George Leslie Adkin diary entry Sunday 9 February 1919

Sun Feb. 9.

Walked round the city taking photos: (36) ½ pl.[ate]. The Catholic Cathedral in Barbados St[reet]. The main facade bears the inscription, "Ecce tabernaculum dei cum homnibus." (37) 1/4 pl. The Avon looking upstream from a little upstream of the Manchester St Bridge. (38) 1/4 pl. The Avon from Victoria St Bridge looking down to Colombo St Bridge. (39) 1/2 pl. The Avon showing a Gloucester St Bridge + the old Canterbury Provincial Chambers (upstream) (40) 1/4 pl. Canterbury College + Museum from Worcester St. (41) ½ pl. Entrance to Museum + Botanical Gardens showing statue to William Rolleston. Above the main entrance is the inscription, "Lo! these are parts of his ways, but how little a portion is heard of him". (42) ¼ pl. Canterbury College from Rolleston Avenue. At lunch I

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became acquainted with young man named JM Mackenzie, of Table Top. Hakateramea Oamaru. + in p.m. we trammed out to New Brighton. Extensive dunes on route. Place greatly changed  shoreward end of pier covered in + a charge of admission to the pier. There are also great bathing sheds. Quite a township has sprung up, with two picture palaces. The beach was thronged with dense crowds, walking along beach to North Beach or vice versa, sitting on the sand in groups or disporting themselves in the surf. We stood on pier enjoying the scene for some time. The lines of breakers stretching as far as one can see up the coast make a fine sight. In evening re-visited the Roman Catholic Cathedral. The service quite different this time  only 33 candles burning  no girls and fancy dresses. Several priests assisted by choir boys conducted the service which consisted of mainly chants + intoning s and then a sermon or address. The priest who delivered it was a fine speaker + reminded the congregation that Tuesday week was the 61st anniversary of the "Apparition of Lourdes" he gave a [resume?] of that event: Near

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the little town of Lourdes nestling in the foothills of the Pyrenees in the south of France there is a grotto. 61 years ago a peasant girl named Bernadette was gathering sticks near this grotto when she looked up + beheld a beautiful lady encircled with a halo of light. Eleven times the vision appeared to the girl, + on the last occasion she ventured to ask the lady s name. The vision replied, "I am the Immaculate Mary." + on her disappearance a spring of wonderful water issued from the spot on which she had stood. The little girl told her story in the town + the Bishop Lawrence of Lourdes gathering together the priests + doctors subjected the girl to an exhaustive examination with regards to her story, but she always said the same + it because accepted as undoubted truth. Later Bernadette took the veil, entered a nunnery + finally died there. The priest then proceeded to relate how the world scoffed at miracles, how scientists had analysed the spring-water + pronounced it ordinary in spite of its having cured every kind of disease, but good Catholics, those of the faithful church, knew better than this + must treat all heresy with the contempt it deserves. After

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this truly Catholic address there was further singing, very beautiful, male + female voices separately + in unison being very fine indeed. The congregation did not take part in this though in portions of the service it made responses. Afterwards Mackenzie + I called in at the Excelsior for my camera + I took 1/2pl. photo (43) of the Scott memorial statue lit by electric light. We then went for a walk through Hagley Park completely encircling the Botanic Gardens +coming out on the Riccarton Road.