FEILDING.

Manawatu Times, Volume II, Issue 109, 3 November 1877, Page 2

FEILDING.

[FHOM OUB Owk pOBBBSPONDJBNT.] Mr Herbert Rbberts, the Champion hand stroke Billiard Player, exhibited Ms skill on Tuesday evening at Mr Roe's Denbigh Hotel, Feilding. • Those who have had occasion to visit Feilding and have' seen the class of Hotel that has been built there ..will not be surprised to learn that Mr Roberts declared the Billiard Room at the Denbigh Hotel to be _one-»<>f the finest. he had seen anywhere ; ih the colonies. The game ot the evening was playedagamst Mr OLash of Halcombe, ©pp up,. Mr Roberts giving Mr I»sh 300 points start out of 600. Theiairter genMemarij who is considered to Iw the best amateur billiard player m the proyince, played a steady game resultingin 600 tor Mr Lash and 516 for Vtc Roberta The time occupied with the game was aboujbtwb hours. v - '* -tf? A cannon game, 75 tip^ '''."■■:was i also played, Roberts playing with firtge* and thumb -and Lash 'with cue, -Roberts giving 40 points- start. It was really wonderfurto see sueh 7 ;^ay with; tiw> * hand! against the cue ; the 'results were. Roberts 75 and Lash 66. H \This was followed by Roberts showing his wonderful ability as a hand stroke player m the exhibition of a number of fancy shots. This part of the entertainment elicited frequent ; j and /.well merited applause ; - at the wo^^erful skill and precision with" which, sHots were executed. - ■*&$?

The ?eUdjng]^Tym^ran^-* r So>ie^:*; held a meeting "at the school-room on Tiesday evening.' s There was a good; attendance, an especially large number ; oi;ybnrig people beiiig , j^resOTti- -The •i Key. ; ; Mr f Jones took . the "pfiaar it eight . ,p,'clpbkj / "irad , jji^ ' assenibfag^ • jbirie^iii smj^ng tlfe h^TmnV " ; : i{ ' ' " '* '-'} ■: .?. V'S^ndm^^ltenipemvnpe '• .ji, : -„;...£ Ye soldiers* of oar^cansfe." . * " The singim£ was accompanied Jby Mrs Dpwlingon £ne harmomuniy t~ : Mr Jones, l^ ih|addj^sing:them> said they had brpken : the" ice ? once^^ again so far as holding a meeting. ?He had^bcen at W; temperance meeting lately at Foxtpn,i^and. on i subsequently;. t ineeting a working man at his work he remarked to him that he had noticed fcvro publicans at the meeting^ but 'the i man said he could, not -hate, told, that sis he did not personally^ know ! ';thein t /-': ; K'Qt know the publicahs f— and hbwldngljail hie been residing at FbxtonP Meihad been two years s knocking^ about • the tbwn. This /wd;rkmg^mtm had^ s6ven or eight children and didnotlcnowany of tlie publicans of, Poxton after ; beih*g two years m the : itbwnj which showed'w'hai a good temperance- man he"'.-wa& >Ho himself, believed the publicans were as a class very ? respcctablei To them, was .deputed a, 'public trust m having the liquor traffic placed m their hands. , It was nbt ' evei-y ;- man that would be entrusted with a license ; and while he condemned thevttade Ihe-thbught-the publicans a respectable class bf nieii^ *As -showing the danger of the trade, he told of a special 'occasion when steady men were selected to, take an impprtant night-train, crowded" with passengers, to its destination on a very cold night ; but at *a» refreshment-room, , as the night was cbld,^ they took a "nip ."each and put a little m their coffee. He described m vivid'i colours how the engine-driver, and stokejr^^ both fell asleep;' and were onlyl'saved frpnidestruction^bythjß guard, who had not refreshed himself , seeing something was amiss crawled over the carriages and roused them io a sense of their danger. These men'i were afterwards tried and" roceivedt^rp, years' imi)risonmenti They might have sacrificed many lives as the result pf Waiting a drb^ f tp: keep 'dut the cold. He bnciß saw the Ebnian Gritliolic Cardinal, Manning, publicly shaking hands at a temperance meetingjwith a ; Yerierabl^ Arch-Deacon bf the Church of England, ; to shbw^ that although they differed so greatly '6ix other ,^estions, :they'were ? ;at : bne on 'the qd^fction of Temperance. . He invited . ; who. had not joined itheir cause to do so and give temperance a trial, and if they ■ should afi^rwards findf thitUKey had . made a mistake, the publican would take back their pledge from them fora ; sixpence. ■■} He concluded by designating the pledged absjaiiiers ;" An Organization o£ the lip-Glpsing System;" ; Mr. Sinitnsongavißa'sbng. i Mr Si G. I Thpmpspn f nexjt addressed /the. meeting; /and^ ;. said^ that religion, science, education "and music were represented atthat meeting. 'Strong drink r was said to be a drop of the crater. He thought sprne^ found it a drop of the ' crater that destroyed them as much as if they were drp^ped into the crater of liEbunt >iThey^ need not go :^ to England forjillustrationof the evil: of strong drink, and, he thought they should agitate to have all bur engine drivers to be temperance men. He told m vividftUnguffge _.<rf • seVeral^ases that ■ the' had known of intbxicated'travellers losing; their lives m crossing unbridged rivers in4he .cplpnyi when they would; have been safe^if^JJiey: had been sober men ; and it is under .the mfluence of; K the false: cburage igiven. by drink thate men will incur a danger that they would; shrink from . whUe spber. Mr j?hompson concluded by reading some verses^ on water drinking., ? , x k Mr Smithson gave a reading showing that sowing wild bats was all a mistake. Mrß.H.T^right, during the course > of ■ an eloquent speech, pointed out howmany men .who. were, perfect gentlemen; while they were sober became, blackg guards as ,soon , as they became under the influence rdrmk. He also told bl the effect produced m thi? army by-tiie Temperance Societies, and tltat he ha|i witnessed a great improvement m thd drinking habits from the time he ha 3

entered into, her Majesty's service, and as for himself, he had found the advantage of temperance m making hinv quite independent m his position. Mr Wright concluded by giving a recitation . Mr Dowling sung a melody, accompanied on the harmonium by Mrs DowKng. Mr Dowling then addressed the meeting m a concise and well prepared speech which was chiefly addressed to boys who hajl not'acqniTed drinking or smoking habits, and he feelingly invited them to take the pledge. The pledge to abstain would be a great safety to young nien m th£ eolbrijr, and they could myest their sayings with Mr Nichols, the postmaster. | »He appealed to older people also to join them, and said that he beleived he would lose baste if he were now to gjlve up the pledge.. To fathers, he said, no working man can afford to drink grog, and he desired to see working nieii improving their dwellings ; and to all he said come and join us. He gave up tobacco smoking 18 years ago, on hearing a lecture on tlie evils of smoking: To moderate drinkers, he said he felt the value of the pledge (when he was asked what refreshment he would- take) which he took when;he was only 13 years of age. The pledge was a bond of union. ' It was a woman's question, as. no one . can tell how much women suffer from the effects of their' husband's taking to drink. There were m all about 12 members now of the Feeding .Society; and they, required to have tj^ number augmented. ' ' '■' ' ■■- Th«i^BeV. Mr McGregor gave an account of^e difficulty they experienced m getting up the meeting, and it gave him very; great^pleasure, , m seeing such a large attendance. He was especially pleased- to. .see ; so .many young ; persons present. He combated the idea entertained by many-person«::pf the pledge to abstain being an ibridgmeni of their personal liberty^- Helalso combated the . .idea that the excitement given by drink isi at aUf necessary, for anyone v as itfis not a natural excitement. .He pleaded with the young men anoV women present td join their Sbciety' by 'talcing- (tLe: . pleotppßy.--'' 1 -'- 1 . 1 :-'^':, ■'■-•:,-! ./■■ '-'-^y .'.'•;.'.■ ' '.' The'Eev. Mr Jones said their Legisliature waSi,thinking of allowing the publicans compensation. = ; Well, if so, they' should also make them liable' to ; pay compensation for %}i& consequences iofstheir- work, and he* would recom- . mend them "to buttjagainst the evils of thejtrade; every. session until ,m the end they should succee^d. ■ Seventeen persons responded to the invitation to join the Feildirig Society. Thp programme. of the iaeeting ' gkye a very pleasant evening's- entertainment, and an interesting and satisfactory one to the members of the ; Sp- ■ ;ci(}ty.;"r^; v ..}■■■■ ■'"..' - : : ',-'."" i :y- . ..C--^-"^'"