The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-11-08 00:00:00

"To the Rev. H. W. Atkinson

Rev. and very dear Sir,
We, the members of the conv.regation of Trinity
Church, Old Hill. and parishioners of that parish,
desire to express to you the great regard and affec-
tion in which we hold you, and deeply felt apprecia-
tion of your work among us during the last two
years, alike in your public ministration, your
loving and sympathetic intercourse with us in our
homes, and that truly consistent christiau life
which has so constantly been preaoh---d •co us. We feel
deeply your loss and s tall ever lament our depriva-
tion of your loved presence arnong us.
We ask your acceptance of a iimepieca and trust
that it may often bring to your mind the times in
which you have been eitabl,d to cast seed corn on
the waters here and encourage you to look forward
to the hour of its fruition in gL:ry. We also hope
that the accompanying books may be found helpful
to you in the study of the word and in furnishing
you with the mess,ge of salvation to those who ma)
in the loving care of the Good Shepherd be privileged
to receive your ministration.
Be assured, dear Sir, that you take with you our
warmest affeetielv., most loving sympathies, and pro-
foundest regrets. With earnes-.prayers that a bless-
ing may attend you wherever you go.
We are, &c.
Here followed the list of signatures.
Mr. B. Cartwri3ht on rising said: As it is cay duty
to z ead the sddress of the scholars of the Reddal
Hill Endowed Day Schools, I should, before reading
it, like t make a few remarks. In losing Mr.
Atkinson we have lost a very dear and valued fr;end
ile willnever be forgott.:n by the children of our day
schco!. They did, not only regard him as the cu-
rate of Old Hill, but as a brother, and when he
(Mr. Atkinson) entered the school he was always
accepted with great joy by the children. There are
many people who make promises but yet do
very litte, and there is another class of people who
promise little and do a great deal and to this latter
class of people our dear friend Mr. Atkinson belongs.
Tru., his stay among us has been one of hard work,
and it has been cline very quietly. lain sure Mr.
Atkinsun wid always look up',/n his stay at Old Hill
as one of the pleasantest of his life. The address of
the child 'en is as follows :
"To our very dear friend, the Rev. H. W. Atkin-
son.

We, the children attending the Reddal Hill
Endowed Church of Englund D cy Schools, desire
you to accept the gift of a Vice of Elite as a bleu
of the Lye ,aid affection which we feel for you.
Your many kind Words of encouragement and
warning to us and the deep interest you have
taken in our bodily and spiritual welfare as shown
iii your frequent visits to our schoals, will ever
cause us to think of you as one of our best and dear-
est friends. And though you are now separated from
us, yet we shall ever feel you bound to us in the
waraiest bonds of love.
Trusting that the God of the little ones may ble,s
you with ell the riches of His grace and grant to us
a happy meeting in heaven,
Signed on behalf of the above,
Benjamin Cartwright."
Mr. Car:wright expressed his pleasure and yet it
was mingled with grief, in making the presentation.
Mr. G. A.. H. Best then read the address of the
scholars of the Sunday School. He also remarked
that it was the first public meeting that had been
held in that place, and it was, he should say, a con-
secration. The address is as follows :
"To our dear teacher, the Rev. H. W. Atkinson,
We, the children of the Holy Trinity Church
Sunday Schools, have great pleasure in presenting
to you, as expressions of our sincerest love and at-
taohm nt, the ac c ompanying gifts of a Travelling
Dressing Case and a Sta:ionery Cabinet.
We hope that whenever you look upan these gifts
you will call to mind the many happy and blessed
hours we have spit together when yau -ht se
lovingly to teach 113 of the love of Jesus and the joys
of Heaven.
We deeply regret that we are not now allowed to
enjoy the benefit. of your teaching: but we assure
you that the memory of the past will never perish ;
that the consist eucy of your Christian life, and the
earnestness you manifested in the Master's work
will ever strengthen us in our future career; and
that we shall always think of you as our best and
taest loving earthly teacher.
That your life may be over happy and blessed is
the prayer of your loving Scholars.
Signed on behalf of the above,
G. A. H. Best.
Mr. T. Cooksey on presenting to Mr Atkinson a
Communion service, said he had great pleasure and
yet great grief in doing so. He should take it as a
kindness from him to accept the gift which he had
great pleasure in presenting to him on behalf of the
teachers.
Mr. M. Rock then read the address of the mete.
bets of Mr. Atkinson's Monday evening class which
is as follows :
" fo our dear Friend and Teacher, the Rev_ H. W.
Atkinson,
We, the members of your Monday Evening
Class ask your acceptance of the accompanying
Bible as a small token of the value which we place
upon the teaching which it has been our great
privilege to enjoy. We shall ever hold in dela re-
membrance those delightful evenings when you s)
clearly, truthfully, and lovingly instructed us in the
thil,gs belonging to Salvation
Tao tho:ight that they are at an end is, indeed, a
source of dap regret. We shall, however, always
think of you with feelings of love, and trust that your
future work, if spared, will, by the blessing of God,
be as successful as it has been whilst you were at
Old Hill.
Mr. H. Cartwright expressed his pleasure in pre-
senting to Mr. Atkinson as an affection of esteem, a
bell, on behalf of the ringers.
Mr. Atkinson, on rising amid loud applause, said;
My very dear friends I feel that I can never thank 1
you as I ought for these very beautiful books you I
have given to me this evening, they are so splendid,
so valuable, they are valuable in themselves, but
they are inexpressibly valuable to me, because they
tell me of the deep love that you have for me. It
tells of the precious bonds of union that can never
be broken, because we ure joined together as mem•
b:rs of one body of the Lord Jesus Chi ist and
nothing can separate us from Christ, nor anything
Separate us the one from the other. That truth is
very precious at such times as these, when we meet
as we do to night under peculiar circtuns'ances, cir-
cumstances that tell of change. How comfertiug it.
is to be able to realize and to know that God a our
refuge, the rock of ages, the unchangeable one. God
whi has been the refuge of his people throughout all
generations and who is now a very pleasant help to
them in time of trouble and will be for them their
eternal home. Such a time as this memory is very
busy, and I look back for the plat two years and as
far as my cennection with you has been, the love of
God has made those two years to be very plea-ant
and very happy on. And as I went in and oat
among you, too, as far:as my poor power would serve,
to tell you of haw, and try to cheer the hearts of