TE AROHA BAND OF HOPE.

Te Aroha News, Volume III, Issue 113, 1 August 1885, Page 7

TE AROHA BAND OF HOPE.

A spkcial meeting of the above was held in the Te Aroha Public Hall on Tuesday c <MHn<*, 21t* nit. The Rev. .Jus. M irb tall presi»le»l ; Rev. T J. Wills also occupied a seat on the platform. Tie hail was crowde I on the occasion, and much i iterest e\ incuf in the proceedings by tho^e presant. The meeting having 1 been opened in the u^ual manner, the Gitairtn m briefly referred to t ! »c subject respecting which $nch a large company Wtuv met together, and spoke ot tie meeting as the most hopeful one lie htd yet s-*en at Te Aroha He sai«l it afforded him great pleasure to preside on such an occasion and especially having a clergyman of another denomination on the platform with him. They were all en flavouring to free their conntry from the great and sore evil of intemperance. No plan could be so good as to train up the children in the way they should go, an 1 if parents did this faithfully, they hti-', a great promise given them. The future of the colony depended in a great measure upon th> children now growing up, and in tne instruction of tlie young ones a very principle part should be tue traiuing them up to have nothing whatto do with intoxicants, but to avoid it as an enemy of the human race. The pro gramme was a lengthy one. consisting of readings, recitations, songs, etc., and was successfully carried out. An interesting part of the proceedings being recitations by a number of the children for prizes, in which several of the youthful competitors acquitted themselves right well. The Rev. Mr Wills delivered a lengthy bat thoroughly practical aJdiess, which was listened to most attentively. The rev. gentleman commsneed by saying it was a matier for great rejoicing and thanksgiving that such great talents and so much time were being given up to the cause of te*»i perance, and referred to the very eminent workers who had lately visited this colony engaged in this great work. Three propositions were laid down by the speaker — 1. Drinking usages of society are impoverishing both to the nation and individual. 2. The value of the principles and practice of total abstinence and that of the drinking customs of our people may be estimated from the effects of either upon the physical and nuntal constitutions of individuals and families. 3. Drink is a slave king, robbing British subjects of British freedom. Under the first head the New Zealand Drink Bill was discussed, and it was shown that £2,394, 176, as given by Mr C. M. Gray, of Christchurch, was far short of the total cost of drink to this colony fcr the year 1884:. Mr G. R. Sims was quoted to -show the impoverishing effects of drink upon families. Under the second head, Dr Mason was quoted to show that all classes of society are represented in lunatic asylums through drink, and that the inebriety of parents is the principle predisposing cause of insanity in children —92 of 116 in one asylum having such a parentage. Under tue third heai?, Dr Paterson, Mr Justice Kay, and Dr Guthrie were introduced as witnesses, the speaker contending that a large percentage of crime is directly caused by drunkenness, and that drink is at the root ?f crime in ten thousand cases where it is not traceable. By drink the

i feelings and whole current of tho th >us*hts are changed, tho moral &ensi~ • billies are deadened, and unholy passions gain the aseendanc}', ami crime is the result even in sober moments. After the above points had boe** discussed, tho speaker arraigned alcohol of thoginshnp befc re the intelligence of his an Hence as an enemy of the realm, a traitor and murderer not tit to live, and he said : " I charge him with rifling tho public treasury. I charge him with j breaking into private dwellings, turning the pientj' and brightness of home into poverty and death. Public statistics and patriotics reporters prove the charge. Medical science charge? him with sowing seeds of disease, and chief justices and Christian philanthropists accuse him of many and varied crimes. Police Court and asylum reports reveal him as the slave king. I call tho poor drunkard, and he tells of blighted hopes and reputation, of demoralisation, of spiritual poverty created and a tarnished name. I call the drunkard's wifo, and she tells of pure affection poisoned and wedded hopes blasted, of hatred supplanting love, and terror banishing joy, of despairing anguish and a breaking heart. [ call the drunkard's shoeless children—-ill-fed and ill-clad, and they tell of bitter hardship and brutal violence, of unnatural neglect, and implanted and fos tered ciimc, of vicious training and diabolic association. I call the outcast of society, and site tells of modesty and and priceless virtue gone, of name despiseti, and heart broken, of inward remorse and deep repentance, of inability to break the chain, and to throw off the fast bound cords, of despair and a fiery hall within, of a longing for death and a fear to vie. We throw open Her Majesty's prisons, and they pour forth their drink made prisoners; and asylums, and they reveal the lunacy generated by alcohol. Witnesses are more than can be numbered, proving him an enemy of the realm, an enemy of God and man, the employed agent of the powers of darkness." The following children who lecitetl were awarded prizes : — Class 1 : Lily fcJinitlie, Ist ; Laura Gerrish, 2nd. Class 2 : Aif. Judkins, 1 ; Willie Sinclair, 2. Class 3 : Misses W. Harris, M Lavery, E. Bew, and M. {Sinclair, all priced. A dialogue by Misses L. Devej and G. Maingay was without doubt most excellently carried out, and worthy of special mention. The platform ami body of the hall were decorated with various appropriate banners for the occasion, and the whole proceedings rellected credit on the secretary and his co-workers. It is the intention to hold another special meeting ere long we un- • lefsCrtud. The procee lings were en'ivened at intervals by solos, and several selections from Hoyle's Temperance o i_js in whic i all joined. Tne pro.;i\«muk- cunclu led by tho rendering of •' Siifn tjie Pledge," a recitation in which 13 little girls took part, coming on the platform one by one and bearing each a j»ilt letter on black ground, the whole forming the sentence " Sisjn the Pledge, ' beim? exactly similar to that wnich we refeired to at the recent Ban 1 of Hope meeting at Waiorongomai, the effect being most pleasing. Votes of thanks were accorded the chairman for presiding, Mrs P.irrell for use of piano on the occasion, ana to all who assisted.