VICAR'S LETTER.

My Dear People,-

Easter was well observed in this parish. Ninety persons made their communions, and l have to thank one and all for the generous Easter offerings of £15/17/6 given towards the Dilapidations Fund of the living. The Church looked very beautiful with its wealth of spring flowers, and the additional lights on the altar. I am sure our thanks go out to all the ladies who gave their time in decorating, and to others who so kindly loaned the pots of arum lilies which were banked on either side of the high altar. But for illness our number of communicants would have been greater. We all appreciated the help of the choristers and organist.

The school children will be examined in religious knowledge by the Diocesan Inspector, the Rev, G. J. Browne, on Friday, May 15th.

Rogation Sunday comes on the 10th of May. The following Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday are the Rogation days, which for many centuries the Church has set apart as times of special intercession for God's blessing on the crops.

There will be an outdoor service on the Wednesday night, to which you are invited to come, when we shall pray for the Divine favour on our agricultural labours.

Thursday, May 14th, is the Great Festival of the Ascension. Falling on a week-day it is hard to observe this with all the dignity of other high feasts of the Christian year. There will be celebrations of Holy Communion at 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. which one hopes will give all a chance of rightly observing this day.

May 24th is the Feast of Pentecost, called in English, Whit Sunday. It is the birthday of the Church, and a day when we specially think of the work of the Holy Spirit. Red is the colour for the festival to remind us of the cloven tongues of fire which alighted on the heads of the Apostles. Holy Communion will be celebrated at 7, 5, and 11 a.m.

Then the last day of May is Trinity Sunday, when the round of great Christian festivals comes to an end. On this day we celebrate a dogma or a fact of God's revealing. The other great days are commemorations of historic events in the life of your Blessed Lord and His Apostles.

Rightly observed, these, days bring home to the devout mind the cardinal truths of our Holy faith, and I hope one and all will do their best to enter into the true spirit which underlies the commemorations.

Yours sincerely,

CECIL G. MUTTER.

A good party of mothers visited the Missionary Exhibition, and thoroughly enjoyed it. We hear the Exhibition has proved a good financial success, and we are glad Hartlip did its part towards this happy state of affairs.

ANNUAL EASTER MEETING.

This was held in the Schoolroom on Tuesday April 7th, the Vicar in the chair, supported by Colonel Locke and Mr S. D. Ho11ands (the Wardens).

After prayers the Chairman reviewed the past year's happenings and spoke of the departure of the Rev. D. H. Creaton, hoping that with the change of climate his health would improve and many useful years of labour yet lie before him. He referred also to the loss sustained by the parish the departure of Mrs. Creaton, who had so ably seconded her husband's good work, and especially was this so in the Sunday School. The parish owed a great debt to the Wardens for their labours and care of affairs during the sequestration. The Day School was mentioned for its efficiency and high tone, and Mr. Southgate, Mrs. Hales, and Miss Harden were congratulated. Hearty thanks were also accorded to the Choir and Mr. Lilwall, to Mesdames Noble and Luck for their work in the Mothers' Meetings; to Mrs. Locke on her presidency of the Mothers' Union; to the Sunday School teachers; to the bell-ringers, under Mr. Twort's leadership; to the Churchyard Committee, led by Mr. W. Luck, and to all who had helped the parish during the year.

The Vicar nominated Colonel Locke as Vicar's Warden, and Mr. S. D. Hollands was elected as People's Warden.

At the close of the meeting the Parochial Church Council met. Mr. Stevens was elected to fill the vacancy created by the death of Mr. R. Savage.

BAPTISMS.

April 5th - George Malcolm Geoffrey, son of George Laud and Gladys Avard.

  "   26th - Joan Lilian, daughter of Albert Reginald and Ivy Lilian Dunk.

MARRIAGE.

April 25th - William Henry Hayfield to Annie Margaret Banks.

Percy Brooke and Daisy Bowles, two of our Day School scholars, left after the break-up on March 31st. The Vicar presented each with a Bible in accordance with the Mary Gibbon School Charity and wished both scholars success in their future careers.

Nineteen children from the School attended the Missionary Exhibition at Sittingbourne, on Saturday, April 11th, accompanied by the Vicar and Headmaster. Thanks are due to the Committee of the Youth Movement, who contributed 3/0 towards helping with the fares.

We have handed Mrs. W. Luck the sum of 13/4 collected as Lenten self-denial by the Sunday School scholars. The money goes to the Waifs and Strays Society.