GOOD TEMPLARY AT GERALDINE.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2092, 30 August 1890, Page 2

GOOD TEMPLARY AT GERALDINE.

The fifteenth anniversary of the Welcome Retreat Lodge of Good Templars, No. 44, Geraldine, wu celebrated on Thursday evening last in the Good Templar Hall by a tea and public meeting- Ihe celebration was an entire success. The hall was v decorated for the occasion. Two * tables were laid the full length of the room, and were loaded with good things of a substantial and appetising character. The tables were presided over by Mesdames J. W. Pye, Dunlop, Herdman, and E. Prouting, and Misses Coembs and Gaiger. Two sittings had to be held, some of the visitor! eoming from Temuka. At the public meeting held afterwards the room was crowded. Bro. J. M. Sutherland, W.C.T., in the unavoidable absence of Mr, "W. B. Barker, occupied the chair. The chairman expressed his regret at the absence of Mr Barker, and his pleasure at seeing such a large attendance! He hoped that the outcome of the meeting would be that a great many more would join the lodge, and that the much-talked»of enlargement would become an accomplished fact There were at present several new members proposed who had yet to b§initiated,aad at each weekly meeting of the lodge new members were being enrolled. Ho would like to see everybody in Geraldine a member of the lodge. (Applause). He weuld now ask Miss Andrews to open the programme. 8olo," Only Waiting," Miss Andrews; recitation, " Lend a Hand Brothers," Bro. W. G. Maslin... JChe., Rev. G. 'Clement addressed the meeting •n»thf' ■ religious'aspect of tkc drink - question. He said it was sometimes difficult to find something fresh to say about the drink traffic, and yet it could hardly bt called difficult, because drink wa«r always producing fresh misery, crime, ** and wretchedness. Strong drink was one of the greatest enemies of religioa, everything connected with the drink traffic was bad. For his part he felt a.pleasure in doing something that would help towards doing away with the traffic; It was one of the greatest enemies of the Christian Church to-day. 'Religion would elevate and ennoble men, but strong drink saok and debased them, Religion refined human nature, but strong drink depraved it, and aroused all the baser passions of men ; it led men away to every form of 'sin and vice. It was the greatest opponent the Christian Church had to deal with at the present day, More people fell away from grace owing to strong drink than from any other cause. He urged those present to give up the intoxicating cup, and do their best to lead others to give it up also. (Applause) Eeading," Pledge with Wine," Mrs E. Logan; song, " Don't go iNear the Bar Room, Brother," Bro. J. D. Gore; recitation, " Tern," Sister Eskett; song, " Some People Meet," Bro. Herdman.

Bro. Barr, W.0.T., of the Temuka Lodge, gave some interesting particulars as to the growth of the order in Temuka. They had now some 53 members, while the Juvenile Temple, which had only . been in existence three weeks, had a membership of 62. (Loud applause). He congratulated tbe members of the Geraldine Lodge upon their progress, and wished them still further success, 1 and concluded by issuing a hearty I invitation to attend the open lodge tobe held at Temuka on September lfth. (Applause). Song, ♦' My Prairie Home," Miss W Dunlop; recitation, <( Whom have I in Heaven but- Thee," Bro. 8. Willoughby. Bro. It. Hammond, Superintendent of the Juvenile Temple addressed tbe meeting. He ei-

[ pressed the pride and pleasure he felt in occupying the position he did with regard to the juvenile Iqdge, He had taken up the work with great diffidence under a full sense of its importance, and he was glad now that he had done so. He held thai while the adult lodge had grand aims and objects, the work of the juvenile temple was a better work, inasmuch as it sought to get hold of the young and train them up as totalabstainers. He concluded by urging the parents pre* sent to do all in their power to assist the juvenile lodge. (Applause.)

Song, " Pledged in a Noble Cause," Bro* F. Baiter; recitation, " The Little Shoes," Mrs E. Logan; reading, "John Ploughman's Tall Talk," Mr C. B. Sherratt; song, " The Temperance Lifeboat," Sister Eskett; recitation, " The Victim," Bro G. H. Patrick; solo, " Say is Your Lamp Burning, My Brother," Miss Andrew. Bro. W. S. Maslin spoke on "Temperance in„ Geraldine." He commenced by stating that the eourse of good templary in Geraldine had been a course of progress. There had never been any retrograde steps. The lodge owed its existence to the efforts of a , lady—Mrs Goldsmith, of Waimate—who had always been foremost in any work calculated to benefit mankindThe speaker gave a short resume of the progress of the work in Geraldine Bince the founding of the lodge there. Ever since the lodge had been in existence it had been greatly indebted to the sisters, of whom there were a number of real hard workers in it. He considered good templary the best temperance organisation extant, and compared the results in achieved with those of the blue ribbon movement, which came into existence with a big flourish ot trumpets and had died out almost as quietly, owing to its having no organisation. He pointed out the aims of good templary, namely, the abolishing of drink and public houses. Every great reform had been brought about' after years of steady plodding work, and when defeat after defeat had been suffered, notably the abolition of slavery. He was pleased to see that there was every prospect of the franchise being extended to women. When it was so extended he believed they would soon be able to abolish the drink traffic. He expressed his pleasure at seeing so many members of the Temuka lodge present, and advised them to change their night of meeting, which was now the same as that of the Geraldine lodge, when no doubt they would often be visiter? by Borne of the Geraldine members. He concluded by reading a telling piece entitled "The Price of a Drink." (Applause.) This concluded the programme. Misseß Andrews and Eskett acted as Accompanists to the singers. Mr A. Sherratt proposed, and Mr L. Newport seconded, a hearty vote of thanks to the ladies who prepared and presided at the tea, and to all those who had assisted in making the celebration the success that it was. The vote was carried by acclamation. The singing of the closing ode terminated the gathering.