June 1930

Seagoe Parish Magazine.

JUNE, 1930

RECTOR :

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

LAY READER (Bishop's Licence) :

Mr. Robt. Gracey, 69 Bridge Street, Portadown.

CHURCHWARDENS :

Rector's—Wm. H. England.

People's—Gilbert Price.

Whitsuntide.

This year Whitsunday falls on Sunday, June 8th,

arid it will be marked by special services in the

Parish Church. At 8 a.m. there will be a celebration

of Holy Communion, and also after Morning

Prayer. The offerings at all services will be on behalf

of the upkeep of the Parochial Schoolhouse.

Whitsuntide - is one of the great Festivals ot the

Christian Church.

It is the day when we commemorate the descent

of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost.

It marks the 50th day from Easter.

It was called Pentecost Or Fiftieth day by the Jews

in accordance with Lev. 15: " Ye shall count

from the morrow after the Sabbath; from that day

seven weeks shall be complete." These 50 days

between Easter and Whitsuntide or Pentecost were

always observed as a period of special Christian

rejoicing. It was on Whitsunday, June 9th, 1549, that

the Book of Cornmon Prayer in English was first

used instead of the former Latin Prayer Book.

Trinity Sunday.

The Sunday following Whitsunday is observed

the Church as Trinity Sunday. It is the day

which sums up in itself the teachings of the Christian

year since Advent. On that day our thoughts

dwell on the greatest of all subjects, the Nature and

Being of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

A Memorial Service,

On Sunday, June 29th, Memorial Services will be

held in the Parish Church in memory of those,

especially from this Parish, who fell in the War.

At Morning Prayer the Seagoe C.L.B. will parade.

Wreaths will be laid at the Memorial Pillars and

during the Service the names of the fallen will be

read. The offerings will be given to the Co. Armagh

Protestant Orphan Society.

School Inspection.

The Rev. W Armstrong, Rector of Dromara and

Inspector of Religious Education in Public Elementary

Schools, will examine toe pupils attending

Seagoe P.E. School in Religious Knowledge on

Tuesday, June 10th. Certificates will be awarded

to those who answer best.

Sunday School Excursion

At a meeting of Superintendents and Teachers held

in Seagoe School on Monday, May 5th, at 8 p.m., it

was decided that the Annual Excursion this year

should be to Warrenpoint, and the date fixed is

Thursday, July 17^th. Full particulars regarding the

price of tickets and the hours of trains will be

published in our next issue. July is the holiday month

and our experience last year of having the excursion

in July proved so successful that we are repeating

the arrangement this year. A great many friends of

Seagoe from all parts of the world visit the old

Parish in July week, and it is delightful experience

for them to join once again as they did years

ago in the Sunday School excursion. There is great

variety at Warrenpoint—climbing, boating, bathing

and driving. We expect a record attendance at our

excursion this year.

Mothers' Union Excursion,

The Seagoe Mothers are going to have an excursion

of their own on Thursday, June 19th, to Warrenpoint.

They will (D.V.) leave Portadown by

train at 10.45, and will leave Warrenpoint at 8 p.m.

The return ticket will be 1/9, and tickets can be had

from any member of the committee or from the

Hon. Sec., Mrs. J. Reid, 5 Tavanagh Avenue,

Portadown. The usual monthly meeting of the M.U. will

not be held this month.

Sunday School Conference.

A Conference for our Sunday School Superintendents

and Teachers has been arranged to be held in

Seagoe School on Thursday, June 26th. The Conference

will begin with a short service in the Parish

Church at 4.30. The members will then adjourn to

Seagoe School for the first session, at which a paper

will be read on " The Spiritual Equipment of the

Teacher." A discussion will follow, and at 6 tea

will be provided. The Conference will be resumed

at 7.30; when a paper will be read on " The Organisation

of the Modern Sunday School." At 8.30 a

third paper will be read on " The Giving of the

Lesson."- Tickets, admitting to the Conference, will

be issued through the Sunday Schools. We hope

all our teachers will endeavour to attend the Conference.

Jumble Sale.

A Jumble Sale is being arranged to be held in

the Parochial Hall, Edenderry, on Friday, July 4th,

at 7.30 p.m. The proceeds are on behalf of our Sunday

School Parochial Fund. Please gather together

anything which you have and which you do not

want. Everything will help. Gifts of money and

farm produce will thankfully acknowledged.

Remember the date, July 4thy at 730, in Edenderry

Parochial Hall.

SEAGOE PARISH MAGAZINE

Mr. W. J. Connor.

The Rev. W. J. Connor is at present on a visit to

his native Parish of Seagoe. It is 40 years since Mr.

Connor left Seagoe for Canada, where he was ordained.

He has served all these years in various

parishes in the Diocese of Huron. Mr. Connor has

many friends in Seagoe, where he did good work

under the late Dean Dawson. He has a good memory

and has no difficulty in calling to mind the

names of those who lived in the Parish half a century

ago. Of course many of those whom he knew

have passed away. Mr. Connor preached at two

services in the Parochial Hall last month. He has

many interesting stories to tell of his Canadian

experiences. He has served as Rector of Dresden,

Durham, Adelaide and Colchester, all in the Diocese of

Huron.

The Grove Field.

Subscriptions towards the purchase of the Grove

Field are coming in steadily and already a sum of

£57 6s 2d has been lodged to the credit of the fund,

but the balance is still considerable and in Order to

cover the cost of purchase (£160) a further sum of

£102 13s 10d will require to be raised. We ask that

who have not yet subscribed to kindly send in their

subscriptions to the Hon. Treas., Mr Hugh Stoops,

Killicomaine Road, Portadown, as soon as possible.

Building at Seagoe.

The foundations of several new villas have been

laid last week on the Upper Seagoe road. It seems as

if before long all available building sites will have

been taken. A notable addition to the new buildings.

in this neigbourhood is the handsome factory

erected by Cumo Ltd., near Seagoe Villa. The

design and structure are of fine proportions and the

office portions of the building are fitted up in an

exceptionally attractive and complete manner. Light

and power are provided by a finely housed electric

installation. We congratulate the Directors of Curno

Ltd. and Mr. Forsythe on a building which is an

ornament to the locality.

Visit of Miss Dawson

Miss Cherrie Dawson spoke at several parochial

gatherings during the past month on behalf of the

South American Missionary Society. Owing to

missing a train in England she was unable to speak at

the Mothers' Union meeting on Tuesday, May 13th,

but very kindly spoke to a meeting of the members

on the Friday following. Mrs Bulloch, of Portadown,

very kindly addressed the members on the

Tuesday evening. Miss Dawson visited the country

Sunday Schools, Seagoe, Drumgor, Hacknahay and

Levaghery on Sunday, May 11th. In each School

much interest was shown in Miss Dawson's work and

collectors were appointed to arrange for a monthly

collection in support of an Indian child. Colonel

Dawson and Mrs. Dawson have gone to reside in

Bath, England.

St. Mark's Tower

The War Memorial Tower which is in course of

erection at St. Mark's Church, Portadown, will soon

have reached its full height. It is a magnificent

monument and dominates the whole town. it can

now be seen from long distances and forms quite a

landmark to the surrounding country. Lurgan and

Portadown are fortunate in possessing as their

central buildings such .splendid Parish Churches. The

spire of Lurgan and the Tower of Portadown gave

character to their respective towns. The presence

of such a fine architectural monument in Portadown

is certain to have a great effect on the future of the

town. The Tower is modelled on the famous

Magdalen Tower in Oxford, but there are some

differences, perhaps the most notable is that St. Mark's

has octagonal piers while those in Magdalen tower

are square.

Parish Register for May.

Baptisms

The following were Baptized in the Parish Church

on May '3rd, 1930:—

Magee—Samuel Lester, son of Joseph William and Emma Magee, of Kernan.

Sponsors—Anne Jane Patton, Emma Elizabeth Magee.

Liggett—Hugh and Henry John, sons of John Joseph and Julia Liggett, of Edenderry.

Sponsors—Susanna Liggett. Julia Liggett.

Lester—Ruby Elizabeth, daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth Lester, of Lower Seagoe.

Sponsors—Elizabeth Woodside Lester, Elizabeth Lester.

Forster--Thornas Victor Hetherington, son of Cecil Reginald Bertram and Jane Forster,

of Dunmurry, Parish of Drumbeg.

Sponsors—Agnes Shanks, Jane M'Kinstry.

Privately Baptized.

Kearns—May 16th, 1930, David, son of David and

Ellen Kearns, of Killicomaine.

Received into the Congregation.

Magee—May 3rd, 1930, Elizabeth and May, twin daughters of Joseph William and Emma

Magee, of Kernan.

Sponsors—Anne Jane Patton, Emma Elizabeth Magee.

Old Seage Notes

A SEAGOE SERMON OF 1858.

In our issue of October, 1929, we published portion

of a sermon preached in Seagoe Church by Archdeacon

Saurin. In our present issue we print portion of another

sermon which the Archdeacon

preached in Seagoe Church on September 12th, 1858.

The Archdeacon was most diligent and painstaking

in the preparation of his sermons. They are written

on large sized paper and in a bold clear hand. They

are carefully punctuated and each sentence has

evidently been constructed with much thought. The

Archdeacon came of a clever and eloquent family,

and although it has been said that his actual delivery

of a sermon was somewhat halting, yet the

SEAGOE PARISH MAGAZINE.

sermon was always worthy of its place in the Service

of the Church. As a proof of the care with which

the Archdeacon used to prepare his sermons, the late

Mrs. Jack of Seagoe Villa, used to tell how

she could hear the Archdeacon every Saturday reading

aloud his sermon as he walked up and down in

front of the Rectory. The Archdeacon's sermons,

compiled with so much care, and delivered after

such diligent practice were not as one might naturally

expect, readily laid aside. The Archdeacon

was particular in entering on the front of each sermon

the place and date of preaching it. He did not

hesitate to preach the same sermon at fairly frequent

intervals. The sermon of which we here give

an extract has on its front page the dates and places

of preaching. The sermon was written by the Archdeacon

during his stay at Malaga, in Southern

Spain, where he lived with Mrs. Saurin and his two

daughters from 1855 to 1858. The following the

1858—Malaga, May, 1858, Sunday before we went

to Granada. Seagoe, 12th Sept., 1858.

Seagoe, Sunday evening, 13th May, 1810. Balteagh

and Seagoe, 11th .Januarv, 1863. Seagoe, 25th June,

1865. Seagoe, Sunday evening, 20th January, 1867;

very bad storm or frost and snow. Seagoe, 4th April,

1869.

" The Victory of Faith," a Sermon preached in

Seagoe Church by Archdeacon Saurin on September

2th, 1858.

Heb. xi., 13—" These all died in faith, not having

received the promises, but having seen them afar

off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced

them, and confessed that they were strangers and

pilgrims on the earth."

Among the various pleas which have from time

to time been urged against the necessity of believing

in the doctrines of Christianity, is that of the

difference of opinion which has existed upon them

from its first promulgation—many men of the most

eminent learning have looked upon some of the most

important doctrines of the Gospel as points of controversy.

Why, then, it has been argued, why

should the unlearned be expected to entertain a

faith respecting these things, which those who ought

to understand them better do not appear to exercise.

Alas! my friends, the fact is true, but the inference

is not so. God is made known to us, not through

worldly wisdom, but by His own revelation. Canst

thou by searching find out God? was the pious truth

that Zophar spake to Job, and experience has proved

to us, that there is as much knowledge of the human

heart in the remark, as of God's mysterious dealings.

The pride of intellect has, from age to age,

stood in the way of the humble, childlike spirit of

faith—and the words of inspiration are as applicable

now as when they were uttered three thousand

years ago, vain man would be wise, tho' man be

born like a wild ass's colt. The learned Pharisee

and the deep read Scribe could not, with all their

knowledge of the prophecies, perceive the identity of

Jesus of Nazareth with their promised Messiah, the

mighty works which were done before their eyes

served only to harden them in unbelief, and to drive

them to seek for an explanation in the supposed

agency of witchcraft, whilst the common people

heard Him gladly. And Christ magnified the wisdom

of that decree, by which the gracious designs of the

Almighty were hidden from the wise and prudent,

but were revealed unto babes. In every age there

has been a tendency amongst the learned to be wise

above that which is written, forgetting the Apostle's

counsel.

If any man among you seemeth to be wise,

in this world, let him become a fool that he may be

wise, for the wisdom of this world is foolishness with

God—for it is written, he taketh the wise

in their own craftiness, and again, the Lord knoweth

the thoughts of the wise that they are vain.

O, no, my friends, the doubts and controversies of

the learned and worldly wise should be no stumbling

block to him who is content to walk by faith and not

by sight.

It is written. says St. Paul, I will destroy

the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing

the understanding of the proud.

It was in the spirit of prophecy that the Apostle wrote, knowing

that worldly knowledge untempered by Christian

humility, so far from creating within us a spirit of

pious faith, has in general quite a contrary effect.

It suggests difficulties and speculations upon the

simple records of the Scriptures; it loves to start new

theories, to put commonly received opinions into new

lights, without first ascertaining from the only sure

authority, whether the old interpretation be not the

best. And so, the human mind will too Often wander

on in the pursuit of something new, until, bewildered

with the results of its own experiments it

is led to fall back upon itself—and with regard to

any startling fact of Scripture, they seem to oppose

the received systems of human science, it will ask,

How can these things be? Whilst the less learned,

but more humble Christian, will remember that His

Saviour's declaration to His doubting disciples was,

With God all things are possible. However, my

friends, I sincerely trust that amongst us, is no evil

heart of unbelief, but that even now, whilst in

pronouncing the creed of our Church, you with your

lips professed to believe all the Articles of our Christian

faith, so with heart and mind you were agreeable to the same.

When the hope of the coming Saviour was exchanged

for the enjoyment of the Saviour come, we

find, as we might have expected, that the promises of

God manifest fin the flesh, the hope of justification,

and redemption through him, wrought as powerful

an inworking spirit of faith in them upon whom the

ends of the world had come, as ever did the promises

revealed by the Spirit in the patriarchs, and

worthies, and prophets of old time. It was this that

bore up Apostles, Saints, confessors, martyrs, above

all the temptations that ,surrounded them. It was

this spirit of faith, wrought in them by the power of

the Holy Ghost, that made the once timid finishermen

of Galilee confront the heathen ruler on his judgement

seat, and brabe the league of Sadducee, Scribe, and

SEAGOE PARISH MAGAZINE.

Pharisee, this that made the Intrepid Apostle Peter

declare, as spokesman for the rest, We ought to obey

God rather than men. It was this that made them,

one and all, depart from the presence of the council,

not dismayed at persecution past, or perils yet to

come, but according to, their divine Master's prophetic

admonition, rejoicing that they were counted

worthy to suffer shame for His name. It was this

that supporeed the holy Paul through shipwreck,

stoning, scourging—What were to him, save as so

litany proofs of God's sustaining grace, what were

to him his frequent trials, his perils of waters, Of

robbers, of his own countrymen, of the heathen, in

the city, in the wilderness, in the sea, amongst false

brethren? What heeded he of his weariness and

painfulness, his frequent watchings, his hunger, and

thirst, his fastings, his cold, his nakedness? The

unaided spirit of the natural man would have quailed

before these accumulated trials. It must needs have

cowered down in dismay before the very prospect,

much more under the reality of these appalling illc.

But the spirit of the Apostle had a power within

which his persecutors knew not of. It enabled him to

look with confidence for that grace, which was

pronounced sufficient for him, in answer to the prayer

or faith. It Could soar beyond the grave—like that

Moses, it could look to the recompense of the reward

reserved for God's perfected saints, when trials,

persecutions, sufferings, and temptations, as Compared

with their eternal heritage of glory, will be

remembered only as so many proofs that God's mysterious

mercy and love, are connected with every dispensation,

whether permitted or ordained. We too, if we rightly

appreciate those means of

grace which God has so abundantly given us for the

restoration of our souls, are heirs 'of the same spirit

faith. To us of these latter days God says, as He

did to the chosen ones of old, Open thy mouth wide

I will fill it. And thus it is the Christian's privi-

lege as well, to repose in such pious confidence on

his God, that he Oan say of all His dispensations,

whether for weal tor woe, Behold, here am I, let Him

do to me as seemeth good unto Him.

But, my friends, let me remind you that it is not

enough if we only make to God the offering of the

very dregs of our existence, whilst we spend the

choice part of our lives in forgetfulness of Him. It is

not seemly to pass the morning of our days in

following after our own devices, and, when the shades

of night are deepening around us, then, for the first

time to come to Him with the mocking submission,

I am now here—though He is always eventually

found of them that seek Him, and though the end

of that search is assuredly eternal life, yet, we can

scarcely be so unreasonable as to expect, that, if we

have never sought Him in the days of our prosperity,

the very first pleadings of our Sorrow will be heard,

and answered on the instant. No, there may be

exceptions, but as a general rule there must be a long

growth in grace before we can arrive unto the measure

of the stature of the fulness of Christian. I

would therefore, my beloved, urge each of you to take

no rest until you have individually secured an interest

in Him who died to redeem us from all iniquity,

remembering with thankfulness ,that He who

hath begun a good work in you, will perform it

until the day of Jesus Christ..

THE ROYAL IRISH FUSILIERS AT THE BATTLE

OF BARROSSA.—The close connection which has

always existed between the Royal Irish Fusiliers and

the Parish of Seagoe and which was so greatly

intensified during the Great War by the courage and

self sacrifice of our noble 9th Battalion demands that

here in our Parish Magazine we should record the

doings of our famous Regiment at the Battle of

Barrossa, when through its surpassing bravery it won

for itself its special title first of " Princess Victoria's

Own." At the time that the Battle of Barrossa was

fought the Regiment was known in the British Army

as the " 87th Regiment of Foot." Barrossa is situated

in the far South of Spain. In March, 1811, the British

General Graham determined to take the French in

the rear so as to raise the siege of Cadiz. He embarked

his troops, including the 87th Regiment, and

landed them near Tarifa. The Spaniards, our allies,

were so apathetic that General Graham said of them

that the only reason why they wished to drive the

French out of Cadiz was that they might be free to

enjoy the wild strawberries of Chicklana." On the

morning of March 5th, 1811, the British and Spanish

reached the heights of Barrossa, four miles from the

sea coast. Barrossa is a ridge 1 ½ miles long,

stretching inland with a pinewood in front and the Forest

of Chiclana on the left. The French were in Chiclana

keenly watching the British. Through the carelessness

of the Spaniards the French gained possession

of the commanding ridge of Barrossa, thus driving

a wedge between the British and the Spaniards.

Major Brown saw the danger and asked Graham

what he should do. Graham's reply was short and to

the point, " Fight." A fierce fight ensued and the

British were being overwhelmed when the 87 ^th

Regiment was called on to help. They charged the

French with such fierce energy that they drove the

French first line in on top of the second and with

such violence that the whole enemy force retreated

from the ridge in a confused and defeated mass,

Such was the Battle of Barrossa. It had only lasted

1 ½ hours, but was one of the most bloody battles ever

fought. Fifty officers, sixty sergeants, and eleven

hundred British soldiers were killed and Wounded,

More than 2,000 French were killed or wounded,

including two generals, while six guns, an eagle

standard and 400 prisoners were captured. The. Fusiliers

still keep their " Barrossa Day" each year in

memory of the great Battle, and .they still bear the

our able title of " Princess Victoria's Own,"

conferred upon them in memory of their great

achievement. The Regiment was also entitled to bear as

their standard " An eagle with a wreath of laurel

above the Harp," in addition to the arms of the

Prince of Wales in Commemoration of their

distinguished services at the Battle of Barrossa.