ST. ANDREW'S DAY.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2288, 3 December 1891, Page 2

ST. ANDREW'S DAY.

The Temuka Caledonian Society's Dinner. The dinner with which the Caledonian Society Andrew's Day was, like their other social gatherings, immensely successful. It was laid in the large sample room at the back of the Star Hotel, and when we say the catering was entrusted to Mr Leonard Tombs, all who' know his capabilities will be assured, that everything was done " decently and: in order." The Bill, of Fare which" we published on Tuesday Tras! for' the iribst part mapped out "by the worthy president of the Society, Mr A. M. Clark himself, and who so fit? At the head of the table dispensing " saut herrins and tatties," haggis, " bubbly jock," or grouse from the Hielan' Hills, he seemed fairly in his element, and the " richt gude Hielan' welcome " he and his comrades extended to one and all served to make matters go pleasantly from the start. They were a merry party, and when "a' had been kept doon wi' anither wee Donald 6' Glenlivet" ready to join, in toast and song to any ■ extent. The first toast was *' The Queen and her bairns," by " the callant in the chair," and this having been loyally honored the same chiel proposed, the "Army, Navy, and Volunteers," and Messrs Alderton, Coira, arid Mason appropriately responded. "

To Mr John Mundell was entrusted the toast of "The President and Vice-; Presidents," and he certainly did justice to what he termed a most important toast. He disclaimed all notions of flattery, but felt that they would all agree with him, especially after the Scotch haggis arid grouse, ;iEat;it .was fewkry good thing they had Buch capital, officers. ; This celebration of St. Andrew's day was quite a new thing in South Canterbury, their President was due the thought of such a gathering and the' success which had attended it. There was one thing about their President, if he made up his mind to do a thing { he did it, and did iti well. He"had' made up' his mind that there should be a Scotch- dinner; arid a Scotch dinner they got, even to grouse from the Highlands. Their: VicePresidents were also ..deserving: of all" praise. They were men of the rignt stamp, and he was proud t0..d0 them honor. Mr Mundeli paid some graceful compliments to Messrs QuinnandHenry, and on sitting down was heartily applauded for his speech.

The toast was drank with musical honors, after which Mr Clinch sang a song. Mr Clark, in responding to; the toast, said that ever sinceJthe/Bociety" had been started he had been afeiy backed up by the Vice-Presidents and ! Officers. It gave him pleasure to think that'he had stood, by the cradle of the sobiety as it werejafid] seen it grow from babyhbbd to maturilyß He was glad also that '< their dinner which was the first of its kind in: South-Canter-bury, was also .successful^-'andi nextyear he hoped jit's doubly so. Such* gathering^ i flid" i> gb'bd, for they brought people together in social intercourse. . did;' come to talk politics,'bujt ,to< enjoy, a " crack " with one another" as - t friendsAs this was the firsjt'dinner he thought they would allow him : tb.'give some account of the Saint whom; they- were honoring. Saint Andrew was the first of Christ's disciples, and one of his apostles. He suffered martyrdom upon. a cross of beams obliquely placed, and upon "this was founded the St. Andrew's cross of their banners. In the days of the Picts and Scots a constellation .of this form was observed in the heavens, and notably upon one occasion just before the battle with Athelstane, King of England. It was accepted as an omen of good, and was always afterwards borne? > upon their ensigns. Now the military order of St. Andrew and of the thistle were amongst the most esteemed and coveted decorations granted by a sovereign, and in Russia St. Andrew's Day was also venerated, -They- would • see,.. therefore, that the> ancientcross of Sk Andrew was not confined to the Temuka Caledonian Society. He had to thank them for the enthusiastic way in which they had drank his health. He hoped all would join their society that had not already done so, for . unity was strength. He would like to see the society stronger, and a big balance at their banker's, so that they could do something useful in the way of a scholarship, and so forth. With good luck and careful management he felt they would not be long before, something in that way would be done. • (Applause)/ - Mr Quinn also thanked them for the hearty way they had drunk the "toast of " The Vice-presidents." Personally he was very proud of their society, for it was : the cause of much good. It brought; people of all grades and nationalities together, and caused a very kindly feeling to spring up. This he thought a good thing in a new country, where all were mixed up, so to speak. Their annual sports on Boxing Day gave them an opportunity of meeting one another 'with a cordial shake of the hand and a cead mille failtlte, and he trusted that although the society was now only young it .would make a very good society yet, and in twenty years' time would be one of the best, if not the best, in the colony. (Applause). Mr Henry also responded to the toast. He found it a very easy matter to work under their president. Under his guidance everything went smoothly, and the vice-presidents had little to do. He thanked them, however, very heartily for associating his name with the toast. . After a, song from Mr Harris..'.,. Mr Clark proposed " Na Daoine ona d'thanig dim" (the people you come from), and reminded them of its comprehensive nature. It not only included their absent local friends, but their kinsmen, and doubtless would recall to them the homes of their childhood. He asked Mr Gaze to respondto the toast. Songs having been sung by Messrs Cooper and Harris, Mr Gaze, in replying to the toast, said that it was upon occasions like the present that one's thoughts naturally turned to the absent ones. A glance round the table showed that many whose faces were familiar to them at their gatherings were absent, but their absence was only temporary. Memory ouce : invoked took a wider range, and recalled to them probably the home they had lpjft, whether it were the fenny flats of the east of England, the breezy uplands of Scotia, or the crowded street of some large city. Wherever it was, or whatevw

'orm it took, mansion or cottage, it was nome. He thought it one of the best features of the colonial that he yet spoke Df the Old Country as home. He might be a colonist of fifty years' standing, with no intention of ever returning to that dear, country, yet he always had kindly recollections of it, and such thoughts, transmitted as they were to his children, did. more towards pure federation than any act of any, government. (Applause). . Mr Quinn proposed " Ither Societies, Celtic or Sassenach," and "referred '* in glowing terms to the glory of the three united: kingdoms. Here in the colony it was still riiore marked for the bitter feeling that once existed between the several Nationalities had died away," and" a blending of the races promised to be the nucleus of aßation that hybuld lead Ahe world. There was a bright and brilliant future before English, Irish, and Scotch as long as they remained united, t JLa. Temukaj their little society had done much to cement the bond of unity,, and he hoped they would continue to cement this kindly feeling. He asked them to drink to English, Irish, and Scotch, "and would say with the poet— . '/:; " May our country's voice be ever heard . Amidst the world's applause, ij • •■; And never be our flagstaffs stirred ri; But in an honest cause; May freedom be our every breath, B©'justice ever dear, • And never an ignoble death -• ' May our country's children fear." He asked Mr Maclean-to respond ' to the toast. - ; !' Mr Donald Maclean after a few happy introductory remarks, said'' that' he hoped the -feelings he had Heard uttered y*o'und that table would long continue. In a country like this they were of no [particular nation, they • were cosimopolitarisi real?citizens'of'>the* world. 'After Mr Quinn's remarks little was left ;for him to add. The Hentiments he had Expressed were oharactaristic of the man. He. referred to the' good work the society, had done in drawing people 'together.! It was his first occasion among them* buti he had heard their* socials and • so forth spoken- of in terms of the highest' -praise He trusted; the society would continue to flourish. (Applause.) Song, Mr SjpAuliffe. Mr: J. f M. HTwomey said the orthodox way of ipropofiing a toast was toaxpress regret thatiit. had not _.been^entrusted to abler hands., He would jtfary this, and express regret that he had; not had. some notice that he would be called; upon to propose a toast, so .that, he might make an - effort to do it justice. , Their;; president had gone very deeply iitfo history.; He had, gone back to the days of the .Picts and Scots, and perhaps it^ould.not be out of place to amplify on that subject. The Picts and Scots started from the Garden of Eden, determinedVqn conquering the world, and never restiiig', until, they discovered the most' beautiful dountry on Wtfi. After;.wand4?inS in. the east, they came down .tOL'EgJjpt and crossed over to Spain,' but even the fertile plains of Andalusia failed to satisfy them, and after tasting lagei>beer iinjGermany,. and examining the Vineyards >f France and Italy, the set sail once jWQre.. on the, wide ocean in pursuance of their determination to find' the moßt beantiful country "on. earth. They sailed for many days,; till at* last the emerald hills of Holy Old Ireland came in view, arid 1 then they, knew they had discovered the Eldorado: of their dreams. (Laughter). There ithey land, there they increased and multiplied, and there before them in his (Mr person stood a lineal descendant of a Pict andaScot. (Greatlaughter). Afteratime they thought it well to establish a colony, and they looked out for the next most beautiful spot on earth, and selected Scotland—(laughter),—a,nd thus Scotland was originallyipeopledby Ireland. (Laughter). No wonder then tha,t Ireland always felt a pride in her glorious Scotch children, and no wonder if he {Mr Twomey) shared in that pride when rising that evening to propose, the toast of .* The Directors of the Temuka Caledonian Society." (Applause; He had watched by the cradle of the Society, he had seen'it grow to vigorous manhood, and now iit gave him infinite pleasure to be present, and see it in the prime of its strength feasting jou' Scotch haggis, and" greuse frae the Hieland's of Scotland. (Great laughter). It was not necessary for him to say much in praise of the Directors of the Society. By their works they were'known. They had only to witness the splendid sports, they got up and the many grand entertainments held under their auspices, to feel that the management had been placed in capable hands. It was not therefore necessary for him to say. more than propose the toast of " The Directors of the Temuka Caledonian Society," coupled with the names- of Messrs Dignan, Scannell, arid Archer. (Applause.) . Mr Dignan, in responding to the toast, made a few preliminary remarks relative to the former speaker's eloquence, and his own wish to avoid the responsibilities of speech making.. "He then thanked them for the cordial manner in which the toast had been received, and expressed a wish that the. onus of reply had fallen upon abler shoulders, upon one more conversant with the working of the society. To fulfil the objects of the society one had to be a director; in more than name, for there were, cast upon one the noble duty of encouraging benevolence, promoting education, as well an sports and so forth,, no mean programme they would admit. : It opened a field which admitted a man doing either harm or good according to his inclinations, but he was glad to seethe efforts of the. directors had been drawn into a proper channel. Mature thought had commanded all their doings, and no unhappy result had. followed. As far as benevolence was concerned they had, for reasons apparent to them all, given it little attention as yet, "but' the other jbjecta had received all tlie encourage* went the funds.of the society ivhich.the abilities of the directors hsra 3een equal to,' and to the utmost with the naterial at their disposal. He o say no society had been attended with mch success. The success of their sports, jails, and socials, said much for the good jovernrnent of the society. At .their joucerts they endeavored to obtain the >est of talent, to their sports they brought 11 who wished to contribute to its egitimacy and add to their own honor, f the society were purely its government would be a comparatively asy matter, but the Temuka Society was i cosmopolitan society, and governed on democratic principles. Jits government, herefpre, required the greatest care arid he exeroiso of taot i» tfa framing of its

rules and regulations. He then referred briefly to the value of gatherings for the purposes of interchange of ideas, and sat down amidst applause. Mr Scannell said the previous speaker had enlarged upon the objects and success of the society, and left him a very little to say a fact for which'he was very grateful. He took no credit himself, but considered the success of the society due to thef united action of the President, Vice-Presidents, Officers, and Secretary. Mr Archer had great pleasure in being associated with the society as a director. The society, as several other people pointed out, wasa good thing for drawing people together upon a level platform, and he hoped its success would continue. Mr IX-Henry, in a brief speech, proposed " Oor brither Celts the whole world over." iMrD. M. Ross in responding made a very eloquent speech, replete with quotations from Burns, which space does not permit of repeating. He referred to the distinguished position taken by people of all nationalities speaking of Sir Garnet Wolseley as a soldier, of Sir J. Ball as an astronomer, of Commander Kane of the Calliope as a seaman, of Sir Charles Russell as a lawyer, of Mpore as &■ poet, and or their 'own Burns, from whom he quoted. -He must pay a special tribute to th#r. own colonials.. There were men among them who could train a Carbine, or lifee,Pat Morrison put up a record for a footrace. They had trained Maories to play football, and sent a Fitzsimmonds to San .Francisco to take the belt in a i knock dbs. -Some of their colonials had takeiUugliplaces> at, the bar, in politics or i in the public press, and he was sure if4he | drum called them to aims they would be I as ready and as bold as their forefathers at Sebastopol or Alma. In conclusion Mr Robs referred to the happy situation of New Zealand, its assured future* and expressed a regret at the prospect of the colony losing Lord Onslow. (Applause.) Mr Henry sang " When the Kye comes Hame."' • -.

Mr James Blyth, in cordial terms, proposed " The Visitors," and coupled the toast v with the names of Messrs; Hill and M. both of whom Eeplied. Each in his remarks expressed: their pleasure at seeing such happy results attending the efforts of the society, the former stating that he now realised for theifirst time what good in that way could' be done, and the latter congratulating the society upon having such capital officers at its head. Mr, Harris also briefly responded, y Mr Mann proposed "The Chief's, amang us takin' notes," to. which "the chiete " Messrs Twomey and Gaze, replied*.; Mr.R. Pinckney, in : very happy terms,;: proposed "Oor Lassies," and Messrs Lawson and G. Mason responded very feelingly. . , ; ,-■■■«:';' Mr Twomey. proposed the toast, of " The Secretary." The best beloved had' been left to the last. He eulogised his. services, and spoke highly of his unselfishness. '

Mr'Mogridge briefly replied, assuring them that he had little difficulty in working in a society so united. The president sang "Here's tae ye," after he responded to the toast of " The, Chairman," as proposed by Mr Quinft. sf k The Host and Hostess" was afr knowledged by Mr Tombs, and the evening was brought to a close with " Auld Lang Syne," __i_____"' .-""