CAMBRIDGE LITERARY SOCIETY.

Waikato Times, Volume IX, Issue 519, 16 September 1875, Page 3

CAMBRIDGE LITERARY SOCIETY.

A fkw months ago half 'a dofcfMi people met in tlie Ciinbri l»»e s liool-room f>r the purpose of forming a noCidfy of some kind. It w;ib resolve i that, a soeie'y bliquM be, formed, and meet one a wetli ('Cues lay-*) ut half-past *teven unler th* name of 4> 'lh> Cambridge Literary Society." A co'nmi'tee wis aj'poii ted, with Mr Aahwell as S cr tary »nd Treasurer, M gor Wjlsoa as VicePre3idout, arid Mr S. .[. Neil as President. The quirterly sub-criptiou was fixed at 2* 61, pi/ n ile in advance oh the Ist of Jun^'S.'ptenber, Pecomber and Maroh, _for iKa purpose of p ir* ringing periodicals for tbo reading town, def.aviii£ tiio cost of lighting and ollwr incident il ex^ensis. In connectioit with the lit; raty S v'uty a Lib rary O ub hae'bexin f. hme 1 of fourteen m^mbi'M. hm'h inomber of th's dv > suhpf! r ib*6 for bis fu\ounte mnpazine or revinw. the periodii-nls arrive tliey go to thr-ir pwnrtit, who keep them one week and then heud tliem rounJ to the oth»f members in ortl^r. 'l hu«, for the price of on« peiijdicil tweh meraner ttf i Ins club has the "reading of foa teen high class reviews and mngizincs. The ledur I*,1 *, debates and readin/s of the Litprary "'ocieiy are as yet, free to ali, anThiVd b-en_\ery weU att l'dtfd. Such is our small begi' lihig, wHich rarnedtivpsand p(sT3*-ve,r'ifico may muke, if not groat and famous,, at lcaut lasting an i useful v y >r wh.» would- Ii ire d irtd lo proj h -cv. win n Oislelie t a/*d hts fe* cou^a'UQn iionkv beg. n o teach in a" hired b«»r^ in Cottenhiiu, that, they wei'e 1 tying the foundntion of Ofimbridjjp, an. l tint thij old.bnra would e^pajjtj into the gltrious Alma MrtterVhoie'iiamS' un i who«i» son* «hP(»U Ive in everlasting rcin^mbranje. We h*vo d'ffic ilties to contend with, not'the least of which- in that engrossing love lor the present and ma'eridl, which not only in the \Vaikato, but in t>lh«r parts of the colony, seems to dnmp in a j greul measure the love for the intellectual and tbe everlasting. But, though science moves "but sowly slowly, creeping on from paint to point," y^t " \Vuo loves not knowledge ? who shall rail f Agvinsfc her beauty ? may ahe mix With men and prosper! Who shall fix * Her pillars ? Let h<tr work prevail." At the meeting held last week oi the Literary Society, a vote of thanks was moved and passed l.y acclaraition to the proprietors of the Waikato Times, for their kindness in regularly sending a copy of that paper to the reading, room of the society. The secretary then stated that during the past quarter 5L* gentl.Vmen had given in their names, 32 of whom had paid their subsci iptiona. The. amount receive I by subscriptions lyas £4, while the expenditure was £5 15s 6d, viz , for peiiodical* £3 15p 6d, for lighting £1 6s, for firing 55," for advertising 9s. After the ininu'es'were confirmed, and the papers for the pist quarter sold, Mr Anderson read a very amusing and instructive lecture on " Popular Superstitions," showing by many examples how i^nprauce produced superstition, and superstition reproduced itself. Mr Sydney Smith and the Rev Mr Smith criticised the paper, sppaking at some length of various spiritual, or quasispiritual, phenomena, which have given rise to wonder and speculation. After a few remarks from the President with regard to the only conditions tinder which spirits, could be seen, and tbe evidence of their appearance, a vote of thanks was passed to the lecturer, and the meeting closed.— (Correspondent )