ORPHANDOM.
PAEROA CLUB’S SESSION. THAMES EVENING. Wednesday’s session of the Paeroa Orphans’ Club was Thames night. His Worship the Mayor of Thames, Mr W. Bongard, occupied the chair, and artists from Thames provided the musical entertainment. During the course of the evening Mr P, Williams announced that the Auckland Orphans’ Club had written asking that Paeroa’s ladies’ night be held on November 16 or 23. Mr J. B. Johnston, the Auckland president, would take the chair. Before the supper interval the Thames artists gave numbers from their usual splendid repertoire, numbers which delighted their audience and which were received with rounds of applause. The quartette sang “Carry me back” and “In the Gloaming,” followed by Messrs J. Bailey with “The Toast” and “Devon for me” ; T. C. Galloway, “Fishermen of England” and “Two eyes of grey”; A. Briggs, “Blow thou Winter Wind,” “Mandalay,” and “Invictus”; G. Kirby, “Seconde Romance” (Tours) and Salut D’Amour” (violin solos) ; E. Watson, “If I might come to you” and “Brave Eyes” ; L. Griffin, “Garden of Roses” and “My love loves me today” ; and J. Galloway, “The Curfew” and “Hills of Donegal.” After the supper interval Mr L. Keven, of Auckland, sang. The Chairman’s Address. Following the item by Mr Keven the chairman of the evening delivered his address. Mr Bongard chose as his subject “The Sentiment of MotherLove,” deeply moving and affecting his listeners. Mr Bongard said that in the love of Mother there were soul-searching thoughts, though they seldom found expression. The great authors could be scanned and no adequate reference to Mother found- They had written on the beautiful gifts of life, but had left unwritten the tribute to Mother. The reverence of Mother-love still reigned in the hearts of men. Above all others, it stilled the disillusionment of life. The thought of Mother was still powerful enough to soften the heart and awaken the better feelings of man. The worst of men might be spurred to renewed effort through the thought of Mother. To the most- despairing fresh hopes and consolation could be found from this wondrous source.
That relationship which subsisted between Mother and child was the nearest to the Divine. Mother was the universal ideal, yet words failed when it came to an attempt to express her. “Have any of you ever tried to write on the subject ?” queried the speaker. “Try, and you will find tears blot the paper. No man can write without secretly seeking some measure of forgiveness.” Mother suffered more than anyone else on earth. “Mother ; the one who has herself worked for you more than anyone else you know ; who has for you a greater affection than anyone else you ever knew. Her gifts are sacrifice, service, and sentiment. How often we wait until after the farewell kiss, the touch of the icy hand, to think of the unspoken thoughts. We wait until we mourn. The snow-white flowers laid against her, a man moved out without the greatest friend he ever had, or ever would have.” The thought should be expressed now. “Keep not your kisses for my death, cold now- the way is lonely ; let me feel them now.”
The speaker beseeched his listeners to try and make their mothers happy that night, and quoted “The Message”: “When dreamless rest is mine, I shall not need the tenderness for which I long to-night.”
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Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXX, Issue 5492, 25 October 1929, Page 2
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559ORPHANDOM. Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXX, Issue 5492, 25 October 1929, Page 2
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