TRINITY DEBATING SOCIETY.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 5 July 1901, Page 2

TRINITY DEBATING SOCIETY.

The subject at the Trinity Literary and Debating Society's meeting last night was the "Victorian era of Novelists." Thackery, George Eliott, Rudyard Kipling and Dickens, had been specially selected for discussion, but the gentleman who had undertaken to deliver an address on Thackeray, was unavoidably absent. However, the time was very profitably and delightfully occupied with the other three. George Eliott found a sympathetic and appreciative exponent in Mr M'Kittrick who gave a short resume of her life, character, peculiar religious and matrimonial views, and her works both poetry and prose. Her real name was Mary Ann or Marian Evans, and she was the daughter of a Warwickshire land agent, her most impressive works were 'Adam Bede,' 'Silas Warner,'' Bomola,' 'Felix Holt,' 'Middlemarch ' and ' Daniel Deronda.' Short extracts were read from some of these and Mr M'Kittrick concluded a very interesting address by reciting a few lines of her poetry. Rudyard Kipling himself, could ho have been present would have bowed his acknowledgements to Mr. P. Wake for that gentleman's speech on his behalf. Mr. Wake is a capital speaker, clear, earnest, logical deliberate and forceful, and he had to deal last night with a man, who in his own particular direction, has no peers, a man who has been able by his pen to

exercise a greater influence than any other at the present day. Kipling was reared in the lap of luxury and had every opportunity both in India and England of acquiring information and storing up knowledge, and he appears to have done it with good, effect. He began to write his impressions of men and things when quite young, and his verses, tales and articles soon brought him into the front rank as a popular favourite. His facile pen is equally at home whether he writes of Tommy Atkins or of the GovernorGeneral of India, a barrack room> ballad, a newspaper article, a short story, "The Absent-minded Beggar," or "The Recessional Hymn." Mr Wake vividly pictured the nation's grief when it was feared Kipling would die, and tho reliefs when the danger was passed. still young, only 35, and he may still havea very brilliant future before him. 4 Charles Dickens was U>e last novelist j discussed, and he has an ardent and enthusiastic admirer in Mr H. D. EdwardsMr Edwards drew the contrast between Dickens and Kipling —the one reared in poverty, the other in luxury; the one with every wordly advantage, the other with none. Dickens' struggles in earlylife, he himself discloses iu- " David Copperfield," tbe initials being those of his own name reversed. Mr Edwards was brimful of his subject, and in addition to giving a glowing description of the great author's life and works and his wonderful influence both in England and America and its practical results, he also gave some humorous extracts from Dicken's works.