July 1933

Seagoe Parish magazine.

JULY, 1933.

July Anniversary Service,

An Anniversary Service will be held (D. V.)

in the Parish Church on Sunday, July 9th, at

7 p.m. The preacher will be the Rev. F. W.

McCullough, M.A., Rector of Aghalee. Places

will be reserved for the lodges attending the

Service. The collection will be on behalf of the

Lord Enniskillen Memorial Orphan Fund.

The Excursion-

Everyone in Seagoe was looking forward with

eager anticipation to Thursday, June 22nd,

which had been fixed for our annual Sunday

School Excursion. There is always a certain

amount of anxiety about the weather. We in

Seagoe cannot complain for we are generally

fortunate in this matter. Without boasting, we

can say that our excursion days have been usually

fine. In fact " Seagoe weather" has become

almost a proverb in the neighbourhood. A large

gathering of our Sunday School children assembled

in the Church at 8.30 a.m. for a short

service. Then a procession was formed, headed

by the Seagoe C. L. B. Pipers' Band. Bocombra

Sunday School, the youngest of our nine Sunday

Schools, came next to the Pipers. Other schools

joined in at the Parochial Hall. The march to

the station was made in good time and soon the

first train was full up and left the station. Ten

minutes later another train followed. Arrived

at Warrenpoint a move was made to the Station

Pavilion, where an ample supply of tea and

pastry was supplied. The excursionists then

scattered in all directions. The day was perfect

and the sea and mountains looked their best.

Many went by boat and car to Rostrevor. The

Big Stone is a favourite climb. Some of the

more elderly could only get

As far as Fiddler's Green.

The toy shops in Warrenpoint must have reaped

a fortune. We were sorry to see two gambling

stalls in the Square. They should not be allowed

there, especially where so many young

people gather together. At 5 0'clock the excursionists

made their way back to the Pavilion,

There they enjoyed a splendid tea. About 6.30

the rain began to fall but it did not last very

long and when the return train started it was

fine again. We were soon back in Portadown.

The station square was crowded with

people and vehicles of all kinds. The C. L. B.

Pipers' Band headed the procession back to the

Parish Church, where the Rector thanked the

band for their kind and most efficient help.

The Band played the National Anthem, and a

hearty cheer was given for the King and for

Seagoe. Everyone felt that they had had a delightful

day. Drumcree and several other

parishes in the Diocese of Armagh had their excursion

to Warrenpoint on the same day.

A Day at Summerhill.

Seagoe Mothers' Union had a most enjoyable

day on Thursday, June 8th. Mr. and Mrs. Wilson

had most kindly invited the members to

spend the afternoon at/ their house, on the Killylea

Road, outside Armagh. Two large 'buses left

the Parochial Hall at 2.30. The first halt was

made at Armagh, where the members made

their way to the Cathedral. They were

shown over it by the verger. Some of them

climbed to the Tower, from which a splendid

view is obtained. They then continued the

drive through the lovely country to Summerhill.

They were welcomed by Mr. and Mrs. Wilson.

A splendid tea was enjoyed on the verandah

of the house. They then walked through the

gardens and over the lawn and played games.

Later there were further refreshments, and

shortly before leaving the Rev. W. F. Hayes

expressed to Mr. and Mrs. Wilson the hearty

thanks of the members for their most enjoyable

visit. The journey home in delightful weather

was much enjoyed. The party numbered some

seventy excursionists.

Seagoe School Sports.

This annual fixture has been arranged to be

held at Seagoe on Friday, July 7th, at 6 p.m.

The competitors are practising with great energy

and some new records are likely to be made.

The events will include jumping, 3-1eg race,

spoon race, and many other items. Seagoe has

always been famous for its prowess in jumping.

The Brownes of Ballinacor were a famous. family

for jumping in former days A field in Lower

Seagoe was set apart 100 years ago for athletic

contests of various kinds. A jumping test in

olden days was to jump the water-cuts in. Derryvore

or to clear a five-barred gate.

Seagoe mothers' Union.

The next meeting of the Mothers' Union will

be held (D. V.) on Tuesday, July 18th. The Rector

will entertain the members to tea in the

Schoolhouse at 7.30 p.m., and afterwards they

will spend the evening in the Rectory grounds.

Opening of Bocombra Hall.

On Thursday, June 29th, the new Church

Hall at Bocombra was opened by Sir William

Moore, Bart., Lord Chief Justice of Northern

Ireland. There was a large attendance present.

The Seagoe C. L. B. Cadets and Training Corps

were drawn up on the road facing the Hall and

were inspected by the Lord Chief Justice. Those

present then adjourned to a platform at the

The hymn 424, " The Church's one Foundation,"

was then sung and Prayer was offered by

the Rev. W. F. Hayes. The Chairman having

spoken briefly called on Mr, James Twinem to

make a statement with regard to the origin and

purpose of the Hall.

When Mr. Twinem had finished his speech,

the Chairman invited the Lord Chief Justice to

speak. Sir William Moore said how pleased he

was to revisit Bocombra, where he had been so

kindly received some 25 years ago. He was then

a politician but now that is all passed away.

He congratulated the Parish of Seagoe on having

such a good worker as Mr. Twinem, who had

brain as well as heart, and whose religion was

practical, as was evidenced in a concrete form

by the Hall which had been built. The Lord

Chief Justice, accompanied by Lady Moore,

then proceeded to the door of the Hall and

turned the key. He and others then entered the

Hall and the Rector in a few words declared the

Hall dedicated to the glory of God and for the

spiritual welfare of the people of the Parish.

He then read Psalm 122. All present then had

tea, kindly provided by the ladies of the Parish.

After tea a hearty vote of thanks was passed to

the Lord Chief Justice and to Lady Moore. It

was proposed by Mr. Moses Gilpin and seconded

by Mr. R. M' Clements. The vote was acknowledged

by Sir William Moore, who expressed his

pleasure at being present. A vote of thanks to

the lady helpers was proposed by Mr. T. E.

Maginnis, seconded by Mr. J. H. Twinem, and

passed unanimously. A third vote of thanks

was passed to those who had given special help

in the building of the Hall. It was proposed by Mr. Scott,

and seconded by Lieut. E. L. Mitchell.

C.L.B. Sports.

On Thursday, June 15th, the Seagoe C. L. B.

held their sports in a field at Church Lane, Killicomaine,

very kindly lent by Mrs. Wm. Best.

The sports began at 7 0'clock, when a large

number of people were present. Unfortunately

the weather was very inclement but in spite of

this a very interesting programme was carried

through. Captain Metcalf and Lieut. Mitchell

were present with the Band, Cadets and Training

Corps. Some of the items had to be cancelled

as the ground was very soft owing to the

rain. Captain Ferry, from Belfast C. L. B.

Headquarters, inspected the lads and was much

pleased with their turn-out. A large number of

tickets were sold for the meeting. The proceeds

amounted to £6, which goes towards the Brigade Funds.

Jews' Society,

The following is a list of box collections and

subscriptions sent in last March. We regret the

delay in publishing it:—Boxes—The late Miss

H. Martin, 12s 4d; The Misses Montgomery

10s; Miss Greta Atkinson, 10s 3d; Mr. Arthur

Allen, 9s 4d; Mrs. Richard Hoy, 6s 8d; Miss

Amy Cox, 5s I()d; Mr. Joe Hynes, 5s 9d; Mrs

J. Shanks, 4s 4d; Mrs. Flannigan, 3s 10d; Mrs

Arthur Allen, senr., 3s 7d; Mrs. Arthur Allen

junr., 3s 7d; Mrs. Robert- Magee, 3s 3d; Mrs

Hynes, 3s; Mr. Harry Hynes, bs; Miss Florrie

Hynes, Bs; Mrs. W. Neill, 2s 8d; Mr. Jack

Walker, 2s ld. Subscriptions—A Friend, £1

A Friend £1 Miss Halliday, £1 Miss E. Halliday,

10s. Total—£8 2s 6d.

Parish Register for June.

Baptisms.

The following were baptized in Seagoe Parish Church on June 3rd, 1933 :—

M'Cann—Doris, daughter of James and Minnie M' Cann, of Edenderry.

Sponsors—Sarah Kane, Minnie M' Cann.

M'C1ure—E1izabeth Joy, daughter of Herbert and Mary Jane M 'Clure, of Edenderry

Sponsors—Susannah Liggett, Mary Jane M' Clure.

Lavery—Florence Louisa, daughter of John Emmanuel and Amy Louisa Lavery, Kilvergan.

Sponsors—John Emmaneul Lavery, Florence Louisa Lavery.

Marriages.

Campbell and Watters—June 21st, 1933, Edward Campbell, of Portadown,

Rebecca Watters, of Edenderry.

Cully and Rudde11—June 28th, 1933, Norman Cully, of Portadown, to Anne Ruddell of Kernan.

Burials

M'Keown—June 3rd, Sarah Mary M'Keown, Killicomaine, aged 18 years.

Conolly—June 4th, Atkinson Conolly, of Carne aged 35 years.

Jennett—June 22nd, Noel J ennett, of Edenderry, aged 1 ½ years.

Brown—June 23rd, Jane Brown, of Lylo, aged 84 years.

Pierson—June 28th, John Pierson, of Edenderry, aged 74 years.

Our Losses.

It is with deep regret that we announce

losses by death during the past month. Sarah

M' Keown was called away after a long illness

which she bore with great patience. Atkinson

Conolly passed away after a brief time of suffering.

Little Noel Jennett had suffered much in

his early infancy. The death of Mrs. Brown

of Lylo, and of John Pierson, of Edenderry

came after a long period of weakness. We

mourn the loss of those so familiar to many

amongst us. We offer to the bereaved relations

our deepest sympathy.

SEAGOE PARISH MAGAZINE

Seagoe in Egypt.

The Rector has received the following interesting

letter from Dr. F. J. Harpur, M.D., who

as spent his life in Cairo, Egypt, as a Medical

Missionary under the Church Missionary Society.

Dr Harpur is a son of the late Rev. J. Harpur,

Rector of Ardmore, and is a brother of the Rev.

Canon Harpur, former Rector of Moira. We

would be very glad to find out the name of the

family in Seagoc Parish to whom Dr. Harper refers.

There have been many changes in the

Parish since 1895. The book-case to which Dr

Harpur refers has certainly done its bit well as

an agent of the Gospel in the hands of faithful

workers. The parents who gave their small

savings to the cause of Missions will have reason

to be thankful to the Divine Lord of Missions

for the results of their gift.

C/o Miss Fitzgerald, Mountmellick,

Leix, 2nd June, 1933.

Dear Sir, I hope you will be interested in the

enclosed account of the result on 10/- sent to me

about 1895 from Seagoe Parish. I hope you

may be able to trace members of the family,

They would, I am sure, be interested and may

keep on praying for a blessing on the books sold

in Old Cairo Hospital out patient Department

from that book-case. I'm afraid I have not the

gift of writing things concisely and it will take

you some time to read my long account. One

of the remarkable things which has happened

in the Old Cairo Hospital is that we have had

quite a number of patients from Mecca and

Jeddnh, 1,000 miles away, and copies of the

Bible or New Testament or other Scripture portions

have been taken back to Mecca, where no

Christian can yet go. One reason for this is

that one of the consular agents of King Hussain

had property in Egypt and when Hussain was

deposed he settled in Egypt and bought a house

from the C.M.S. in Cairo and whenever people

from Jeddah or Mecca come to him in

Cairo he sends them to the C. M.S. Hospital.

Perhaps it would be wiser not to mention this

publicly.—Yours sincerely,

F. J. HARPUR.

Dear Sir, 40 years ago, when Dean

Dawson was at Seagoe and my father was Rector

Of Ardmore, Co. Armagh, Dean Dawson

sent 10/- to my father and enclosed a letter from

one of his parishioners, asking him to forward

them to me. This letter was from a poor man

and his wife, who were weavers. I cannot now

remember their name, but it told that when

their first little boy was born they had made a

money box to collect all the pennies they could

spare to help to buy books for him when he was

old enough to go to school. Another boy was

born, and when the eldest was about 4 years

old, both children died from measles of a bad

type. The parents looked on the money as

sacred and opened the box. There was something

less than 10 - in it and they sent the

amount to Dean Dawson, explaining about it,

and asking him if he could send the money to

some Missionary to be used in God's service and

praying that it might be used to bring even one

soul to Christ. The Dean made the amount up

and knowing that I was a missionary

in Egypt asked my father to send the money

and letter me. My people wrote asking me

to lay out the money in some way that I could

afterwards write and tell the kind friends who

sent the money what had been done with it.

When I received the 10/- and read the letter 1

consulted- with our workers at the Old Cairo

Missionary Dispensary how best to lay it out.

We wanted a book cupboard for the men 's

waiting room in which to keep Bibles, Testaments

and other Scripture portions for sale to

the out patients. Miss Crowther, the out-patient

nurse, told me that she had just received £l

from the members of a Bible Class she used to

teach before she came to Egypt, and proposed

that I should get a book-case made for 10/-, and

she would buy £l's worth of books from the

Bible Society to put in it, and this was done.

The B. and F. Bible Society gave us 25 per cent.

reduction on the condition the books were to

be sold at, full price. As we sold books we increased

our stock and at the end of a year I

wrote to Dean Dawson telling him what we had

done and how much we had gained by sales.

The Dean sent my letter on to the family and

they were very much pleased to hear what had

been done. They called the book-case

" The Shop of the Boy that is in Heaven."

The grandfather said he wanted to be a partner

in the shop and sent 10/- to add to our stock,

but before the money reached me the grandfather

had died also. The book account was

kept separate and as well as I remember at one

time we had a good stock of books and £15 besides.

From time to time books and tracts were

also bought, some of which were given away and

some sold, and at Christmas a Gospel was given

to each patient, and the hospital now buys books

when they are required. Some years ago an

Arab soldier came to the Hospital, and perhaps

it was a year afterwards when another Arab

came from Mecca suffering from the same complaint.

He had heard of our hospital from the

Arab soldier. He was a wealthy man and the

Editor of the only newspaper in Mecca and

owned a printing press. He brought his servant

with him and they were given a small ward

to themselves. This man, though a strong

BEAGOE PARISH MAGAZINE

Moslem was curious to know all we could tell

him about Christ and one day he bought a Bible

from the evangelist who come to read with him

daily. When the evangelist left the room the

servant followed him and asked him to get him

a book like the one his master had bought but

not to tell his master. Of course these books

came from " The Shop of the Boy that is in

Some days after the same evangelist

Heaven.

was reading from a pocket Testament to the

Arab and he asked him afterwards to show him

the book and asked him if he could sell him

some like it so he went to the book-case and

brought about half-a-dozen Testaments.

Arab then produced a small attache and

put them in it and asked for more as he wanted

to bring them back to Mecca for his friends, so

we had to send to the Bible Depot for them. I

hope that he was able to get the books passed

through the custom house at Jeddah.

Since then there have been many patients from Mecca

and Jeddah, and some of them have

books back with them. We must pray for God's

blessing on these books, which have been

brought into Arabia, where Missionaries cannot

go. I must, before I close, tell of a remarkable

instance of how the reading of a New Testament

brought a man to believe in Christ and see x

further instruction. I think it was in the year

1895 we had been itinerating along one of the

large canals in the south of the Delta in a

Dahabeyah and had been so well received in

some of the villages that I afterwards sent the

Hospital Catechist to visit the district again.

After a fortnight I joined him and together we

visited some of his acquaintances. I had brought

some Testaments with me in a handbag, and we

sold one to the chief man of a small village.

32 Years Afterwards

A young man in government service came to a

Catechist in Cairo asking for instruction. He

proved a genuine inquirer and after further instruction

was baptized about 1909. He told

how his grandfather had bought a New Testament

years ago and he had read it, and when

after his baptism he invited the Catechist to

spend a day in his village he showed him the

book which looked as if it had been well read.

Yesterday I had a letter from the Catechist to

whom I had written inquiring about him. He

writes, " He is a real Christian. Please pray,

as his wife and his children are not yet baptized.

If I am right in fixing the date at which

I sold the New Testament to this convert's

grandfather as 1895, it must have been a year

before I received the 10/- from parishioners of

Seagoe Parish—but all the same it encourages

us to pray that, out of the hundreds of portions

of Scripture sold from " the Shop of the Boy

that is in Heaven," some may have learned t

love Christ. I am sorry that I cannot remember

the name of the people who sent the money to

Dean Dawson, but perhaps you may be able to

find the family and tell them that the book-case

is still spreading in a small way the Gospel story

Some years ago an English lady who visited the

Hospital was so much interested in the story

that she wished me to have a few words written

in Arabic put on a board fastened to the top of

the book-case, explaining that the book-case was

the gift of kind friends in Ireland for the purpose

of spreading the good news of Christ to

those who did not know it. I am anxious to

let the friends in your Parish know a little of

how useful this book-case has been. We left

Egypt a year ago and I often tell this story when

speaking about the C. M.S. Hospital in Old Cairo

Egypt.—Yours faithfully,

F. J. HARPER, M.B.

Somme Memorial Service.

A Special Service of Remembrance was held

in the Parish Church on Sunday, June 25th, at

Morning Prayer. A large number of ex-Servicemen

were present who marched from Portadown

Seagoe C. L. B. Band, Cadets and Training Corp

were also present.

The Rev. W. F. Haye preached. After the service

a wreath was laid at the Memorial Pillars by the C. L. B. The Rev

W. F. Hayes read the names of the fallen from

Seagoe Parish.

The Last Post and Reveille

were sounded and the National Anthem was

sung. The collection was on behalf of the Co

Armagh Protestant Orphan Society.

Jumble Sale

A Jumble Sale was held in the Parochial Hall

on Friday, June 9th. The proceeds were on behalf

of our Parochial School Improvement Fund

There was a fine supply of all kinds of useful

goods, also a vegetable and cake stall. The

Mothers' Union very kindly gave many cakes.

There was a good attendance of buyers. A sum

of over CIO was realised by the sales. We thank

everyone who helped so generously to make the

sale a success. We hope in our next issue to

publish a full statement of the account.

H.B.S.

Mrs. Martin, of Balteagh, has collected the

following sums for the Bible Society and has

forwarded them to the Secretary :—Miss Uprichard,

2s 6d; Miss Atkinson, 2s 6d; Mrs. Best

1s; Mrs. J. Gracey, Is; Thos. Dickson, Is; MisS

M'C1e11and, 6d; Mrs. T. Russell, Is; A. Ferguson, Is;

S. Rodney Malcomson, 6d; Thos

Martin, Is; Miss M. Lavery, Is; John Armstrong, 6d; Richard Courtney, 6d; Willie Greg

son, 2d. Total—14s 2d.