December 1928

Seagoe Parish Magazine.

DECEMBER, 1928,

CLERGY:

Rev. Canon Archery B.D., The Rectory, Seagoe,

Portadown.

Rev. W. A. Henry, 21 Edward St., Portadown.

LAY READER (Bishop's Licence)

Mr, Robt. Gracey, 23 Railway Street, Portadown.

CHURCHWARDENS:

Rector's—Robert M'Clements.

People's—William Dermott.

We Wish all our Readers at

Home and Beyond the Seas a

Very Happy Christmas and a

Bright and Glad New Year.

Christmas 1928.

The Christmas Festival is essentially the Festival

of the Home. The scattered members of the family

circle gather together once again to spend their

Christmas at the old fireside. The children, too,

love Christmas. It is the season of joy and happiness.

But in the midst of our social festivities we must not

forget why we keep Christmas. It is the Saviour's

birthday. The unity of the home circle will be deepened

and strengthened if we bring into our rejoicing a note

of true Thanksgiving that God did take Nature upon

Him and lived our Human life that He might redeem it

and consecrate it. The children also will remember in

the of their merry-making that Christmas is the Festival

of the Christ-child and that He loves them and understands

their child-life. Our Christmas will certainly be incomplete

unless we associate with it an act of Worship in the House

of Prayer. Many will, we hope, be present on Christmas

morning to partake of the Holy Communion and thus to

fitly mark the Saviour's Birthday. Our bright Christmas

Services will tune our hearts into unison with all that is

highest and best in our Church and Home life.

Our Christmas Services.

On Christmas day, Tuesday, Dec. 25th, the following

Services will be held in the parish Church: —

8 a.m.—Holy Communion.

11-30 a.m. - Prayer, Sermon and Holy Communion.

The offerings at both Services on Christmas Day

will be given to the Parochial Poor Fund.

Special Advent Services.

The season of Advent is one of the special Mission

Seasons of the Church. The Collect for the Sunday

before Advent begins with the words "Stir us,

we beseech Thee, the wills of Thy faithful

people." The expectation of our Lord's Second

coming is to stir us up to newness of life. During

Advent the following Services will pe held (D.V.)

in the Parish Church

Advent Sunday, Dec. 2nd—Special subject

“Foreign Missions” or “Winning the World for Christ."

The offerings at the Services on Advent Sunday will

be in aid of Foreign Missions.

Second Sunday in Advent, Deo. 9 ^th — Special

Subject - “The Bible and the Church." Offerings on

behalf of the, Hibernian Bible Society.

Third Sunday in Advent, Dec. 16th —Special

subject " Home Influences."

Fourth Sunday in Advent, Dec. 23rd —Special

subject " The Christmas Message."

Wednesdays in Advent.

A special Advent Service will be held in the

Parish Church on each Wednesday in Advent at

8 p.m. The first of these Services will be held on

Wednesday, Dec. 5th. The succeeding Services will

be held on Dec. 12th and Dec. 19th. The Wednesday

Services in the Parochial Hall will be discontinued

during Advent.

Seagoe C L B.

This newly-revived Company of the Church Lads

Brigade is proving a great success. There are now

over 30 lads enrolled, and the parades are held in

the Parochial Hall each Friday evening at 8-30.

Captain Gracey and First Lieutenant Casey, with the

assistance of the Rev W. A. Henry and Mr. Wilson

Metcalf are working hard to make the Company a

great success. The Jumble Sale and collecting cards

have brought in a substantial sum of money, which

has been lodged with the Parochial Hon. Treasurer.

The C.L.B. is a splendid organisation for the training

of lads. It inculcates the necessity for Discipline

of the Body, Mind and Spirit.

The Committee desire to thank heartily all who

have so kindly helped at the Jumble Sale and with

collecting cards.

St. Mark’s Foundation Stone.

The laying of the Foundation Stone of the War

Memorial Tower of St. Mark's Church, Portadown,

was a function of great interest and importance.

The Rev. Canon Archer and the Rev. W. A. Henry

were present from Seagoe. The Services in the

Church and at the Tower were very impressive and

devotional. The Rey. Canon Leslie, the Armagh

Historian, preached, and the stone was laid by Mrs.

D'Arcy, wife of the Lord Primate. The Primate was

also present. The Tower will be a great ornament

to Portadown and in height and design will form

a striking tribute to our fallen heroes.

Annual Subscription.

Those who subscribe annually to the Sustentation

Fund are asked to kindly pay in their subscriptions

early in December. The accounts close on Dec. 31st,

and subscriptions received after that date must be

carried into next year's accounts. Envelopes have

been circulated among the subscribers.

Seagoe Mothers' Union.

The members of the Mothers' Union have decided

to attend the Service to be held in the Parish Church

on Wednesday, Dec. 12th, at 8 p.m. The collection

at this Service will be in aid of the Christmas parcels

fund, a very worthy object. The members of the S.M.U.

have unanimously elected Mrs. John Reid as their new

President in place of Mrs. Rennix. We congratulate

Mrs. Reid heartily on her new office. The Mothers'

Union has proved itself a great agency for good in the

Parish, and we believe that under Mrs. Reid's guidance,

and with the Divine blessing it will accomplish still

greater things in the future.

Edenderry Children's Services.

On every Wednesday at 4-30 a Children's Service

is held in Edenderry Parochial Hall. It is attended

by over 100 children, and the numbers increase each

week. A children's choir gives a splendid lead to

the singing. Mr. Gracey conducts the Service, and

the little ones are delighted with it.

District Services.

District Services were held last month in several

centres of the Parish, and the following have been

arranged for December: —

Thursday, December 6th, at 8 p.m., in Carne.

Thursday, December 13th, at 8 p.m., in Hacknahay.

Thursday, December 20th, at 8 p.m., in Levaghery.

The Church Army Hymn Book will be used at these

Services.

Seagoe Parish Almanack.

The Parish Almanac is now on sale at Mr. Vance's,

16 Bridge St., and may also be had from the Sunday

School Superintendents. It is very bright and pretty.

The price is 2d. Secure your copy without delay, and

send one to your friend across the sea.

Our Sunday Schools.

On Advent Sunday, Dec. 2nd, our new Sunday

School course begins. The new Calendar of Lessons

for each Sunday has been drawn up with much care

by the Diocesan Board of Education. The price of

the Calendar is ½ d. Will parents please see that

their boys and girls get one. Our Sunday School

teachers should order a copy of the “Irish Churchman"

from Mr. John Waugh, bookseller. It costs 1d weekly,

and contains notes on both the morning and evening

Sunday School lessons. This is very important.

Every teacher who wishes to teach well should get

the notes.

Social at Drumgor.

A pleasant social, which was largely attended,

was held in Drumgor Church Hall on Thursday,

Nov. 8th. After tea, a succession of round games

was enjoyed. The social was held in connection

with the Drumgor Sunday Bible Class. On the

following evening the Sunday School children had

a happy social of their own, at which a large number

were present.

Levaghery Harvest Festival.

On Sunday, Nov. 4th, and Monday, Nov. 5th, there

were large gatherings at both Services, and the room

was beautifully decorated. The Rev. T. H. Magill

M.A., Curate of St. Mark's, Portadown, preached

the Sunday service, and Mr. R. Gracey, Lay Reader

was at the service on Monday evening

New Principal of Seagoe.

The Rector has appointed Mr. Robert Scott to the

vacant principalship of Seagoe Public Elementary

School. Mr. Scott has for the past ten years been

First Assistant Teacher in Enniskillen Model School.

He comes to us with the highest recommendation

and has in the course of his educational career

received many special certificates for proficiency.

He holds certificates from the School of Art, South

Kensington, for freehand drawing, model drawing,

geometry and advanced design, also a certificate

from the Board of Technical Instruction and

Agriculture for black-board drawing. Mr. Scott was

trained in Kildare Place Training College. He hopes

to take up work in Seagoe in January. We extend a

hearty welcome to Mr. and Mrs. Scott and their

young family on coming to live amongst us.

Our Congregations.

Our congregations have, we are thankful to say

largely increased, but there is still room for more.

Some pews are still vacant that ought to be filled.

Were you in your place among God's worshipping

people last Sunday? Had you any excuse for not

being present which will stand the test of the

Judgement Day? Precious opportunities of worship

passing over your head never to return. Come to

your Parish Church on Sunday first, and continue

to come, and bring others with you!

Seagoe in Canada.

We thank Miss Sarah M'Mullen for sending a

very interesting Parish Magazine from Trinity

Church, Port Credit, Toronto, Canada. It is full of

good things. The Rector is the Rev. Henry Earle,

M.A., He has a telephone No. 113. A photograph of

the Church adorns the cover. It is a small brick building

of neat appearance and pretty surroundings. The

Churchwarden's Medal in the Sunday School was

won by Mary Griffith. The Parish had just been visited

by nine Church Army Crusaders, six Captains and

three Sisters. A Confirmation will soon be held. The

Young Men's Bible Class is starting its fifth session.

There is an amusing piece of poetry entitled " The

Ladies Aid." Judge Crain contributes a most useful

article “Take your child to Church.” Judge Crain is

Justice of the Supreme Court in the State of York.

Here is a sentence from it, "You recognise that to feed,

clothe, house and educate your child is not enough,

you must be mindful to have him grow in righteousness.

The command “Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it

holy is unrepealed." We congratulate Trinity Church,

Port Credit, on its interesting and useful Magazine.

Parish Register for November.

Baptisms.

The following were baptized in Seagoe Parish

Church on November 3rd, 1928:

M’Cann—Eunice Elizabeth, daughter of James and

Minnie M'Cann, of Edenderry.

Sponsors—Sarah Kane, Minnie M'Cann.

Jennett—Richard Wesley, son of William and Evelyn

Jennett, of Edenderry.

Sponsors – Elizabeth Kilpatrick, Evelyn Jennett.

Ruddell—Yvonne Caroline, daughter of James Nelson

and Hannabella Ruddell, of Tarson.

Sponsors - James Nelson Ruddell, Hannabella Ruddell.

Guy—Wilfred, son of Samuel James and Annabella

Guy, of Derryvore.

Sponsors—Mil1icent Coulter, Annabella Guy.

Ruddell—Ivy Kathleen, daughter of Frederick Wm.

and Mary Elizabeth Ruddell, of Lower Seagoe.

Sponsors—Matilda Ruddell, Mary Elizabeth Ruddell.

Marriage.

Pickering and Gracey—Nov. 14th, 1928, Albert Edward

Pickering, of Portadown, and Margaret Dilworth

Gracey, of Balteagh.

Seagoe in the New Hebrides.

A “Seagoe" correspondent sends us the following

interesting account of his experiences amongst the

cannibals of the South Pacific: -

Perhaps a brief sketch of our little group may be of

interest to you. Most people have heard of Fiji and

the Solomon Islands, but I much doubt if one in

a thousand has heard of the New Hebrides. We do

not often come into the limelight, yet our unique

form of Government really deserves a better fate—I

think I am correct in stating that it is the only one

of its kind in the world, and an experiment in dual

government which at least, has subsisted over many

years without any untoward "incident." Britisher and

Frenchman live together in perfect harmony in a

country which belongs to neither and yet belongs to

both. In the town of Vila, our Capital, we see the

British and French flags flying from the various

public buildings, and both with equal right.

Historically, the Group is certainly important, but

authentic records of its very early days are very

scarce. It was one of the first discoveries in the

Pacific of the celebrated Navigator de Quiros, who

In the year 1606 cast anchor in a large bay to which

Gave he the name St. Phillip and St. James, and

which it remains to this day. Under the impression

that he had at last located the Great Southern

Continent, the dream of those early adventurers, he

called the land he had discovered "Tierra Australis

el Espiritu Santo." He even established a settlement

in the same Bay on the banks of a river which

he called the River Jordan, firmly convinced of the

importance of his discovery. The settlement was

short lived, disease, and a large hostile native

population soon put an end to it, Remains of his

settlement are said to exist to this day, but I have

yet to meet the man who has, any definite knowledge

of them, either first or second hand.

The Group was next rediscovered by Captain Cook

in the year 1768, and thoroughly explored and charted

by him in 1774. On account of its resemblance in shape

to the Hebrides, much nearer home, he called the Group

the New Hebrides; but it remained for Bougainville to

disprove the contention of de Quiros, and at about the

same time as Cook made his first voyage to the Pacific,

the former sailed through the channel which now bears his

name, and which separates the islands of Malekula

and Espiritu Santo.

For many years the New Hebrides remained a "no

man's" land, but eventually became the favourite

hunting ground of the "blackbirder" and thousands

of natives were "recruited" for work in the Queensland

sugar plantations. Settlement was gradual and slow.

Commencing with a few Copra traders who planted

cocoanuts when their means permitted, plantations

were gradually evolved, and to-day, agriculturally, the

Group has assumed important proportions. With

settlement came the Government, at first a British

and a French Resident to watch over their national

interests and adjust such matters as were within their

competence; meanwhile Great Britain and France

had come to an agreement not to annex the Group

without the sanction of the other. No third parties

were interested.

Missionary endeavour has done much towards the

present civilisation of the erstwhile cannibal. In the

old days the natives throughout the Group were

inveterate cannibals; with the march of civilisation

in certain islands the missionaries have gradually

weaned them from the taste for human flesh, and

the average native looks with considerable shame

on the manners and customs in this respect of his

forbears. Cannibalism still exists to this day in

the islands of Malekula Santo and Pentecost, but

except in the first-named island where the practice

is open and unashamed, the natives prefer not to

admit their appetites in this direction. The Malekula

natives are reputed, and with reason, as the wildest

natives of the South Pacific. Missionary endeavour

has made no impression upon them except perhaps

in the southern part of the island, and after 35 years

of constant work and sacrifice the visible effect today

is nil.

The natives have many customs which are peculiar

to this Group and which have no meaning or

explanation for the white man. When questioned on

these subjects the invariable reply is "Me fella no

savvy, fashion b'long me fella." (We don't know, it

is our custom). For instance, there are no big Chiefs

in the Group, or hereditary Chiefs at all. Rank and

merit are acquired through the killing of a number

of pigs at the ceremonial dances which take place at

regular intervals. In accordance with the number of

pigs a man kills and dependant on their quality he

takes another name and so rises in rank. He becomes

a "Pig Chief," but with no more authority or status

than the average man, except at the ceremonial

dances. Inheritance is through the mother, not the

father. In certain islands a sister must never speak

to or let her face be seen by her brother. When

meeting him on a road anywhere she must squat

down on the ground and cover her face until he

has passed. Wives are always bought; in the

non-Christian communities by the deposit of a

certain number of pigs. Pig is the native currency.

Pig is the be all and the end all in the lives of the

natives, and the tuskers, some of them indeed

valuable animals in native eyes, are given much

more consideration than the women and children.

I forgot to mention that no native is limited to one

wife, but as many as his herd of swine will permit him

to purchase. The woman is the worker and beast of

burden, responsible for the feeding of the pigs and

the head Pig of the family, her lord and master, and

owner. When he is tired of her she may be sold, killed

or given away at his pleasure. In the missionised

islands wives are still bought and sold, sometimes

for pigs, but nowadays generally for cash. The

amorous swain has to part up with some to £5 to

£20 and in addition offer a " Kai Kai" (feed) to the

whole village.

The native, mission or cannibal, is a very

superstitious being; a great believer in witchcraft,

enchantments and devil devils. He can make up his

mind to die, and will do so notwithstanding all the

doctors and medicines in the world. If he firmly

gets the idea that another man has put a spell on

him for some evil purpose, nothing on earth will

convince him to the contrary.

I will not bore you with any more "manners" and

customs"; almost an inexhaustible subject, there is

a limit to your patience.

We are now approaching the end of our “cool"

season, and the next few months are likely to be

trying—the rainy season always is—from November

to March is the worst part of the year, when everyone

who can afford it goes down to Noumea, in New

Caledonia, or further on to Sydney to escape the trials

of the " hot" season. No such luck for me just yet.

Old Seagoe Notes.

Seagoe School in 1713. —In last month's issue when

tracing the History of Seagoe School the first reference

to the existence of the School was fixed in the year 1735,

when the Rev. Arthur Fforde was Vicar of Seagoe. Since

our last issue further facts concerning the antiquity of the

School have been discovered which prove that for many

years before 1735 there was a school at Seagoe. An entry

in the Visitation Records of the Diocese of Dromore

which was copied out many years ago by the present

Rector in the Dublin Record Office (since destroyed

by fire) gives the following additional particulars

regarding Seagoe School. In these returns the

Schoolmaster designated "Ludimagisier." In 1713

the Schoolmaster at Seagoe was Thomas Campbell.

He nominated as his successor Robert Herron. In 1724

William Lapsley filled the same office, and in 1797

James Wilson and Bryan Campbell are recorded as

Schoolmasters of Seagoe. From this record the

interesting fact emerges that Seagoe School has

had a continuous existence for at least 215 years.

We doubt if there is any other Parish School in

Ireland that can beat this record.

“Bop-in-the Hat." A Seagoe Character of the

Olden Days. — While we are writing about our

ancient Seagoe School we must tell our readers

about "Bop-in-the-Hat," a famous Schoolmaster

of Seagoe in the days long gone by. In the year 17??

there came to the Parish as Parish Schoolmaster a

quaint but clever character, by name Francis

Dogherty. He was well-read, could write and speak

very correctly. He acted as Vestry Clerk as well

as School teacher, and all his entries in the Vestry

Registers are made in a neat hand and with scrupulous

care. But Frank was very odd in many ways. Of course,

his income was small—just a few pounds a year—and

he found it hard to make both ends meet. He wore a

top hat, as was then the custom with schoolmasters

and possibly a shabby-gentile black frock coat. But he

is chiefly remembered for his hat. It covered more

than his head. He lived by himself in a small thatched

cottage in Seagoe and each week used to go into the

cluster of houses then known as Portadown, to get his

groceries. His wants were few and simple, a bap or

“bop”of bread and few ounces of tea and a “grain of

sugar.” The neighbours remarked that although he

bought groceries they never say him bringing them

home.They wondered how he did it. One day a

chance acquaintance happened to stop him on the

road. They got into an animated conversation. It

was a very hot summer day, and Frank's heavy coat

made him feel very warm. Just as the heat of the

day and the heat of the argument had reached their

highest point Frank unthinkingly lifted his hat to

wipe his fevered brow, when lo behold there

suddenly rolled from under his hat the "bap," the

tea and the sugar. In a moment Frank gathered

them up pushed them back into the crown his top

hat, replaced the hat on his perspiring head and

without even wishing his friend goodbye ran off

at full gallop and did not slacken speed until he

felt himself secure in the shelter of his own wee

cottage. But ever afterwards he amongst Seagoe

people by the name of Bap-in-the-Hat.

MARRIAGES must be performed between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. Licenses are issued by Rev Canon Hannon, Rectory, Lurgan. Due notice (48 hours) must be given to the Rector of intended weddings. FEES— By License—Labourers 5/-, Tradesmen 10/-, Merchants and Farmers 15/-, Professional £1. By Banns 5/-.

FUNERALS will be attended by the Clergy if proper notice be given. SICK CASES should be notified to the Clergy without delay. FEES FOR CERTIFICATES, BAPTISM, 3/7: Children (Factory), 1/- and (non-residents); MARRIAGE, 3/7. An extra search fee is chargeable in certain cases. It will be a help to the Clergy if they are notified of the arrival of new Church families in the Parish.

A copy of the Magazine will be sent post free to any subscriber for 3s per annum.