PAEROA ORPHANS.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXX, Issue 5468, 30 August 1929, Page 2

PAEROA ORPHANS.

LAST NIGHT’S SESSION. CAMBRIDGE VISITORS. The monthly session of the Paeroa Orphans was held last evening, with Bro. H. Poland, Guardian of the Club, in the chair, and artists from Cambridge providing the musical programme. On the chairman’s left was Bro. T. Hampshire, president of the Cambridge Orphans’ Club, arid on his right Bro. P. Williams, president of the Paeroa Orphans. Splendid, enthusiastically received, and. greatly appreciated musical items were offered by Bros. J. Linsley, “The Mountains of Morne” and “Live for To-day” ; T. Boyse, “May Morning” and “To a Miniature”; J. Young, “Invictus” and “Friend o’ Mine”; T. Hampshire, “Song of an Egg” and “The Curate”; S. Hardwick, “Shipmates o’ Mine,” “Bedouin Love Song,” and “The Company Sergeant-Major” ; A. Boyse, Rachmanikoff’s “Prelude" and Goddard’s “Barcarolle” ; S. Wetherall, “The Deep Bosom” and “Are you working, no are you.”

During the second half of the programme the same brethren again rendered items.

The chairman extended a cordial and sincere welcome to the brethren from Cambridge, saying that Paeroa was always pleased to receive visitors from there, and he hoped during the evening that the Cambridge brethren would enjoy themselves as much as the Paeroa ones had done on their visit to the Waikato town.

Bro. T. Hampshire replied on behalf of the visitors, and remarked that the evening added one more link in the chain of friendship between the two towns. The visit to Paeroa was becoming an annual event to look forward’to. The interchanging of clubs did a great deal of good and brought the towns as well as the members into closer bonds. He hoped Paeroa would soon be holding two sessions a month, ,‘and said that Cambridge alreadj' lookfed forward to the 1930 visit to Paeroa Bro. Poland chose as the subject of his address “Dignity of Labour.” First quoting the Paeroa School motto, “Labor omnia vincit,” .he said that there were many who believed that a man who laboured with his hands was doing something degrading; the idea of a man getting through life without working was envied, and yet the man who would not. work was looked upon as a waster. The two ideas were hard to reconcile one to the other. The man who did not work was a drone| There was dignity, something ennobling in labour, be it by hand or head. Labour gained the food for the bodily wants of the family and of the universe. All labour was honest and laudable, and hfe would bear testimony to its dignity. The very atmosphere, the onsweeping rivers, the - ocean, never at r?st; the glowing sun rising in the morning and dissipating the frost; the changeful moon with its never-ending- effect, oh the tides; planets, ever on the move ; the beasts of the field, the cow producing day after day ; take, too, the Creator, who never slumbered, said Bro. Poland. All bore testimony to the dignity of labour. ■ -V, : ’’ '

Labour was dismayed by no obstacles. It cleared the forests, drained the swamps, drove the plough, converted corn into wheat and thence, into bread, the staff of life. Labour mined the pastures and swept the water for fish to feed 106 million people. Labour gathered the silk from the cocoon, cotton from the fields, and wool from the sheep to make clothing soft, warm, and beautiful. 1 The/ cloth for the prince arid the cloth for the peasant had come from the hands of labour. Labour quatried the stone, split the slate, felled the - - timber for,’’be it pal-' ace oi- cottage. Uribour dived into the bowels of the earth yand,'; mined the coal, to the ultimate benefit of all concerned. Labour secured gold arid, articles beautiful to us. Laughing at difficulties, labour built bridges, tunnels, railroads. ; Men had reached such perfection \vith telegraph, telephone, and wireless that theyoutstripped the wind. Words could.be sent as fast as thought iitself. The prince of the., mighty Empire, the man .o r broad acres, the poet, and peasant all gained from labour. Neither the prince, the man of wealth, or anyone else had a monopoly of dignity. In.-) the dingy office where the pen was pursuing its task, in the shop busy supplying the necessaries of life, the ploughman, the miner ; with each was the dignity of labour. While each man diligently prosecuted his humble task, if he' avoided what was mean and conteniptablp; was there not dignity in labour ?'