Page:Our New Zealand Cousins.djvu/237

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Our New Zealand Cousins.
221

can study every phase of her marvellous coast, every aspect of her wonderful hills, rivers, and sounds.

If you want your portrait taken, you cannot find a better artist in that line than Morris. One glance at his handiwork will confirm what I say.

The churches are really fine. The Scotch Presbyterian Church, of Otago, is well endowed, and, much to its honour, it is a liberal patron of education, and supports two professorships in the University. But the First Church and Knox Church would be an ornament to any city; and to see the dense throngs of big-headed, intelligent men, and fresh complexioned, elegantly dressed women, that crowd the churches is a treat. In Dunedin, par excellence, they "do not forget the assembling of themselves together as the manner of some is." Except in Mr. Charles Strong's church, or when Bishop Moorhouse preaches in Melbourne, I have not, in all the colonies, seen such packed congregations as in Dunedin.

To hear dear old Dr. Stuart preach was in itself worth a pilgrimage. The homely Scottish tongue, the genial mobile face, with the earnest eyes and appealing, winning smile, the quaint illustrations, and powerful searching home thrusts, were those of a born preacher. Would we had more such. I heard Dr. Roseby too. The affectionateness of the man would open the most closely guarded soul, and let the sweet influences of the Gospel work their will.