THE Mount Ida Chronicle. FRIDAY, MARCH 25, 1870.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume II, Issue 60, 25 March 1870, Page 2

THE Mount Ida Chronicle. FRIDAY, MARCH 25, 1870.

Most gladly do we for once lay aside the wrongs and grievances of the district, and address ourselves to another and a far more agreeable task. The subject at present before us is the recent celebration, of the anniversary of St. Patrick's Day. The arrangements for the day's and the way in which those arrangements were carried out reflect the greatest possible amount of credit, not. only upon the/ Sports Committee, but also on all who were present at the gathering. Nothing was wanted to make the affair a success, and a success it most undoubtedly was. The programme was good, the various prizes well contested, and refreshments for the inner man abundan fc and excellent. |Not the slightest disorder or contretemps occurred to prevent the gathering (wliich was the largest ever remembered on the Hogburn) being the most pleasant and agreeable of. any which had preceded it. Nor were the athletic sports, horse races, and other outside amusements the only pleasurable occurrences of the day. In the evening a "free ball " was given in the Masonic Hall. The hall was filled to repletion, I and still the.same good humor, the same harmony,pre vailed. The dancing was kept up with spirit till early in the. " small hours," without a single event to mar the enjoyability or cast a damp upon the proceedings of the evening. The sons of Erin had evidently made iip their mind that the celebration of the festival of their national patron saint should be a success—unsullied byexcess, riotousness, or quarrelling' of "any kind; and most fully and most nobly did they carry their determination into effect —as .well to their own credit and honor as to the satisfaction of their fellow-townsmen and the inhabitants of the district. • Now, this is as it should. be, and gladly do we-welcoine the recent gathering as an omen' of better • things and better feeling to- come. Whatever be the wrongs of Ireland—however.unjust her treatment by the Imperial authorities—let those injuries be confined to the Home Country, and there fought out: Let them not be imported into our adopted ~ country, as a constant apple of discord. Whatever might have been their political and religious position in the old country, here in New Zealand the Irish a.re as free in both these respects, -as are the natives of either Scotland or England. Here all are equal—all are alike free, civilly and religiously. Let us then shut for ever the door against anything which can perpetuate a feeling of old animosities in this our joint adopted country. However disunited at Home let us be united I here, and let Irish, Scotch, and English endeavor, by mutual kindness, and mutual forbearance, to heal as far as possible ohL wounds, and make their adopted home a great, a happy, and a united nation. 'Gatherings such as that of the 17th hist, cannot fail to do much to bring about the feeling which we desire, to see established, that is one of mutual respect and regard for each other between all classes of. Irish and British subjects. We do not say to any one forget the land of \ your birth ; far from us be such a thought or such a desire. We look upon the love of country as one of the purest and niost estimable feelings ~vvith which humanity has been imbued, and we say to each and all, cherish it, for without love of country a man must indeed be little • above the' brute. But we say that, while loving with the fondest recollections the land of our.birth, and while watching all .[the events connected with her. with the greatest attention and solicitude, and the most lively interest, we should yet be mindful that we have a still nearer duty in connection with the land of "our adoption, and that it becomes each in hi 3 sphere high or humble to do his best, and contribute bis mite, in some form or other, to pro-.

mote tier interest and secure her advancement iii the scale of nations. We look upon the cordial which all classes and denominations met on St. Patrick's Day as a step in the direction of a peaceful and happy union of nationalities, and we feel assured that were gatherings similar to that to which we refer more frequent than they have hitherto been, the sooner and the better would all classes appreciate and understand each other. We cannot, conclude these few remarks without expressing our conviction that the recent celebration of St. Patrick's Bay was the gathering of the: year at the Hogburn, and that future anniversaries will be looked forward to with': the most pleasurable anticipations by all classes and bv all creeds.