A LIVELY MEETING

Gisborne Times, Volume V, Issue 108, 16 May 1901, Page 4

A LIVELY MEETING

ADDRESS BY SIR CONINGHAM.

The old Protestant Hall in Sydney lias seen a few lively meetings—mostly political. In all probability it will see a few more, says the News. But neither among those past, or those to come, will many be found to eclipse, in degree of animation, that of the other evening. About 2000 persons assembled to hear Mr A. Coningham deliver an address on a recent divorce case. And those 2000 were not unanimous. Moreover, they were nowhere near it. So numerous were the ejections that the progress of the meeting was punctured by them, at very brief intervals, over its whole course of three hours. The address commenced at a few minutes after 8 o’clock. At that hour, the hall was filled, on floor and gallery, with a crowd which, up .to then, had give,, no promise of being any more unruly than that which attends the average Band of Hope festival. But that crowd, or a portion of it, at any rate, was deceptive. It behaved itself as it filed in, and individually surrendered its admission tickets. It behaved itself till 8 o’clock. But when Mr Coningham walked on to the platform, following his chairman, there was an immediate indication of coming trouble. The tremendous olieering which greeted him was mingled -with sufficient groans to betoken the presence of an element which had to be reckoned with. The element, too, lost no time in getting to work. When the chairman, a tall young gentleman named Clapham, introduced the lecturer, after reading a ielegram from the Rev. Dr Dill Macky, expressing regret -at inability to be present, his voice could scarcely be heard. When after Mr Coningham commenced tiAspeak, Mr Clapham had to appeal for British fair play, and a good hearing, a gentleman in the body of the hall, with something on his mind, mounted a chair, gesticulating angrily. He also said something, but his words were inaudible at the Press table. For many others were also speaking. There were innumerable cries, for instance, of “ Chuck him out,” mingled with approving cheers, and advices to “ Keep it going,” the latter being accompanied by assertions that the interrupter was “ a good’un.” The advices to “ put him out ” were generally delivered with great earnestness by people who were at a safe distance from “him.” This accounted for the retort, in some instances, “ Why don’t yer come, and put ’im out yerself ? ” Then from the chaiilfnan came a solemn warning that anybody disturbing the meeting would bo put out, answered by a man in the gallery, who foretold some dreadful accident if such a proceeding were attempted. Straightway many hundreds of voices rent the air with shouts, groans, and cheers, inharmoniously blended, the noise being redoubled as the original disturber was picked up by many willing hands and hustled to the cooler air of the street. His departure was the signal for a rough and tumble near the door, in which about one-fifth. of those in the body of the hall seemed to take part, while the other fourfifths stood oil their chairs looking at them, and shouting encouragements. But no casualties wore reported, and the chairman’s efforts to restrain Mr Coningham -from what seemed to be an attempt to reach someone who had said something to him having been successful, order was partially restored. Prior to this juncture, however, things had looked particularly ugly, and many present thought that a riot was impending. Indeed, SubInspector Sherwood, who was present in charge of several police, stepped to the front.of the platform, and, addressing the chairman in a very loud voice, which was almost drowned in the uproar, was understood to say that, if the meeting was persisted in, he would accept no responsibility for what might occur. The Chairman then told the meeting that he had been personally assured by Mr Fosbery that adequate police protection would be afforded, and that they had nothing, therefore, to be afraid of. Then Mr Coninghara went on. He had first heard of his wife’s misconduct, he said, eleven months ago. Since then, the lecturer said, he had been bullied, threatened, intimidated, and trodden down. More interruption. Than, as the events leading up to the first trial of the case

were referred to, the disorder was pretty nearly continuous. Some of the interjections were pertinent-some decidedly impertinent. As there were usually about forty being uttered simultaneously, in voices of varying strength and melodiousness, they could not be heard. But while the irrelevant one ranged from admonitions to “ pull up our socks ” to the query “ Does your mother know you’re - out ?” a wholesome respect for the libel law prevents us from reporting those which might be called relevant. For the same reason the full and broad picturesqueness of the remarks Mr Coningham addressed to Mr Exton, when he saw that gentleman in the body of the hall, go unrecorded. This discovery on the part of the lecturer was responsible for another scene of unparalleled disorder. Pointing directly at his former friend, he cried: “ There’s Exton; there’s Exton 1 ” By way of response, Exton mounted his chair, cheered by all in his immediate vicinity vociferously, and attempted to address the meeting. For several minutes his hand was extended in true Marc Antonian style, and several times he got so far as to say : “ I stand here,” but beyond that very apparent statement he did not get. Three-quarters of an hour had now passed. Mr Coningham tried to start again, but he had to contend against a storm of “ boo-hoos,” cat-calls, and alternate cheers and groans, which were conj tinually being called for and lustily given for Dr O’Haran, Exton, the Cardinal, the lecturer himself, Kev. Dr Dill Macky, the chairman, and such others as the fancy of the audience suggested. Once, as something of unusual' interest was said, there was silence for fully half-a-minute,

and the contrast was a remarkable one. Then, at somebody’s instance, more cheers were given for the Cardinal. Then somebody made a request for a “ tiger.” Then the strain, For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow,” was taken up, to an accompaniment of deep groans—fortissimo, and then again several hundred men, whose throats were probably so sore that to continue shouting entailed great physical discomfort, commenced to whistle with more vigor than tunefulness. And all this time the lecturer was vainly trying to make himself heard, while the majority of the audience spent their time in getting up on their chairs to obtain better views of each fresh dis-

turbance.and getting down again. Many a man would have given up in disgust long before. -Nine o'clock arrived. The next half-hour was just as disorderly. Now and again, from a spot fn'the centre of the hall, the owner of an excited visage would spring forth, waving his arms vigorously, and would voice his opinion of Mr Coning}ifun in about six, or sometimes eight, well-chosen words of. unrivalled strength and unmistakable meaning. Then he would be promptly ejected. By the time the police had returned from their task of guiding him to the door, their services would probably be required for the work of escorting to the street another, who had, perhaps, bettered his performance. Probably, nearly two dozen were thus removed, but more than one bore a strong family resemblance to others that had been ejected before. Once, even, one of the reporters at the Press table, whose well-known religious proclivities had caused him to be in a condition of visible unrest for some time, stood up and addressed a-few remarks to the lecturer. He was almost immediately interviewed by Inspector Potter, and at once seized his “ copy ” and left the hall. At least one other pressman threw off for once the usual stolidity of the man who is present to work, and not for amusement, and his interjections were terse, frequent; and free. Many of the expulsions took

place while Mr Coningham was reading letters which he had written, he said,- to Dr. O’Haran and to the Cardinal. In fact, so accustomed did the great gathering become to the frequent and periodical

“ chucking out ” that there arose a popular demand for it, which had to be appeased, and which led to still more disorder.