THE TEMPERANCE HALL.

Evening Star, Issue 3385, 26 December 1873, Page 2

THE TEMPERANCE HALL.

The ceremony or laying the foundation -tone of the now Temperance Hall was performed at 10.15 this morning by the Mayor, in the presence of the office-bearers and members of the various temperance organisations in and around Dunedin, and a goodly sprinkling of tin general public. In toe customary cavity was placed' a brittle | containing copies of the Evening Star, ‘Daily 'Times,’ ‘Guardian,’ ‘temperance Advocate,’ ‘ Provincial Government (Jazette,’ t!ic current coins of the maun, the prospectus of the company, and a send I hearing toe spin tores of the directors and the officers of the different lodges. Prior to the stone being lowered, the assemblage was addressed by Prov, W.C.T, Bro. J. W. Jacio, who spoke as follows ;—I have been requested by tiro diro'Tors of Die Temperance it all Company brief! y to state the cir..urmtaHc<-a, which have led up to the gathering in which we are pri- ! vileged to take pa»t to-day. Por some considerable time the want of better accommodation for the various temperance organisations throughout the City lias been seriously felt. We have been driven about from pillar to post, from one place to another, till we have outgrown all available accommodation, and it has become absolutely necessary to do something to meet our growing requirements. For a number of years the leaders in the Temperance movement here have talked of building a Temperance Hall, but till now the hour or man. hail come. The proposal to erect the hall, the foundation stone of which wc are mot this day to lay, originated with a few t mperanee men, chiefly members of the Pioneer Lodge of the Temperance rder of (Hood Templars. That lodge having outgrown, the aoeommod ,tion provided in the kali in Cumberland street, in which it first met, and the Fri. u ily Society’s Hall and the ' ddfellows’ Hall having both proved insufficient for their increasing nurnb. r, it was found absolutely necessary to find a more suitable place in which the societies may meet. It was determined to form a company under the Joint Stock Company’s ct, the propectus was issued a considerable number of the shares floated, we have got a lease of this ground on favourable terms, and we have met this day to lay the foundation stone. I think we may well congratulate each other on the circumstancesin which we are met to-d-y. We may congratulate ourselves on the fact that we are to have a hall, that we have secured this site on such satisfactory terms, that we have the chief magistrate of this great City to officiate, and thaEwo have so great a gathering to wit ness the pleasing ceremony now about to be performed. It is unnecessary for me to say anything as to the importance of tin movement in which we are engaged, nor of the absence of these who are wont to regard themselves as our leading public men. This need not at all discourage us. It has been the same in the history of every great social reform. Thes.' have all originated with the people, and when tiny have become so influenced by the truth as that the leaders of society felt they mus either accept the principles or retire from the position of leaders they desired to hold ; then they were ready enough to adopt the reform which had thus been forced upon them. So had it been, and so would it be with this movement The temperance reform had been inau.-iKated in England by a cheesemonger, a dogger, a blacksmith, and men in such like Social positions ; and here were we to-day, in this far away end of the earth, met to lay the foundation of a new temperance hali. We have three great enemies to contend with—vested interests and mammon worship, fashion, and then pasnon ami appetite. To overcome these, we must be earnest, consistent and mvompromising ; but if we were only thus determined against ail opposition to maintain our position, having tru hj on our side, we must ultimately prevail. I hope this will mark a new era in the hi-dory of the temperance movement here, and that we w r ill to day resolve to set our selves to our great work, with a firm resolve to carry to a successful issue the work to which we have one- more put our hand, and towards which we have again set our faces —(Loud cheers ) The .‘-tone was then lowerd, ami on being declared “welland duly laid,” the Pro■ incial Band, whicu was in attendance, played the .National anthem. P. W C.T. Bro. Graham read a short invocation and sprin kled the stone with water, after which G. W, P. Bro. the Rev. Dr Roseby delivered up a short but impressive prai er. The Mayor, addressing the company, said be regarded the ceremony just perfo med with greater pride than any other act he had done during his Mayoralty. Although not a teetotaller, bis sympathies were with the movement. His earnest wish was to see the rising generation never take the glass in their bands ; never to take strong drink meant never to desire it. Since the temperance movement had started in Dunedin he had noticed vreat changes in the City: men were taking places in society who l}ut for this movement would have been walking in the mire. His advice to the young people present was that the men should have no sweet hearts and the women no husbands unless they were total abstainers, and teen there would be happiness in families. He had to thank them for the honor done him in asking him to lay the foundation stone. (Cheers.) i beers were called and given for the Mayor and Bro. Jago ; after which, a procession was formed and it proceeded to Morningtou, where a picnic was held. Of the af.er festi ities we shall have something lo say tomorrow.