Mr Mathew Burnett

Feilding Star, Volume VIII, Issue 30, 21 August 1886, Page 2

Mr Mathew Burnett

On Thursday night ike Public Hall was crowded with •ne of the largest audiences we hare seen in Feilding. Shortly after seven o'clock the Feiid- ' ing Band, under the leadership of Mr ■Daw, took up their stand at the entrance of the Hall, where they played several pieces in excellent style. [ While the music was being executed [ the people were filing into the Hall in ! one continuous stream, which only ceased when the building was comf ort--1 ably filled. Mr Macarthur, M.H.E., presided. The choir of the Salvation Army, directed by Mr Lucas, and accompanied on the harmonium by Mrs 0. Brown, sang several hymns during I the evening with great good taste and feeling. The Bey. Mr Griffon introduced the I several gentlemen whose duty it was t» assist in the proceedings .The Bey. Mr Olarke read a portion of the scriptures, and the Bey. Mr Murray offered up a prayer. - The chairman, Mr Macarthur, said he had been invited by Mr J. C. Thompson te preside at the lecture, and he had great pleasuse in acceding to the request. He considered it only right that he and every one present should recognize and support the great and noble work done by Mr Burnett . and others who, like him, were going through the world to teach .temperance with self sacrificing zeal. He remarked ' .-. on the interesting fact that the rising generation of colonists . were, not addicted to habits of intemperanoe. The present Premier ef the Colony, Sir Robert Stout, was a blue ribbon man, and Sir William Fox, who had been twice Premier, was on* of the formostmen in advocating the cause of temperance. -: The Bey. Mr Murray welcomed Mr Burnett in the name of the Presbyterians of Feilding and Halcombe. 1 v The Bey. Mr dark did the same for the Primitive Methedists and Captain Newbold. for the Salvation Army. The Bey. Mr Griffin said he had known Mr Burnett since 1861, and testified to the good work Mr Burnett had done. Miss Malcolm sang "Where Is Dayboy to-night" accompanied -hy ■' ■ (Mrs 0. Brown) and was loudly applauded., _.-....„ f The choir sang "Hold the Port." ~ Mr Burnett, on rising, was greeted with loud and prolonged applause. , - He spoke thankfully of the kind welcome he had received, and remarked on the honor: Mr Macarthnr, as a '•". member of the . House of Bepresenta- - tives, had donehim in presiding. He referred in complimentary terms to the young Salvation captain who had , greeted him so kindly. He knew that the Army were all abstainers from drink, but he thought they should go further and give. -op tobacco also. The occasion, alluded te by the Bey. Mr Griffin, of meeting that gentleman then as a little boy (in 1861) showed the good work he had done then, and he hoped that many young people then •■ in the Hall would also remember him . kindly after the next quarter of a century had gene ever their heads. .- The speaker then gave a graphic de- ..•• seriptien of the wretched scenes wit- -. neesed among the miners and pitmen : in England before the Temperance - , movement had gained strength among ; them. He described the; reformation. -..«> effected among the goldminers in Yic- .« toria and New South Walts. He con- .. . sidered that example, with the .exercise of judicious tact, did more towards reclaiming drunkards and gamblers,/ than all the talk in the world, Th» , lecture was illustrated by many 'inter- " eating anecdotes, and at its conclusion candid ites were invited tocome forward - and accept the blue ribbon and the pledge. At first there was consider- . able shyness exhibited, but after one or two had come forward the rush was '- so great that Mr T^O. Thompson and ? the ether gentlemen who acted as ' secretaries, were fully occupied in ta!k- , ing sigmaturea and filling up cardsV Mr Burnett called for three cheer* ?.. - for Mr Maoarthur and these were? ' given with enthusiasm. The meeting then closed. '■•' > * 4 '

At the aeeting at the Makimo, on ■ Thursday which was presided ove'riy J. 0. Thompson, 1.P., Mr Burnett gave a capital address to parents and' children, after which fifteen took ifflf . pledge and ribbon, the .Jist.being left open. '* ,-:,■; . o. At the scheel in Feilding, the Ber. H. dark presiding, ike lecturer gar» a lengthy and excellent speech to a very large number of the toys and •■- r. girls. At the cleee 112 hoys and girl* . - signed the pledge. . „,. At Awahuri, on Friday, Mr Alexan- -i dor McDonald was in the chair, and/ " x notwithstanding the time if meeting, * 12 o'clock, there was, a large and, « jit ■' r preciatireaudienoe. The leeture'was a ,T rery powerful one, s^dampngilii©^^^ iwho came forward in resp-oWtoits T" I fervent appeals was the phairman who -^'„ ' with a rery goo 4 effect, gare his r«a- •■•■■•- son for signing the pledge for the first* time in his Hfe. One speciality of this meeting was that a number of Maoris were present to whom Mr Burnett made a few remarks which wemkindly interpreted by the chairman. It was also - arranged ior thtfledturer to address a mass meesng«fthV Natives at Awahuri on Thursday the 26th - at 3 p.m., when the dbiei^ill preside. The pledges of ,Beregal . " Maoris who came- forward Wei*. de^" ; f erred until that occasion. , "~. ','..'' ..'*-'*'.''. In the afternoon an address was d«iirered in th* Town Hall, Feilding, to ladies oidy, «n the ;*niuitrious • Women of our time" which included Mrs Harriet Beecher Btowe, Florehc* x Nightingale, Mrs Temple, Anmie Macphers»n, a»d the Duchesses of Buthir-r land and WeßUuinstM. R*r simied ' the pledge.. . . ;