THE DOMINION FAIR.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 42, 18 February 1908, Page 2

THE DOMINION FAIR.

OPENED BY CARDINAL MORAN.

• The Dominion Fair, promoted ""By the Catholics of.;Aucklan.fi .for the ,purpose - of > liquidating the debt on St. Patrick's Cathedral, which was recently added to and improved at considerable" ejfpense, was opened in the Royal Albert Hall last night. The hall. was crowded long before eight "o'clock;, and the doors had to be closed shortly after "the Cardinal | and his party put. in an,.appearance. Consequently, a large jnumber of ..pepple to gain admittance to the building, which was crowded in all parts. When the Cardinal, accompanied "by Archbishop Redwood, Bishops Lenihan, Gallagljer, and O'Connor, and_. Jlgr. . O'Haran, private secretary to the Cardi-. nal, and several of the local clergy, entered the hall the audience rose en masse and cheered the Cardinal, while the {garrison Band struck - up an Irish air. The audience was packed in the gallery, and round the sides of the hall, and the performers taking part in the spectacular display, the "Birth of the Empire," formed the inner line of a square at the head of which sat Cardinal Moran and his prelates and clergy. The Mayor and Mrs. Myers arrived shortly after the Cardinal I _and were accorded a hearty reception. _ - ;":'-. -.' " ? -» V Bishop Lenihan, when he rose to state that he had much pleasure on behalf of the diocese in extending a hearty welcome to Cardinal Moran. He expressed his deep appreciation of the Cardinal and prelates accompanying him for their presence, and also to his Worship the Mayor and the Mayoress, who were always ready to be present with them and to help and assist them in' every way. He referred to the great work done by the committee and by Mons. -Borzoni in promoting the bazaar, and regretted that they had -been unable to obtain the Drill Hall,asit was quite evident the hall now at their disposal was. far too small. He had intense pleasure in, calling upon the Cardinal and asking him to declare the bazaar open. Cardinal, who was greeted with . applause, referred to the pleasure he experienced in revisiting Auckland after an absence of 22 years. On that occasion he took part in a similar function, and he remembered, with pleasure how on . that occasion' the citizens of Auckland .of." every "class and ■ denomination, co-operated-with the zealous bishop to assist in the celebration then held. He hoped that this fair would attract the sympathies of all classes of citizens and meet with equal success as the great function he had referred to. He congratulated the city and the citizens of Auckland on the marvellous change that had taken place-during those 23- years. A. great change had taken place in the transition ojf the country from an"ordinary colony . to an integral* part of the Empire in receiving the title of Dominion. When | that designation was conferred upon | Sew Zealand, the ■ people of Australia were unanimous in the opinion that the distinction was well deserved. (Applause.) New Zealand had been fortunate in the possession of a democracy governed by statesmen of tolerance and enlightenment, and- -she was happy in the possession of a_ similar blessing now. During the past twenty-two years there Had been a-great development not onlyin the.social "order,"but also in the religious ..prdeiv When, he last- visited Auckland the chutches, schools, and convents werfeiirthe" first .stage of- developEient. * i T pw they had attained their full growth,, aniwere spreading around them the magnificent blessings attendant on such development. (Applause.) The cathedral building , was now complete in all its details, and corresponded to the designs their industrious bishop had marked out for it. The three great factors in the building up of "a nation "were religion, enlightenment, and" patriotism, an(f a cathedral typified the highest ideal to which they could aspire. The religion acquired in the Middle Ages was the ground work in the building up of the great Germanic nations. Speaking of the effect of literature and. education on the masses he said they could bring "about "the of society and nations- if not rightly "applied. Any literature that led to anarchy and the establishment of secret societies, or to the destruction of married life could not be considered a.blessing. It was .the] same as regards education, which, unless tempered by religion, should be disr | eouraged. True patriotism, quickened "by enlightenment" "and sanctified by religion, could not but lead to the grandest results in the raising of the nation to the high destiny to which it should attain. - In conclusion he a°-ain expressed his pleasure at being present at the festival, and expressed a hope" that all the citizens would cooperate" with the 'bishop and thie committee and all those interested in the -success of the fair, which he was now 1 I happy to- declare duly opened. - (Loud and continued applause.) "After the .Cardinal's.address, the -spec--tacular display, "The Birth of the Em was presented.: under the direction of-Si^norßorzohi: The.display consisted "of many graceful tableaux, drills .and po=es the total number -of performers 'taking part being 200. They vere divided info" : squads of" eight, "each division representing a- State of the Empire. The national' costume was worn in each instance, and the whole went to form a xombinatipn of, gorgeous colouring.. Xne groups first came on separately, aiul,. after -soing through pretty evolutions, combined in presenting a series of attractive marches and tableaux. ' The song and -chorus, " Sons of the Empire," was a i feature of the display. Mr. J. Wheelan j took the solo part.' The' display repre- i :sented " The Meeting of the Empire/ and j concluded--with a tableau in which the j central figure was Britannia (Miss M. i Ryan). At the buse of the pedestal on ; which she stood were, besides a standard I bearer with the Union Jack unfurled, ihree little girls displaying emblems of " Liberty," '" Religion," and " Justice." Another, feature ..Was the grand waltz in H'hifh there were 130 performers. This gave a 'fine' opportunity -for-a display of the variety and ; colouring of the costumes worn W'the* : ladi6s, "while'-the"intricacies of the dance were much- admired. Music was supplied by tiio Garrison Band,' and Miss Julia Hist presided at the piano. Owing to the time taken up by the speeches and spectacular display, there was. comparatively little time for the young ladies to canvass for the bazaar, but for all that they were very successful, and the night's takings amounted to over, £160. The fair will be continued every -evening for the next fortnight, and matinee performances" will be given tomorrow- and Saturday afternoon.