ST. PATRICK'S DAY IN TUAPEKA.

Tuapeka Times, Volume 21, Issue 216, 21 March 1872, Page 5

ST. PATRICK'S DAY IN TUAPEKA.

If the patron saint of the Imtrald Isle found time to cast a gUnot bom his abode in the realms of bliss on Toapeka, he must have felt gratified at the manner in which the day dedicated to his memory was observed. Thfrda? ift qtaHaion— or rather the day after— (St. Patrick's Day falling on a Sunday). had been chosen by the Roman Catholic portion of the community to celebrate the completion of their new schoolhonse iv Colonsay-street, Lawrence. And in right good style was it celebrated. We may safely say that never— at least out of Dunedin, and we question very much whether ever in that city — has such a concourse of people been gathered for a similar object in Otago, or in New Zealand. - All classes, creeds, and countries — and they are. many — represented in the Tuapeka district, for the occasion dropped their distinctions and differences of religion and opinion, and united cordially with the Roman Catholics in securing the success of the celebration. To Father Ltrkin must be accorded the highest praise in connection with the affair. The rev. father possesses in a marked degree 'the " organising talent," if we may so term it, and in fertility of resource it would be difficult to find his equal. Some month* ago he conceived the idea of making the opening of the school in Colonsay-stipet a noteworthy event in the history of Lawrence, and at the same time to raise a sum of money towards defraying the cost of its erection. With his accustomed energy, no sooner had he conceived the idea than ne set to work to carry -it out, and last Monday showed how well he did so. Being a skilful general, Father Larkin first secured the assistance of the ladies, and a fancy fair on- a grand scale was projected, and on the day mentioned became an accomplished fact. The masculines had then to be won over to the cause, and a programme of athletic sports, horse races, and other aransemonts which the " lords of creation " deign to divert themselves by participating in and witnessing, was issued. A hanqnet in the school building on a grand-scale, to which ladies as well as gentlemen wecs^tojke present was then announced as the piece de resistance, and to bring the proceedings to a close. The ladies, it is needless to say, entered into the scheme enthusiastically, and for some time previous to the important day, feminine fingers all over the province were busily engaged fabricating wonderful articles, ornamental, useful, and otherwise, to grace the stalls at the fancy fair*. In the Tuapeka district the ladies bestirred themselves, not only in manufacturing articles for sale at the fair—but in can T vassing their friends. Th* results we leave to the imagination of male readers. The approach of St. Patrick's Day could be measured by the gradual decrease in the available accommodation. From all parts of the country visitors kept arriving till Monday evening. Dunedin, Tokomairiro, Teviot, Waipori, Beaumont, Waitahuna, and many other places furnished contingents to the invading host of friends. On Monday night there must have Jbeen fully 800 j strangers in Lawrence. Where they all found beds is a mystery we do not feel disposed to pry too closely into ; any-ho-vr, w« fancy tlis»t many who sought the arms of Morpheus did not look for that god in bit usual haunts. The success of Monday's proceedings was greatly promoted by St. Patrick's Band, of Dunedin. The members of this band journeyed from Dunedin for the express ' purpose of being present ' and playing at the fair and banquet. For their kindness in so doing alone we are sure they received the united thanks of the residents of Tuapeka. When it was announced that the band was to coma to Tuapeka for the occasion, anticipations of a musical treat of the highest -order were indulged in, and these anticipations were more than realised. The band played' splendidly many excellent selections, which were listened to raptarously, and evoked hearty applause. T&e neat green and gold uniform of the band attracted great attention, and whenever they turned out to play during their \ sojourn in Lawrence they were followed and surrounded by enthusiastic crowds. Mr. Lind, the bandmaster, is a master in ' his profession, and he has brought his band to a state of proficiency of which they and Dunedin may well be proud. The weather on Monday was excessively hot, but although, all complained, none allowed it to mar their enjoyment. On the whole, everything connected with the opening of the school went off in the most ! successful manner - possible, and we ( | heartily congratulate our Roman Catho- | lie friends thereupon. Below will be < | found a detailed report of the proceedings. i Here we may give the following parI tienlam relative to the school buudin?. | The dimensions of the bnOduag am 70 feet by 41 feet, interior measmtansjat. ' [.The plan consists of a nave 70 feet by 90 feet, with side aislea of 10 feet in width. '•'. The walls are borne on pillars snowing from the. interior, the whole work being oa«^pj»y brasad and stayed, and sp,»sS^b*,*¥bdivided in centre br W|pUi &&&*• The principal t*V Wfi|Qe. la tbxongH > cloak tower, which rafts to a height of 33 feet, the ipper portion being finished for a beß turret with open eampajiile, , The frame qfttne building is m*de of, #oo*, al4 tfetftol is covered with,, iron, the wfcti|e fti&ty:

MM substaQuftlly fiwue*.. Frpm the oqtside, tit* building presents an -it»-. posing appearance, A each end of the building there is a cms. The interior of the building is to be left open at present, as it is intend* I to use ib for the service of the church c irjng the erection of a' brick and stone church which is about to be built, Tl i contractor, Mr, Mackney, has -pushed orward the work ezpeditiously, and |he wprkaianlike manner iv which he h s carried out his contract reflects great ciedit upon. him.

ST. PATRIOTS DAY.

On Sunday, the M<3t Rev. Dr. Moran officiated at mass, aid preached both morning aiid evening. The morning's discourse was devotedto the panegyric of St. Patrick, and in tie: evening his Lordship delivered an atle and instructive sermon on the ritual cf indulgences. In the course of his se'mon he explained away many fallacies relative to indulgences, current amongst ihnse not connected with his church. Att!he catechetical aervicn in the, afteinooi,' the Bishop discoursed impresswely apd appropriately. Each service jpp attended by large and attentive cong^ationi. * y

THC FANCY FAIR.

Monday was generally ctbatfrved fflTa close holiday in Lawrence. The banks did not open, and th§ few business establishments that did opea ; closed about-mid-day. The great centre of attraction was of course the fancy fair, and from a comparatively early hour crowds wended their way thither, Numbers of visitors from the outlying districts arrived during the morning, all boundfor the same goal. Towards noon Lawrence began to assume a deserted appearance, aud in the afternoon the number of people remaining in it must have been, exceedingly small. At the fair, however, there was plenty of life aud bustle. There must 'have been fully 1200 people present. Thefair sex mustered strongly, fascinatiugly arrayed iv gay summer costume. A splendid Irish flag, consisting of a harp, Celtic cross, and round tower, waved from the top of the booth, and " the wearing of the green " seemed to be the rage — scarcely any one on the ground, whether male or female, but did not sport Erin's national ' colour on some portion of his or her attire. Some ladies, indeed, were so largely de- ' corated with green that a friend of ours avowed that the Lawrence drapers had recently been disposing of ribbona of that colour to their customers by the mile instead of by the yard. The stalls were stocked with a miscellaneous assortment of articles. To attempt to give even a faint idea of the wares offered -for sale, would occupy far more space than we have, or ever hope to have at our disposal. Suffice it to say that they comprised ar+hles apparently suitable to every taste. Mesdames Reany (of Dunedin), Halley, G. Clark, Conway, Harris, and Misa M'Swiuey were the veudresses. and they certainly were very successful. Few who were rashly curious enough to inspect the articles offered for sale were able to resist the persuasion of these ladies, and consequently the Btock had a ready and rapid sale. There were two refreshment hoothsy under the charge of Mr."ali3"Mfs7Cranley, Mr. Airey, and" Mr. Harris. The day being hot there was an extensive demand for cooling beverages, and we are sure the receipts from the refreshment department form no inconsiderable item in the total. Mr. Matthew Hay held an auction sale of a variety of. articles, and succeeded in disposing of a large quantity thereof at fair prices. • ->T/he programme of the day's amusement comprised hurling, football, horse and foot racing. Throughout the day there was always a number engaged at football and hurling, despite the intensity of the heat which prevailed. The most interesting match at football was one that took place between sides chosen by Mr Sproule and Mr. Moroney from amongst the members- of St. Patrick's Band. After an exciting contest, Mr. Moroney's side won. There were, however, several other matches during the day. At hurling there was a splendid contest between sides chosen by Mr. Cahill and Mr. Spellaney. which was won by the former. Other amusements there were in galore, and they -were freely indulged in. The horse racing was under the auspices of the Tuapeka Jockey Club. .Mr. Bastings acted as judge, Mr. Hayes as secretary, and Mr. Sheath aa starter. The prizes competed for consisted of a handsome silver cup and saddles and bridles. The following are the results :—: — St. Patrick's Cup. Davidson's Sultana 1 Mackny's Jessie O'Mara 2 Gardiners' Kate 3 Ladies' Cup. Davidson's Sultana 1 Cotton's Gentle Annie 2 Sheed's Jenny 3 Mullins' Little Dick 0 Drew's Star of Limerick 0 St. Patrick's Band were on the ground, and at intervals enlivened the proceed ings by playing in their masterly style some beantifnl selections. Father Larkin seemed to be übiquitous ; one time j he was looking after a game of football, at another he was in deep consultation on some momentous subject with some member of the committee, and then he would be seen galloping furiously on his white charger towards the township. Many other ladies and gentlemen beyond those we have particularised lent valuable aid towards making the fair a a thorough success. • Nor must the pupils of the Tuapeka Academy be forgotten. They worked well and energetically, and their juvenile efforts to forward the cause met with great success. ~*

THE BANQUET.

i If the fancy fair was a great success, the banquet given in the school in the evening was a greater. The room, which wo believe is the largest, out of Dunedin, lin the province, had been tastefully decorated for the occasion. Over the entrance door was the Celtic "Cead Mtfle Failthe," and at the lower end of the bast hung an Irish flag similar to that •I tfca tmnj fair. On the gallery, inlargft leitani i w«re the words, " In Education Josiioe to All." Around the pillars wtrt utwined_ wreaths of evergreens, a&4festt>ohfl of the same gracefully hung ibotamift U^rt. The pleasing effect of 'H» •I^tthhitfttos was sivjitly heightened

by the artistic display of bouquets of flowers, and a number of shields bearing the harp, Celtic cross, and Irish round tower (the work of the boys attending the Tuapeka Academy) were judiciously placed round the room. The tables were literally loaded with a profusion of the good things of this life, eatable and drinkable. To give some idea of the quantity of edibles provided, we may state that for a week previous the work of cooking had been going on. 14001bs. of flesh, such as beef, mutton, turkeys, geese, fowls, &c, were cooked, besides vegetables, pastry, bread, &c. About half-past eight o'clock p.m. the banquet commenced. The tables had been calculated to accommodate 14*0 ladies and gen? tlemeu. At the hour mentioned about double that number were piesent, and at half-past nine o'clock the assemblage numbered between 400 and 500. No confusion, however, occurred. The arrangements seemed to be as perfect as possible, Every one who entered the hall, by the careful management, in due time, got a comfortable seat at the table, and. a iHentiful supply of the very excellent fare provided. When all had bean satisfied and the tables cleared, there remained a sufficiency of provisions to supply another 500 people. A number of toasts had been arranged to be given, but there being such a number of people present, it was, decided to dispense with them,

The banquet was undoubtedly the greatest success that has ever taken place in Tuapeka. Enjoyment reigned supreme. Dull care on that Monday night was banished from the precinots of the banquet hal]. The sight of so many happy people gathered together under one roof was one which we are afraid will not be witnessed for a long time again in Tuapeka. There were nearly two hun dred ladies present. The majority of them had arrayed themselves gorgeously in what Artennis Ward would call their ' ' store close. " We are afraid to speculate how much wear aud tear of mirrors there had been during the day, but it must ha\e been enormous. However, the eft'ect was really splendid, and we doubt much if many cities in New Zealand could make such a display of beauty and fashion. St. Patrick's Band enlivened the proceedings by their music, performed in their usual effective style. After the banquet was over, advantage was taken of the presence of the Band to have a dance, which brought the proceedings to a termination satisfactory to all. To Mr. Sproule, Mr. Buck and Mr. Ludford great credit' is due for the taste they displayed in decorating the room.

The amount realised by the fair, banquet, &c, has not yt-t been made up, but we are certain we are xinder the mark when we place it at LSOO.

Mr. and Mrs. Sproule deserve mention for the assistance they rendered. The former took an exceedingly active part both at the fair «and the banquet, and helped much to make things pass off pleasantly.