FRIENDLY SOCIETIES.

Manawatu Standard, Volume X, Issue 1485, 20 October 1885, Page 2

FRIENDLY SOCIETIES.

A very interesting featilre m con ? nection, with the Friendly ; Societies,' Demonstration at Wetliugtoy, oja the 'Inthfinst.;, ...was an address, by, the: Premier;,; on " The, . Part ; ' Frjendlyj Play m Our Social JLril'c.'*, "Mir- St.'».ut -was very warmly received aiid was frequently, applauded. ...H.ej referred to the.Vpar^ that little thihg.s sometimes. played jhiisuptal life, which wjere not, he was' afraid, sufficiently appreciated While, witnessing tHe pr ocessi oiv that , day , on e' s. : jniind . w as tflken back to 'he past, when, lookhig at one J>ody which had walked m tfie pi?Q.cessiou;.,/ jtie. referred. , JjO; .the Dnnds. He was ..struck with the difference w.hich[exjstedi between old an 4 modern Drnidism. For whilst tli e chief business of the ancient Ijrui'ds' was to murder their fellow nien.' the. object of the modern. Druids was tb, assist each other..' Whafan enormbus: stride made within the present century, ,fo> aicffnttiryvago there were iLQ;Eri|iidly Societies^ .-■fcTlie>.wo^kint>: %eir Hfeen hjad no societies. /i»d had' to loolc to tiiose above tlWm, for .they were little IVetteiN .-than i serfs. - : BuL. noWj ..tlve^ MerelflboM mjllionSj -of.; people throughout the world who, belonged tp theße S^eiie^es;.-^ w.ith^ about _4 12,000,0 o%> ttielr credit And this h»ul been effected- within half a ceii ituray.i ■ .-■.'.Thejse . Societies , • •jverp, tiowevpr, capable, of being increased, 'ijliey incnlcated -self-.denial, thrift, a!nd r behevolenoeV; artel thpseri virtues meant the'Hdvaiicem,ent of .the^whule ShWan'race." We, were all looking f|)r happihessj: hut this 1 would -npib? ibp ajttaihed if; thri M j,w;as ; not ; practised. Those Societies had.Oth:eieffect;oX.en r pouraging thrift, and. nn nationconld ' b|e J;ndepßiii(|§n.t ovrHplfreriianiVWith(iuj^er^i^i^'tlirift. |^ they;, reiiH dlie li>;es, * qf j'successf n I .'; men * m. 1 amy tjahk of 'fife' they fiiid thai, they had be,«, j n selkfelinnt and; hard workers. He haiiread of a^na-yjal ofttceV snid that on going round a ship he cpukl.alwavSi men; _ who, had bejM) trained as or. m ! :onttei-s l ,' J ioi' il ''they -wei-'e^ 'mo r r ; - than, tiiose" men who had , beeuiifod ,^i^i { 4he-' ImSs^ysr1 mSs^ysr iSere i'n tliis (JoioViy ttiely h'atfineri 'qf 'ffiffjerent creeds/ but they cnnie^here : -'' l s6 ]^vp. m peace. and. Harmony, eaph one r,espec:tinir ' the Vl '•otHer's'-iieJiefs and oreeds, and this could be accomplished ! by : tl{es6 t! sbci ; eti6si W'hWremcn^Fnet tq'ofethc'r 'vfln'ce'' a^'w^ek^ in^lbve'aiifl harnibhyj ariil -ih"the ' Uiii'riK ;%fr i '^cfo^ l iellwVßHib^'-'-Virere^-^pfo'ra'btirig^broilherr hood,wlfioh should 1 be' tike?im o'l" man 'in 5 life. ii Th'e ; processio'h he had spen that* day'-eftntra'stfed s(rongly r with those he had seen_ m England.' i where 'aAbodyl iof soldiers were going forth to battle. That scene, iiowevejjjlijul.a;. terrible background, and m which the colonel of | .the r^ipaen^wrptp to the fatbeiy-q^r jnothfci^ bjiliuibnhd; thakth^. only* or the breadwinner had beea cut off, feut the baokgronnd:..of the, scene tojlay was a very different one — it was to help the widow and the orphans — nay it wns more, it was a background of 'iHe' (Mr* i bfilong'ed to the American 'Ord^r of pddfellovys, and he believed that if theso societieswer? extended throughout tho world they would do aw;iy with devastrtting wmv -If there wej"e] any : prpsbht'who i iid : d'6t '"bel'o n'cj' to any iey l "So i ci le^1 e^' < hci:e i: libp'ed : they 1 Would join, al once, and this would, help to make the societies more effective even than/they were at present. He believed the demonstration wou'd have the effect > of increas-' ing the societies. Let them-remem-ber they were fighting not' only against war and' for thrift, 'but that there was ' something more behind, and they, should remember they . we.re fighting for the brotherhood of men.