GOOD TEMPLAR GEAND LODGE.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIII, Issue 290, 14 December 1878, Page 2

GOOD TEMPLAR GEAND LODGE.

The session haviug terminated on Thursday night, yesterday was devoted by the r delegates to pleasure. A trip to Foxhill, a capital lunch at Mr Jervis',aridaslrollin the .bush formed the programme, and at .they icturned to town after a most enjoyable day. The whole of them are thoroughly delighted with their visit to Nelson,, and speak in raptures of the beauty of the place, and its exquisite climate. TEA MEETING. Yesterday evening about 350 sat down to ■ an excellent tea, provided in the.Temperance •Hall by Bro.. Stevenson, after which' they .marched in full regalia, headed by the Battalion Band, to the Theatre Royal where was to be held . , THE PUBLIC MEETING.! ' . '*' \ At eight o'clock ;i public 'meeting "was. held in the Theatre Royal, which was crowded in every part, the stage bein^well filled by the delegates in full regalia. 'Tile Key R. Bavin having been voted to the chair, the 10,0 th Psalm was sung by a ' numerous . and. powerful choir, Miss Perrin presiding at the harmonium They also sang appropriate hymns after each address. Prayer ' having beeu offered tip by the Rev J. Beckenb'aro, The Rev It. Bavin said that he had very great pleasure iri being actively associated in the promotion of a cause so dear to his heart. Though not wearipg the regalia .he hoped he was not without bis credentials as an active and earnest supporter of the temperance cause. Though not in appearance an ancient in daya- he' might perhaps be regarded as somewhat venerable when he said that for a charter of a century he had been a : pledged teetotaller, and oh this poiut he felt' his convictions deepening every -year ; of his life.! Never before bad Nelson been so favored' as j she was that night, when they had before them a uoble band of men engaged in a great cause, who, as they rose to speak, would each . one of them j he felt sure, receive a cordial reception from the meeting. If such a gathering as this had been foretold to him twelve years ago he would have regarded it ' as incredible,' but it "showecl what progress the cause was making. He' would, however,' warn them that they could not adopt ik their ; motto " Rest and be 'tijankf ul," for We'jei was', i no rest for them, but "downright nW Work in promoting theii; principles.,, v { S ' Brother BLnnetts (of iCntistclinrch)' then addressed .the! meeting;./' He 'said that the great and glorious principles' they advocated were based on thr?e pillars— Science, Scrip--ture, aod'JßeasomxThere .we* e iinatis? jifgurnents to be advanced ia favor of this statement, but the one with which he was best acquainted was the argument of experience. Thirty or forty years ago when George Steveuson advocated- the railway system thexe was grea^t opposition- to it.; but he persevered, and/in a; short timejeiperience and facts convinced the public of the fallacy of the arguments against it: 1 The same thing happened when steam communication between Europe and Americajvaa. prpposed, and the same. results BOatted. jPi,ec)\esy tfbc same principle .applied, to the ,great" temperance movement. There- badbeen.mpch opposition. People had been educated to believe that intoxicating liquors were, a- necessary/of life, and it took a considerable time to get rid of such ideas. Scientific men and "ministers of i religion had been against the promoters of \ Good Templary, but some of the former who had set to work to think it oat with ttfe view of writing against them had been convinced that they were right; and had become their ardent supporters.- Year after year their ranks were swelled from all classes of ' the community, who soon began to testify that they could enjoy life and be happy 1 without strong drink, and they had goue op gathering strength until now there were hot thousands but mitlions who were not ashamed to say that they werfe happier »nd better men for being total abstainers.' He himself was a thorough teetotaller, and was in the enjoyment of perfect health; though fifty years of, age Some o£ his friends occasionally said," lt's all very well, Bennetts, butyou cannot, keep-. ■up that red jrice : without j.ust a Jiftle drop* now and then," but he could assure them that his.was the ruddiness of health, and entirely different to the color given to the face by strong drink. Glorious water was what Nature intended them to drink; 'and would they exchange.it for the drunkard's- dritsk, alcohoi? Let every voice unite in sayipg i No.

jv<Bi?oxher Adams (of Dahedin) said tn46 ' r Gbod : Templary had what, the Atnericahs-' tallecl a " platform *' built of various planless ,The first of these was total abstinence for\ life. - It was frequently asked, " why foe life* j ho\v do 1 know I can keep it for life?" He I would reply that resistance became easier (he more it was exercised. Refrain from the first glass then froai the next, take one temptation at a time, and each time they resisted they gained strength to do so again. Drinking habits were like, all other habits, so Were abstaining habits. . briiiki I;,^1 ;,^ habits were at first repugnant to the body, so were I abstaining habits, but each mipht be acquired. To take the pledge for three months was but holding up to the abstainer the reflection ol his old habits to which he looked forward to FeMirning-at the expiration oi: a certain time," but he cared not. for the hian and thought little of his manliness who itfea'ted the mat* ter in this way Let him deal with the evil like a man, and face the difficulty once and fot all. Another reason for the lifelong pledge was that the principles of the Order were not merely a personal matter. He and othera joined it not for their own sake, but for that of others. They Ulbwght dunking ii j pernicious habitj and waried to show to those around them that there was no need for indulging J n strong drink. One stumbling block connected with the Order was the secrecy of their meetings. But why should they not meet privately without opening their doors to every vagabond who cared to walk in? In every circle of Society there was privacy, why should they not have theirs? True they: had their ritual and their secrels but they were as' innocent ds the. prattle of a little ' child, or as. the warm kiss we imprinted, on the cheeks of those we loved. Then others objected fo the gaudy frippery and the spaiiglos of their collars, but these, tbo, had their use, dnd w6ro but one of the weapons used in the battle against the drhik demon. There was nothing wrong, nothing light, nothing flippant in the rules of their Order. ; All that. was : against it was seen on the surface, butthegoodthatlaybeneath.it was not so visible to the eye. . Then again objections was raised to the two sexes mixing at the Lodges.: But this was one of their strong points. They enlisted and made use of the woman's sympathies. To promote the work they had taken in hand who so valuable as a woman? Who like her could breathe the soft word of warning oi* encouragement, could give the soft touch of assistance? Who like her could bring back the wanderer, could take by the hand the man., who was sunk in the abyss of drunkenness and raise him once more to his proper position?; To lose her aid would be to deprive them of one of the most glorions and potent of theif agencies. He concluded by thanking the good people of Nelson for their kindness, and congratulating them upon their very beautiful town which he hoped some day, to - see .making more progress; though it could never bpcoine such a city as Dunedin. The Rev. R. Bavin was glad to hear Nelson 30 highly spoken of, but was quite aware that It could never hope to have such advantages, political or otherwise as Dunedin enjoyed. Brother the. Rev. Dr.R6seby (of Dunedin) said that after their visit to what was called in the Sonth "Sleepy Hollow "he would be entitled to put in a good word for Nelsou. He was surprised bpyond measure at the beanty of the town. Never since he left " dear old Sydney " the gem of the Australian coloni93, had he set eyes on a place, the beauty of which impressed v hitn as ,had that of Nelson. He then went, on to argue in favor of the Local Option Bill, the principles of which he explained at length. Was it not farjbetter, fairer, and. more "reasonable to give the people the right of saying whether they would have a public house in their midst than to leave it to be decided by a I beenh or" all powerful, and irresponsible commissioners? The battle that the promoters of" the total abstinence causo were ebgaged in was in reality only just beginning, and 1 they did riot- purpose to lay down their arms, until the victory was 'won, and the drink curse-w as brought to an ehdTand extinguished for ever. ;;|" , . • Bkotheu Boase then addressed the tneetins. ..-.;'...: . . . ' : '. , Brother j ago, the G.W.C.T., who was received with vociferous applause, said that he had very great pleasure in addressing that, crowded meeting. He was not .there to adduce elaborate arguments in favor of the institution and organisation of Good Templary. They were assembled there to review the situation on the occasion of .this annual session of the Grand Lodge; to pause for a time and look round, and from the past to gather encouragement and strength to proceed with the work of the future. They had, been told that one of the planks of the Good Templar platform was total abstinence, and the Temperance movement stood on two planks, one of which was to deal with the individual, and the.other with the community. One'was- for the ■b'eiiefib- of the. individual, and the other to obtain -the prohibition by the State of the liquor .traffic. Let them pause and. ask where they were to take their stand iv, relation to the principles they advanced. It, was clear that they must stand out for prohibition' by the law of the land, and they should* not -regard this as by any means impossible or'itnprobableV )They had been told that 'twelve or fifteen years ago such a meeting: as this would have been 1 deemed incredible, For his part he would say that had he ■ been told only seven years 'ago that thi3 II week he would have been one of a body of rep e^entatives from ail parts of the colony meeting iv Nelson for the purpose of devising means for the propagation of Temperance principles, he would have considered . it utterly impossible*, and would have regarded .him who predicted it as a dreamer. Within, the memory, of living man the advocates 6{ l total abstinence principles might have been .counted on seven fingers., Those seven men of Preston took...up arms against the ■ world, . Those men,, without means,. )vitboHt i position, .without influence,' banded themselves; together, and under the inspiration of truth, and fired by the love of humanity, they took up the principles, of total, abstinence as the weapon with which to, fight the giant, iniquity, that was laying, in the drunkard's grave so many of the great, the noble, and the loved. Confident that their principles must be ultimately successful, because knowiug that they were right, jtbey entered upon the seemingly hopeless struggle. What was the state of affairs now ? The disciples of those seven men of Preston were to be numbered by millions, and foremost in the van were the well born, the representatives of the Church.of the State, of, the Law, and of .Physic, all devoting themselves energetically to the work inaugurated by that noble little band of seven. The progress. made in the colony was almost incredible. Seven years ago the Temperance movement scarcely heard of. There

Bolloway's Pills.— ln the complaints peculiar to femnles these Fills are unrivalled. Their uee, by tho fair, sex -has became * o conthe r^inrfvaji of» jhejr that rars i« the toilet that is without them. Am»ng all claseis. from the domestic fltr- , yaot to the peeress, .uniytrial .favour v -aec-vrdfd to. tliese tendvating Pllfe j . their invigoriitiDg aqd.purifyiug properties render ■-tbeoraifi? an 4 irtvaluib.la. la silt cases ; thty may be tsken by females of all agea for any disorsranisation or irregularity of the system, Bpeedilv removing the cause and restoring I the j-iifferer to robust health: .As a family medicine t\iey are unapproachable for eubduiog the maladies of the youDg or old,

were a few of its advocates like Brother Uennetts and others who occasionally made a splutter and a splash, and endeavored to attract attention, but that was all. What did they see now? He bad the distinguished Itonor txi stand before them as the chosen representative of eight thousand men and worj-.cn banded together hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder, total abstainers themselves, aud 'trying their best to get 'others to adopt the principles, of the advantages of winch they were so firmly convinced. Seven years ago fifty people could not {have been got together to listen to temperance advocacy. What a difference was there now! He left his home at Dunedin last Monday week, and since then he would tell them what ho had done. He had addressed a crowded meeting at Timaru presided over by the member for the district, Mr Wakefield, who bad denounced the liquor traffic as the curce of the colony, and stated his opinion that it must be atiunpcd out by the State. At Ashburton ho held another meeting, when the medical officer of the district said that Gcience was beginning to allow that alcohol was not necessary for the treatment of disoase. At Eangiora another crowded meeting, at which Archdeacon Dudley said that he bad listened with pleasure to, and agreed with, every word that had been uttered, aud was there to testify in the 74th year of his age that after eighteen months abstinence from that which he had always, been accustomed to use freely, he was in better health and spirits than ever he had been before. At Lyttelton, Christchurch, and Wellington also he and his colleagues; had addressed large and attentive meetings.! The fact of their being able to get such meetings was satisfactory evidence of the: growth of public opiDion on this subject. With regard to prohibition it was not long since temperance reformers had recognised the fact that the State must put its foot on the liquor traffic and stamp it out. Now, the licensed victuallers at home were beginning to dread the lnovemeut. No other subject had ever made such magnificent advances in the old country. The people were stirred to the soul, and were fighting hard against the bitter blasting, withering demon of alcohol. They in the colonies must unite with them, and rest neither day nor night until the country was freed from the fearful curse under which it was laboring. But not only were the people being stirred, but the leaders of (be people, the moulders and directors of public opinion. Canon Parrar, when preaching iv Westminster Abbey, had aaid that the stream of gold that flowed from the public house bars into the Treasury of the- State was thick with the mire of pauperism, anil red with the blood of the drunkard. He had then gone on to say that unless England rose in her might and shook herself free from this fearful evil her doom was sealed. Every nation that was the prey of such a vice must either crush it or be crushed by it. Unless she awoke to the terrible danger that threatened her she must follow the nations , of antiquity, which by reason of their vices had been blotted out of existence. When men of such calibre spoke out thus before Royalty aud the lawmakers of the land, was it not an indication that the cause which had sprung from among the people was destined to be carried to a glorious consummation? The progress of the past might surely be regarded as an indication of the future. They were gathering impetus and power, which would accelerate and help on their movements, and they would go on from strength to streugth, from vantage ground to vantage ground, until they carried their standard and planted it in the highest positions in society. Surely it was a noble work they were engaged into rescue those who had fallen, and to prevent others from falling. They did not aim at self-aggrandisement. They gave their time, their money, their energies to secure a blessing to humanity. He could not con» ceive that such a cause could fail. Fashion, appetite, influence, might be against them, but God had implanted in their breasts a strong hope, which stimulated them to incrf ased exertion. If truth was to dominate over error, if virtue was to gain the victory over vice, then must the great and good cause in which they were engaged be brought to a triumphant issue. Mr Jago concluded an earnest, eloquent, and impassioned address, ot which the above is but a very condensed summary, by an appeal to all those present who belonged to the Order to be unceasing in their exertions, and to those who had not joined them to give the subject their serious consideration. He then sat down amid loud and long continued applause. Brother Donovan having addressed the meeting in a humorous speech, votes of thanks were proposed and heartily accorded to the officers of the Grand Lodge and the representatives for their presence; to the rev. chairman and the choir. The meeting, the largest, perhaps, ever held in Nelson, broke up about 11 o'clock, after singing the National Anthem.