direct to the choir vestry.

The interior of the church, entered from the roomy entrance lobby, has a very pleasing effect. This lobby is very spacious. The gallery can be reached from the one side, and on the other side a vestry is provided for the stewards and chapel keeper, in which the visitors' hymn-books will be kept. From this vestry the whole installation of the electric lighting of the church is controlled. The church is approaching from the lobby, through very heavy pitchpine raised panel and leaded-light swing doors. A special attraction from the inside is the beautiful appearance of the Gothic Decorated freestone windows, beautifully leaded in floral designs of Cathedral tinted glass.

Another feature is the new arrangement for the choir and organ, which are provided for with raised circular seats in a dodecagon end. The gallery, which comes forward half the length of the side, is constructed with a circular front of raised wood and iron decorated panels, giving a very pleasing effect. The seating is of pitch pine, with pattern and carved bench ends, the seats being made to give the greatest possible comfort for sitting. The roof is formed with massive pitch pine trusses, with hammer beams and circular ribs resting on moulded poliphant stone corbels, and heavily moulded purlins, forming a panelled plaster ceiling. The wall plates have heavy billeted mouldings. The walls are in stucco work, with plaster bandings and moulded quoins to windows. The rostrum, which is of pitch pine, with circular fronts and heavy pedestal, has very effective wainscot oak tracery panels, and filled in with bold raised and deeply-cut carved oak panels of very great effect, standing on raised double steps. The Communion is made of white Terrazzo marble, decorated wrought iron Altar standards set on same, and oak Altar rail. The floors are of the wood block principle under all seats, and the aisles have oak curbs and are floored with Terrazzo marble, with borders of different colours.

The new choir vestry is in direct communication with the choir gallery of the church, as is also the new church parlour, which is to be seated and made comfortable with chairs and desks, etc. The low pressure system of heating is adopted through the church, schools and class-rooms. The building is fully ventilated under the “Boyls” system of ventilation, and is admirably lighted with electricity, suspended from the ceiling, with brass pendants, and opal shades, and filament arch lamps, etc. The seating accommodation of the ground floor is 308, gallery 150, choir 62, making a total of 520. The architect was Mr. Samuel PARSONS, of Holsworthy, and the builders Messrs. PARSONS and GLOVER, Holsworthy, and the building will be a lasting monument to effective artistic design and through workmanship.

The Organ

The organ, which was originally built in 1887, has been thoroughly overhauled and reconstructed by Messrs. Vowles and Son, of Bristol, at a cost of about £150. The specification is as follows:- Swell (10 stops) – 1 Double Diapason 16ft., Open Diapason 8ft., 3 Lieblich Gedact 8ft., 4 Gamba 8ft., 5 Voix Celestes 8ft., 6 Gemshorn 4ft., 7 Mixture, 8 Oboe 8ft., 9 Cornopean 8ft., 10 Tremulant. Great (7 stops) – 1 Open Diapason 8ft., 2 Claribel Flute 8ft., 3 Dulciana 8ft., 4 Principal 4ft., 5 Wald Flute 4ft., 5 Fifteenth 2ft., 7 Clarinet 8ft. Pedal (2 stops) – 1 Open Diapason 16ft., 2 Bourdon 16ft. Couplers – 1 swell to great, 2 swell to pedals, 3 great to pedals. Total: 22 draw-stops. Three composition pedals to great, two composition pedals to swell.

The Local Workers

In addition to the ministers having charge of the Circuit, the members who are officially connected with the chapel and have taken a deep interest in the scheme include Messrs. J. B. BLIGHT and G. HARRIS, the chapel stewards, J. FURSE, jun., organist, S. MANNING, treasurer, and the following trustees: Messrs. J. B. BATTEN, G. HARRIS, J. B. BLIGHT, J. FURSE, sen., J. FURSE, jun., S. PARSONS, W. PENHALE, T. OLIVER, L. HARRIS, S. L. MANNING, J. P. WHITLOCK, J. HAMLEY, F. SLEE, G. R. CARTHEW, A. J. GRILLS, W. GLOVER, T. OKE and D. MARTIN.

The Opening Ceremony.

There was a very large gathering at the opening ceremony, which was preformed by the Mayoress of Okehampton, Mrs. John CORNISH. Though the weather was dull and cold, with rain threatening, hundreds of friends had already arrived in the town from the outlying parishes in order to be present at the earlier part of the day's proceedings. The formal opening took place at half-past eleven, and a notable figure in the large concourse assembled outside the building was that of Mr. Richard GERRY, of Ashwater, who, though 85 years of age, is still hale and active. He had the unique experience of having been present at the opening of the original chapel in 1841, and at the ceremony when the building which displaced the first sanctuary was opened. He was, of all those gathered together – many of them very old members of the cause – the only one who had taken part in the services at the opening of the three chapels. He recollects attending the early quarterly meetings, in company with his father, nearly eighty years ago, when they were held in a malt house in the town. Mr. GERRY is one of the stalwarts of the cause.

The service was commenced with a hymn, announced by the Rev. A. R. BALMAN, “All things are Thine,” after which prayer was offered by the Rev. T. BRAUND.

The Rev. W. H. WEBBER then said they had reached the long looked for day in connection with the history of that church. They were glad it had arrived, and they were delighted to see so many friends gathered. They had already had a glorious service in one of the rooms of the building. They were expecting a great day, and they felt sure their expectations would be realised. God was with them, their friends were around them, and they prayed that that House might be wholly consecrated to God. They were extremely pleased to have the Mayoress of Okehampton with them to perform the opening ceremony. It was exceedingly kind of her to come, and they welcomed her heartily in their midst. He asked Mr. PARSONS, the architect, to present to Mrs. CORNISH the silver key with which to open the doors.

Mr. PARSONS, in responding to this invitation, said he had great pleasure, on behalf of the Trustees and congregation, in presenting to Mrs. CORNISH a silver key as a small token of their appreciation of her great kindness in coming there to unlock the doors of that United Methodist Church for divine worship.

The key, which was enclosed in a case, bore the inscription: “Presented to Mrs. CORNISH, April 28, 1910, on opening the United Methodist Church, Holsworthy.”

The Mayoress of Okehampton, in accepting the gift, said: Mr. PARSONS, ladies and gentlemen, - I have great pleasure in accepting this beautiful silver key as a memento of the opening of this magnificent building. I shall take it back to Okehampton and treasure it in loving memory of this day, and coming from the United Methodist Church, where I, in the old building, received my early Christian training, and where my dear father and mother and friends were so closely connected; and where, just 22 years ago, I was married, it gives me double pleasure. My husband would have been here to share in the pleasure had it not been for a pressing engagement at home, but he sends you his heartiest best wishes for a very successful day. I thank you very much. And now I declare this building open for the worship of God, and to His Glory. Within its walls may the Holy Spirit dwell in all fulness of power. May those who enter therein find strength for life's battle, and sympathy for life's woe. May the beauty of Holiness be ever present in the experience of those who enter, and may the Benediction of an All Loving Father be with all this people, in my sincere wish.

Mrs. CORNISH then unlocked the door, and the large and handsome church speedily filled.

The impression at once made upon the congregation was one of admiration for the beauty of the interior, and its excellent planning.

The service was conducted by the Rev. Dr. IRVING, who preached an impressive sermon from Luke 4th chap., 16th verse: “And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up, and as His custom was He went into the Synagogue on the Sabbath Day.” He said that man could not live up to his highest without communion with God. Christ's presence in the synagogue was evidence of the need of public worship. The associations with the House of God were amongst the most hallowed and elevating of our lives. They lifted us out of sordid conditions and materialism. And yet there were some persons, and some professedly religious persons, who disparaged public worship as though it could be very well done without, as if religion could flourish, in fact, without it; and who for trifling reasons, and sometimes for no reason at all, absented themselves from it. And there was a type of man, also, who as soon as he found imperfections in an existing institution – and there were a good many imperfections in the Christian churches of to-day, and among Christian people – began to concentrate his attention upon the imperfections or limitations, and engaged himself so constantly in the criticism of it as to lose sight entirely of the virtues, benefits and privileges and helps that were always lying very closely associated with the imperfections, and he got an exaggerated impression that the institution, because it was imperfect, had become almost evil. He forgot the good it had done, and was still doing, for mankind. It could not, the speaker affirmed, be too strongly emphasised that some of the best religious life on the earth was being strengthened not in isolation, but in association and fellowship with the Church of Christ. There was clearly a great power in human fellowship. They could not meet with a common purpose and unite in common worship without exercising upon each other some gracious influence. There was a magnetic power in this public worship which gave to everything they did and said a deeper meaning. Men were able to make their best contribution to the world by organisation and combination. They might accomplish much as individuals, but the strong and the illustrious individual became so many times multiplied as he was associated with those of kindred spirit. They had in their text an illustration, also, of the Christ's wise and gracious tolerance of the weakness of man and His readiness to work with the material at hand. And surely in this they might find a corrective for the impatience of some who, while professedly cherishing Christ's ideal, kept themselves from the community most especially identified with the name and propaganda of His Gospel. They said that the Christian Church did not fully represent Christ; that it did not lay itself out fully to enforce His will upon society, and therefore they would not definitely unite themselves with His Church. That again was not the method of Jesus Christ. He took the synagogue as He found it, and proceeded to enlarge and reform it, and give it a new life. Allowing for all the shortcomings of the Church of Christ to-day, it might be confidently affirmed that there was no other organisation so well adapted to inspire men with the spirit of Jesus as the Church that bore His name. Some people there were, too, who were waiting to find the perfect church; they were looking for the church that had no spot or wrinkle, and said that when they had found that perfect church they would join it. Was there not something unreasonable and impatient in the attitude of that man? Did it not indicate an intolerance such as Christ rebuked? It indicated something of that superior person who was always insufferable, wherever found. Besides, what guarantee would there be that such a church would remain perfect after communion of such persons with it. He was glad that the door was open wider now than it was, and certainly there was within the fold of Jesus Christ room for all those who love Him in sincerity and in truth, and are anxious to do His will. The power that binds us and unites us as one was the perfect personal love for Jesus Christ; it was the surrender of the will to the doing of His will. Let no man therefore simply wait until he can find a general agreement upon all things. It ill became anyone to be setting up standards of his own and requiring Christians generally to subscribe to them as conditions of his co-operation. It was the presence of Christ in the Church to-day that gave it its true significance, and imparted to it its true value and stimulus. Let them keep to the good old ways, and stand in the old paths, feeling that they were keeping to the purpose of Jesus Christ, and helping to keep his plan and design.

During the service the solo, “I heard the voice of Jesus say,” was nicely rendered by Mrs. YEO.

The Luncheon

A public luncheon was laid in the school-room adjoining, and was presided over by Mr. J. HEYWOOD, J.P., Mayor of Bideford. Supporting his Worship at the first sitting (several relays had to be arranged for, owing to the large number attending), were the Mayoress of Bideford, the Mayoress of Okehampton, the Rev. Dr. IRVING, Rev. W. KAYE DUNN, B.A., Rev. J. LUKE, Rev. W. R. K. BAULKWILL, Rev. J. M. FAIRBOURN, Rev. W. E. WALLIS, Rev. W. H. WEBBER, Rev. A. R. BALMAN, Rev. T. BRAUND, Rev. W. LEE, Rev. CLAPP, Messrs. J. AVERY, J.P., H. HIGGS, J.P., J. H. STRANGER, J.P., J. B. BATTEN, etc.

Organ Recital

The accommodation of the new chapel was taxed to its fullest limits in the afternoon, when an organ recital was given by Mr. Purcell James MANSFIELD, F.R.C.O., of Bideford. Every inch of space was utilised, and though seats were placed along the aisles there were still many who could not gain admission. The chair was taken by Mr. W. PENHALE, and after a hymn and prayer by the Rev. J. M. FAIRBOURN (Wesleyan), the Chairman made a few introductory remarks. They were framed in humorous vein. He had been searching his mind, he said, to ascertain his special qualification for occupying that position. He was afraid it had been a vain effort. He was uncertain about his musical reputation, whether it was a thing of the past or of the future. He fancied it must be ahead of him – (laughter). However, he did possess some claim to distinction as a musician. At one time he played the flute accompaniment to the choral music in a little chapel on the hill a couple of miles outside the town. He did not know what became of the flute. Probably the most likely place to find it would be in the British Museum – (laughter). Then, again, he for a while held an honourable position as a member of the Holsworthy Band. When he resigned the band soon collapsed – (laughter). Seriously, however, he rejoiced in singing and music, and he regarded as one of God's greatest gifts to mankind the gift of sound and articulation. He was sure they were to be entertained to a rich treat that afternoon.

The programme was then proceeded with. The first item was an organ sonata in D, Op. 65, No. 5. Mendelssohn's fine composition was beautifully rendered by Mr. MANSFIELD, and gave the audience the first impression as to the quality of the reconstructed instrument. It certainly responded admirably to the skilful touch of the talented organist, and enabled him to give an excellent interpretation of the varying moods of the composition. This, of course, also applies to the other organ numbers, which were Pastorale (to a Wild Rose) Op. 51, No. 1; Romance (at an old Trysting Place), Op. 51, No. 3; Legend (A Deserted Farm), Op. 51, No. 8 (MacDOWELL), and Fantasia Pastorale (Lefebure-Wely). The latter is a beautifully descriptive piece, which portrays the various phases of pastoral life and scenery, in which the music depicts tranquillity, the tones of rustic pipe, the trilling of birds, and the rumbling of thunder, foretelling a coming storm. It was realistically executed, and thoroughly captivated the audience. The other items were: “Variations on an air” (Wesley), “Chant Sans Paroles (Hackett), “Capriccio in B flat” (Capocci), Funeral March” (Ed. Grieg), and “Fanfare Fugue” (Lemmens). The programme, it will be seen, was comprehensive and varied, including as it did numbers from German, American, French, English, Italian, Norwegian, and Belgian composers. The organist treated all with the same facility and finished execution, and won the encomiums of his audience. With regard to Wesley's “Variations on an air,” there was a peculiar local interest attaching to this contribution, in the fact that the air itself was written in 1873 by Dr. Samuel Sebastian WESLEY for Holsworthy Church bells. It was composed in the house of Dr. ASH. After he had left Exeter Cathedral, and during his residence at Gloucester, Dr. WESLEY composed the variations. As to the “Chant Sans Paroles,” the composer is organist of Bideford Parish Church. The instrumental parts were interspersed with judiciously selected vocal contributions. Miss Florence LITTLEJOHNS, A.L.C.M., of Bideford, sang with fine feeling and artistic effect Coenen's “Come unto Me,” and Costa's solo, “I will extol Thee.” For her delightful rendering of the latter she was accorded a persistent encore, and the Chairman made the pleasing announcement that Miss LITTLEJOHNS had promised to sing again at the evening meeting. Another accomplished vocalist from Bideford, Miss Mabel DARCH, gave a really charming rendering of W. Sanderson's “Lead, kindly light,” and “God that madest earth and Heaven” (Sanderson). She drew a decided encore, and also consented to give a further contribution later in the day. Mr. Orlando JOLLIFFE, a well-known local vocalist, sang with fine effect the solo, “O Divine Redeemer” (Gounod).

In an interval in the recital the Rev. W. KAYE DUNN, B.A., addressed the assembly, giving two striking incidents from Bible story.

At the close the Rev. W. H. WEBBER made a brief financial statement. He said that prior to that day they had raised £1,074 1s 1d. They hoped to raise £250 at the day's proceedings, and they had asked for a free loan from the Funds of £500. If this were granted they would have a debt remaining of £875. He thought they were on the safe side in regard to the £250 estimate, for the morning's collection yielded well over £150 – (applause). They had at least 500 or 600 people to luncheon, and they would probably have 1,000 to tea.

At Tea

In order to meet the demands for tea both the Market Hall and Schoolroom were utilised, and even then two or three sittings were necessary. Tables were presided over at the Market Hall by the following ladies: Mrs. SPEAR, Mrs. ROWLAND, Mrs. F. HEARD, Misses HEARN, Mrs. R. HOOPER, Miss DAYMAN, Miss FORD, Mrs. Geo. VEALE, Mrs. A. BALSDON, Miss KNIGHT, Mrs. HART, Mrs. SOBY, Mrs. BLATCHFORD, Mrs. B. DANIEL, Mrs. MITCHELL, Mrs. ROOKE, Mrs. DOWN, Miss ROWLAND, Mrs. W. HOCKIN, Mrs. WARD, and Mrs. PARR. At the Schoolroom the ladies in charge of the tables were Mrs. L. HARRIS, Miss MARTIN, Mrs. T. OKE, Mrs. T. CORNISH, Miss PENHALE, and Mrs. YEO.

There was quite an array of helpers at the luncheon, Mrs. L. HARRIS taking charge.

Evening Meeting

There was another crowded gathering in the chapel for the evening meeting, which was presided over by Mr. J. ROUNSEFELL, Head Master of Shebbear College, who, in his opening remarks, offered a word of encouragement to the church, and congratulated the friends at Holsworthy on the splendid building they had erected, and the vitality which the cause was showing. He was sure their church would fulfil the demands which, in accordance with history, would be made of it.

The Rev. J. LUKE delivered a stirring address. He said that a stranger might ask the meaning of such crowds as had gathered there that day. It was to witness not a football match, nor the coming of some eminent political speaker, not even a poor honest DUKE, nor to see a contest for the conquest of the air. They had gathered in connection with the consecration of a Methodist Chapel to the worship of God. His earnest hope was that in that building the Gospel in all its fulness and power might be faithfully, yet lovingly, proclaimed. Though consecrated by no priest, prelate, or Pope, about which they were not anxious, he trusted the place would be filled with the Divine presence and consecrated by the home-coming of many prodigals, the cleansing of leprous souls, and the teaching of great truths. Many were ignoring the Church of Christ. They forsook the altars where their fathers worshipped, and sneered at the Bible stained with the tears of their sainted Master. It was said that science had overturned the Old Book, but they had no fear for the Ark of God. The Gospel of Christ was full of music and beauty and power. The Church was the most beneficent institution the world had. There were faults and defects, but it was ignoble to attack it. The work of destruction was possible to anyone. They did well there in Holsworthy in erecting such a place, for Christ was the greatest friend of humanity. He set before us the true standard and pattern of greatness. He solved all the problems of this life. They were many and difficult, but the application of His praise would deal with all the flagrant evils and bring a new heaven and a new earth.

Addresses were also delivered by the Rev. W. KAYE DUNN and the Rev. Dr. IRVING, and at the close of another successful meeting votes of thanks to the speakers and to all those who had assisted in the splendid success of the day's proceedings were heartily accorded.

Splendid Financial Result

The sanguine anticipations of the local members as to the amount likely to be raised were more than realised, the sum collected at the morning and afternoon ceremonies being over £230. In addition to this, there is the proceeds of the luncheon and tea and the offertory at the evening meeting.

In connection with the building itself, it should be mentioned that the carving of the woodwork, etc., was executed by Messrs. Vanstone and Son, sculptors, etc., of Holsworthy.

Mr. J. FURSE, senr., whose portrait appears in our pictorial souvenir of yesterday's ceremonies, is one of the Trustees of the chapel, and was choirmaster for many years, and did much to improve the musical services in the old chapel.


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