THE GLOBE. THURSDAY, AUGUST 12, 1880.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 2018, 12 August 1880, Page 2

THE GLOBE. THURSDAY, AUGUST 12, 1880.

It is with sincere pleasure that we notice the success attendant upon the inauguration in our midst of a Working-men's Club. This success is the more gratifying inasmuch as it has been achieved by the working men themselves, unaided by extraneous assistance. There ha 3 been no solicitation to influential gentlemen to head the list of honorary members with the view of giving the scheme a tone, and yet, within four weeks, over one hundred members have joined the ranks and most commodious and well-fitted premises have been secured. This seems to augur well for the future, the more so because the rules under which the club is worked are of such a character as entirely to put an end to the sneers and insinuations which might by some perhaps be levelled against it. The principal of these, and perhaps the most damaging to the welfare of an institution which all must desire to see prosper, would be that it merely means a private drinking shop. To this, fortunately, the reply is easy. The promoters—very wisely indeed—have passed the rules in such a way that excess cannot take place. Intoxication—as the placards suspended in the club room plainly states—means expulsion. There is no exception. A member there in a state of intoxication and he ceases to be a member. The strongest argument is that on the list of members are seven or eight prominent and enthusiastic Good Templars. It is not at all necessary that a man should drink. He is not considered a worse member because he does not call for anything, nor is there any inducement held out to drink, although, if a man requires it, he can obtain it at tariff price and of the best quality. And now for other objects of the promoters. One of the most noticeable points during the late political contest — one, indeed, which has been prominent for many years—was that the working men were swayed at the will of the first

fluent demagogue who might address them. They had no opportunity of communing amongst themselves on subjects affecting their interests, of interchanging opinions or of gaining information. Now this is just what the Workiug Men's Club supplies. They can meet, as it were, under their own roof, and with the more intelligent class of working men who would not go to a public house. Under these circnmstances there is certainly more probability of the working men arriving at a right conclusion on political matters, because, instead of being influenced by polling platform utterances, they will have thought the subject out for themselves calmly and intelligently. Again, the institution supplies to the working man a means of innocent recreation which was not available to him before. He can play any of the games of skill—the committee wisely setting their|faco determinedlyj against gambling of ' any kind whatever—and thus pass away his leisure hours. Thorp are no temptations to drink,"nor spend his money at all, and for a moderate subscription he is able to enjoy many comforts. The formation of discussion classes, classes for teaching technical science, &c, will follow in due course, but there can be no doubt that a great deal has been accomplished, amply proving that the working classes themselves are quite competent to undertake and carry through to a successful conclusion the formation of an institution such as this. Now that they have placed it on a firm and sound basis, they can with confidence appeal to the public to come forward and join them, and to prominent citizens to aid in the good work by becoming honorary members. As ardent advocates of institutions of this kind, and as having pressed the necessity of such an one in Christchurch, we heartily congratulate the promoters, and trust that their career, so auspicously began, may go on with uninterrupted success.