RECHABITE SOIREE.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 18, Issue 1138, 5 October 1871, Page 2

RECHABITE SOIREE.

£he first anniversary of the Hope of Napier Tent, 1.0. R., was celebrated on Tuesday evening by a soiree iu the Oddfellows' Hall. At .6 p.m., a large number of the ' brethren" mustered at the Tent-room, in Tennyson-street, and at half-past 6 a procession was formed, headed by the Rifle Volunteer Band. Immediately in the rear of the Band were the past and sitting rulers of the Tents, followed by the other brethren to the number of about seventy, among whpm were several from the recentlyopened country Tents. The procession marched some distance up Shakespeareroad, and from thence hack to the Oddfellows' Hall, the band playing lively airs. As soon as the members had entered the Hall, the proceedings commenced, and grace having been sung, undivided attention was paid for a time to the good things provided by Brother K. Bishop. The hall was well tilled, and with the tasteful decorations (remaining from the late ball) presented a very lively appearance. The various tables were presided over by ladies, who performed the onerous duties which .devolved upon them as only ladies can. The tables having been removed, the chair was taken by the Rev. R. Tavlor, P.C.R. of the Rose of Sharon Tent, who briefly opened the proceedings. Song (Dr Hitching*) : "Happy are we to-night, boys." Brother J. M'Yay, Secretary of the Hope of Napier Tent, who was intra dnced by the Chairman, then read the First Annual Report of the Hope of Napier Tent. He sard that the Repot t had been drawn up in as brief a form as possible, and consisted of a simple statement of facts and figures. Facts such as were set forth in this statement were, in his opinion, much more telling than any comments he could make. He then read as follows : Iu bringing forward this, the first annual report of the "Hope of Napier" Tent, No. 6, N.Z. District, of the Independent Order of Rechabites, we have thought it unnecessary to offer any conjment, as we believe a plain unvarnished statement will be more convincing proof of our prosperity than any remarks of our own. It is with great pleasure we inform you that that the financial and numerical progress of this Tent has been highly satisfactory indeed more so than was anticipated by its most sanguine advocates. The " Hope of Napier " was opened with 11, members, on the 13th September, JB7O, and, through the very favorable reception accorded to the society, and through the energy of its members, the number had, on the 21st of September, 1871, increased to 67 members. The total number of initiations during the year .was 81, but several having joined other Tents of the order, has tended to reduce, us to the present number. The receipts for the year amount to £2OO, which is divided as follows: —Sick fund, £80; fuueral fund, £3B ; and the balance to the coutingeut fund. We are pleased also to report the opening of a Juvenile Tent, in July last, in connection with the " Hope of Napier," which numbers 15 members, and is progressing very favorably, the juveniles evincing great interest in the society. The report was receiyetjl 7 ith loud applause. The Chairman said the next item on the programme was an ' address by the Chairman," and he therefore felt it his duty to obey. The Secretary had done well in sparing them the infliction of a long report, for few things were more tiresome at gatherings of this kind than long and dry financial details. For his own part, he would not detain the meeting long, and would promise that he would not introduce finance or figures. A young minister, on entering the pulpit, was advised by an experienced friend to be i* short and sweet." lie replied, "I will be short enough, but will leave you to judge ot the sweetness." He (Mr T.) would this evening adopt a similar course. He was deeply gratified to see so large a number assembled to celebrate the first anniversary of Rechabitism in this Province, and to know that the good pause had fpund so much favor in the eyes of the people, He ielt it a great honor to

preside at so large a meetiDg, and one in honor of so worthy a cause. The benefits of the Order were great and undeniable. The principal objects of the Society was to stein the torrent of intemperance, to make wives happier, and husbands better members of society, and it had already been instrumental in no small degree in producing these results. When he first went to Waipawa, seeing the magnitude to which the evil of intemperance had grown in the country districts, he had cast about in his mind for some plan which would have the effect of rescuing those who had already fallen, and preventing others from finking into the same sad condition. E[e had thought of a temperance society and band of hope, but hd thought those who might join would scarcely be strong enough to keep up the interest, and that it would be better not to try at all than to make an attempt which would most probabh' result, in failure. When he heard that Brother Troy was endeavouring to open a Rechabite Tent in Napier, he said, "That, is the thing for Waipawa." He came to Napier and called on Brother Troy, and the result was that the second Tent in the Province was opened at Waipawa about six months ago, and it now numbered 31 members, besides 10 on the proposition book. People throughout the Province were becoming interested in the cause, and he hoped soon to hear of Tents at Meanee, Clive, Havelock, Porangahau, Waiuoa, —in fact, one in each village in the Province. (Applause.) It was now a year since the first Tent was opened in this Province, and there were now four, all in a prosperous condition—- an indication of progress which could not be misunderstood, and which gave great cause for thankfulness. The names of the Tents were, the " Hope of Napier," Napier; the "Rose of Sharon," Waipawa; the "Lily of the Valley," Vernon ; and the " Excelsior," Waipukurau. He believed thai there were many wives who blessed the establishment of Rechabitism in this Province. There was no other vice so degrading as drunkenness, none which so completely obliterated every semblance of humanity, and reduced man to a lesel lower than thai of the animal creation. To say a man was "as drunk as a beast" was a libel on the poor beasts. For Iris own part, he preferred the expression, ''as drunk as a. lord." He had heard of a drunken man returning from the public-house at midnight, who had to pass through the churchyard. The moon was rising, and threw the shadow of the building in a slanting direction. He looked at it for a time, and he then said "Why, the chinch knot straight!" He resolved to get it right, and throwing off his hat and coat, placed his shoulder against the building to restore it to its proper posi tion. After some pushing, he went away to examine the result. The moon had come a Utile further round, and the shadow was more nearly parallel with the side. " 1 t's hotter now," he said, "another push will set it right." He pushed again for a time, but stayed 100 long, and found the shadow a little jn the opposite direction "Ah," he said, " I've overdone it." He now pushed on the oilier side, but find ing his efforts in vain, he gave it up as a bad job. Meantime a neighbor had passed, and seeing how he was occupied, had taken away the hat and coat. He waited for him, and said, " Why, man, what have you done with your clothes 1 " " Oh," he said, -" I've just been putting the church straight, and I'm afraid I've set it on toj) of them.'' (Great laughter.) Now, be would ask, was there ever a brute who would do so foolish a thing as this 1 He wo/iild now say a word or two about the benefits of the Order. In the first place, it occupied a man's mind. He felt that he was not a mere unit in society, but a member of an indepen dent and respectable organization Then, again, each member was making provision for sickness or in case of travelling, and for his wife and children in case of his death. There was very few who were unable to make such provision as the Rechabite Order afforded The subscriptions varied according to the circumstances of the Tents, but in the one with which lie was connected it was 12s per quarter, for which a member received medical attendance and 15s per week during sickness, aM-

in case of his death his family woulqj. receive £2O from the funeral fund. The success of the Order would be much augmented if the sympathy of the ladies were only secured. He was a firm, believer in female influence. Over the young man seeking their baud and heart—over their husbands—and ovei their own sex—their influence was beyond estimation. He remembered a female temperance society once having a procession, and some of the member? .bore a banner on which. was inscribed: " iS.one need propose who are not teetotalers." Let every woman become a teetotaler herself, and take this for their motto. If they married a teetotaler they need not fear a drunken husband. The education and. instruction of children was committee! to their mothers, and they could do much in instilling into their minds principles of total abstinence, and in pointing out to them the awful vortex into which so many had fallen. He knew of a mother who vay exceedingly pleased to see her lit tie boy climb, up and reach a glass of wine from the table, and drink it. She did not check his appetite, and when he was b xt seventeen years of age, because she refused him money for h,e shot her, for which crime he died on the scaffold. He exhorted wives whose husbands, frequented the public-house to keep a bright and cheerful homo for them, and gieet them with a smile, by pursuingwhich course they might in many cases not only induce them to spend their evenings at home, but; perhaps to join the Rechabites. In Rochdale, his, native town, there lived a man and wife who were always quarrelling. The wife was dirty and untidy, and the husband was a drinking man. One day when he went to work he said he would kill her when he returned. She went to her mother, and said, "Jack says he. will kill me when he comes home ; what shall I do V Her mother said, "No wonder ; your house is like a pig-sty. Go home and clean it up, and wash yourself and the children ) and I warrant he'll not kill you." She said, " What i do all that for Jack? Never ! " But after some persuasion she did so. At six o'clock Jack returned, and looking in at the door, said, '< Have yon got visitors 1 " She said, " No, Jack, only you." He picked up his youngest child and kissed it, saying " Bless thee, T've not seen thee so clean since thou was born." He did the same wi<h the eldest, and looking at his wife, he said, " Let's see thy face, lass. Why, its as nice as when I was courting thee ! T haven't had a for three years and a half; but I'll have one now." (Laughter and applause.) " Will ye keep the place always like this ? " She said, u 1 will, if you'll leave off going to t'Red Lion." So they entered into a compact to that effect there and then. In this case, instead of her husband killing her, she killed him, after the fashion of " the man who killed his neighbors." In conclusion, he hoped that the ladies of Napier would soon institute a female Tent (hear, hear), and that it would be even more successful and prosperous than the one tho anniversary ot which they had met to celebrate. (Mr Taylor took his sear amidst loud applause ) Song and chorus ; " Annie I^isle." Song by a gentleman: " O tell mo how to woo thee." Recitation (MrStubbs): " The Little Knowing Boy." Song and chorus ; i: Mocking Bird " Song (Mr Gradwell) : " Nil Desperaudum.'' This being loudly encored, he substituted ." «J"ust before the Battle, Mother," Song and chorus: " Come Home, Father." Song (by Dr Hi tellings, who accompanied himself on the pianoforte); " Roland the Brave " Reading by the Rey. Mr Morice: " Outwitting a Landioid." (An amus: ing anecdote relating how a Yankee named Hezekiah, outgeneralled a landlord, who by arrangement with :he stage-coach driver, systematically cheated travellers out of their meals) Song (Mr Graham): " Twinkling stars aie laughing, Love." The Rev. Mr Redstoxe said that from the crowded state of the large hall in which they were met, a great many must have invested their half-crowns lit

/tickets for the celebration. Like Hezeiiah, he "guessed they had got the rally of their money." (Applause.) He was pleased bevond measure -to see yo lai'o e au assemblage present. So far as he understood Rechabitism, it was a n institution with a two-fold object—£rst to do something towards stem'ma the advancing tide, of intemperance —the greatest vice of English-speaking people. The second object was to induce men to make a proper use of their money. This was perhaps the lowest object of Rechabitism; but, rightly viewed, it was a very important one. One of the great evils of the liquor traffic was the great waste of money and properly of which it was the cause. During the first sixty years of this een tury the amount spent in intoxicating liquors in Great Britain alone amounted to 3,600,000,000—f0ur-aml-a-i- alf times the amount of the National Debt, and more than the revenue of the kingdom during the time. In the success which had so far attended this movement in papier he saw much encouragement for the future. To those who as yet had not joined he would say—Brother, by your love to your fellow men— by your pity for the viccims of drink, for their friends, for the bereaved through drink, —have no more to do with the accursed thing that has wrought so much mischief. To the workers in the good cause whom he saw around him, he would sa y—Toil on, nobly and perseveringly, till your grand object is attained and your efforts are rewarded with success —till the gieat caneer shall have been cut out of society. Hammer away at the enemy's fortress, buttressed with interest and cemented wirh selfishness —black with crime and red with guilt —until the world rejoices with you in the final overthrow of the most terrible .ovil that ever cursed the English race. (Great applause). The Chairman said that in some parts of the Colony " anti-shouting " societies had been established, to combat one of those drinking customs now i-o prevalent, and he wished them every success. This "shouting" system led to vast evils-, and could only have been designed to fill the publican's till The -" auti shouting" principle was embodied in the Rechabite pledge, and any member who gave or offered intoxicating drink to another person, by so doing .ceased lobe a member, having broken the pledge of the Order. Song by Dr Hitehings: #Miss Julia." The .Doctor's rendering of this song was irresistibly comic, and fairly " brought down the house." Recitation bv Mr Gradwell, from « Othello." Song and chorus : " Silver Moonlight Winds are blowing " Duett (Dr Hitehings and Mr Gradwell): "All's Well." Brother Levy, P.C.R., moved a vote ,of thanks to the ladies and gentlemen who had kindly assisted, and contributed to the success of the present meeting. It was not the first by many that he had attended, but he thought it the most interesting. Town people, accustomed as they were to musical and other entertainments, could not appre ciate it like those who came from the country, to whom it was a rare treat. Brother McVay moved a vote of .thanks to the Chairman. On behalf of the Tent with which he had the honor to be connected, he thanked the large number unconnected with the Order who had shown their regard for its objects and principles by their presence to-night. It would have the effect of making the brethren work with renewed vigor in the future. Tn conclusion, he hoped the next anniversary would be celebrated by a similar entertainment, and as full a house. Both votes were carried by acclamation, and the proceedings were closed shortly after 10 p.m. with the National Anthem, the audience rising and jointing in the strain. The we believe, was between 450 and 500.