London: About the first week in January the new memorial window for First Church, Dunedin, will arrive at its destination.
During the past week Messrs Heaton, Butler and Bayne, the makers, have had it mounted for private exhibition, and they anticipate despatching it to the dominion towards the end of this month. The work has been in hand for nearly 18 months, the delay being chiefly due to the distance of the purchaser from the makers. It is an exceedingly handsome memorial, and will add considerably to the interior decorations of the church. With a feeble sunlight shining through it the effect was sufficiently striking. With the strong summer light the effect should be very beautiful indeed, for the subject has enabled the makers to use a great wealth of rich colouring. The full length of the window is 24 feet, its breadth 12ft, so that it will doubtless be very conspicuous when set up in its final position. In the design there has been no great effort to get away from the conventional. One could wish perhaps that there had been. There are six lights, and the window is divided into four subjects. The first represents the Christian knight arming for battle, the three Graces in attendance. Beneath is the inscription "Put on the whole armour of God.'’ In the second subject there is the only touch of modernity. The central figure is that of Christ holding a crown of victory. On the left is a guardian angel and on the right are the figures of two New Zealand khaki-clad soldiers. One is kneeling, his broad-brimmed hat correct in detail, resting on the ground. The other, an officer, stands bareheaded beside him. Beneath this is the inscription: "Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee the Crown of Life." In the third subject ancient Roman soldiers are beating swords into pruning hooks, and the red-hot steel on the anvil provides an opportunity for the use of a very vivid splash of colour. The background is the conventional Eastern scenery. "They shall beat their swords in to plowshares," is the inscription beneath this design. The fourth picture is that of the shepherds receiving the heavenly message of Peace. In this, too, the background is, of course, Eastern, and in both these lower pictures the detail of the scenery is excellent. Beneath the fourth picture is the inscription "Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth peace." — by
ODT correspondent
Big fair for beach resort
The residents of Brighton are making big efforts towards popularising this seaside resort, and with such object in view are holding a monster queen carnival and art union at the New Year for the purpose of raising funds to provide a hall, tennis courts and bathing sheds. Visitors from different parts of New Zealand have declared the bathing beach one of the best while tennis courts should serve to attract those devoted to the ever-increasingly popular game. The carnival will extend over three days — December 30, January 1 and 2 — and an excellent programme has been arranged for each day. Numerous side shows will provide amusement for both young and old, and the catering will be a feature of the carnival. Visitors wishing to spend a pleasant day’s outing could not do better than visit Brighton.
— ODT, 19.12.1922 (Compiled by Peter Dowden)
