Welsh Journals

OFFERTORIES AND COLLECTIONS AT ST. MARY'S DURING AUGUST, 1900. Aug. 5th, 12th, 19th, 26th, ENGLISH. 11-30 6-30 11-30 6-30 11-30 6-30 11-30 6-30 a.m. a.m. p.m. a.m. a.m. p.m. a.m. a.m. p.m. a.m. a.m. p.m. 5. d. 2 o 2 3 4 11 5 o 3 o* 8 6* 4 5 13 'i 7 Si 5 o 4 4i 10 Si Total (English) £6 10 7 LUg. 5th, 10 a.m. 1* 12th, 6 p.m. 10 a.m. »> >> J» >> 19th, 26th, 6 p.m. 10 a.m. 6 p.m. 10 a.m. }> »f 6 p.m. £. s. o 8 o 18 o 6 o 15 o 4 o 16 0 8 1 o d. ii 9i 9i Total (Welsh) £4 17 5J Average per Sunday £2 ijs. od. SUNDAY SCHOOLS AVERAGE ATTENDANCE, JULY, 1900. Welsh Adults Welsh Infants 131 70 English Hirael Total BAPTISMS. August 2nd. Elizabeth, daughter of Edward and Alice Edwards, 40, James Street. ,, 30th. Thomas Elias, son of Thomas Elias and Margaret Jones, 11, Mountain Row. MARRIAGES. August 1st.—Evan Williams, 17, Garth Road, Bangor, to Mary Jane Rowlands, Eldon Terrace, Upper Bangor. ,, 8th.—Thomas Henry Desmond, Castle Temperance, Carnarvon, to Lizzie Jones, II, James Street, Bangor. HARVEST FESTIVAL. Once more this annual festival, to which we look forward with such expectations, has come and gone. We were most fortunate in having such delightful weather for it as this, no doubt, considerably increased our congregations, especially in the evening. As a general rule, strange to say, we find our evening congregations more numerous in the winter than during the long summer evenings, but on a special occasion like the Harvest Home all make an effort to attend and many come from the neigh¬ bouring country parishes. The Church was quite full on the Sunday evening, so much so that additional benches had to be brought in, and at the other services the congregations were as large as we have ever seen them. The two preachers this year are both so well-known to those connected with St. Mary's that we need not say that their sermons this year, practical, suggestive and well-adapted to the occasion as they were, were highly appreciated both by members of our own congregation and others from different places of worship. It must be a joyous sight to faithful Church people to see so many of our Nonconformist brethren present on such an occasion as this. It shows that the old Mother Church is not so bad in the estimation of some of them as others would try to paint it, other¬ wise they would not avail themselves of her administrations even on a Harvest Festival. The Choir, as usual, deserves the greatest praise we can possibly bestow upon it, both choirs, we ought to have said, Welsh and English. The members thereof had turned up well at the previous practices and learnt their parts thoroughly so that when the day came the musical portions of the services (and these are perhaps the most important on a Festival) were perfectly rendered. The English Anthems were ' I will give thanks,' and ' O Lord how manifold are thy works ' and at the Welsh Services the following were rendered ' Mor fawr ydyw dyfnder,' ' Haleliwia i'r Goruchaf' (Beethoven) 'Ar ben mae'r gogoneddus waith,' and the ' Haleliwia Chorus ' (Handel). We were very much struck with the way in which the congregation joined in the singing of the special Psalms and Hymns. This is as it should be. The choir is only to lead the singing and not to be left to do all by itself. Mr. W. Bennett Jones is to be congratulated on the present efficient state of both choirs, for it is to him, in addition of course to their individual efforts, that the members are indebted for their present position as second to no other choir in the principality. The collections during the festival amounted to close upon ^10. We have looked through the service-register for the past years and unless we