GOOD TEMPLARY IN WAIKATO.

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 583, 15 February 1876, Page 2

GOOD TEMPLARY IN WAIKATO.

A BBIBF HIBTOHT OF ITS ISTABLXftHXEHT AWD PHOGRK3S. Ob ' th.it men should put aft enemj to their cnouthi To iteal awaj their bnuns •» Sbukspeare.

{Concluded from our last.) TU AWAMUTO. Shortly after the departure of Bro C 0 Moufcroie, a, Lodge wai opened in thu township under the following circum»tanoes. S*rge»nt Fr»ser, a, member of the Hopo of "Waikato Lodge, went to Te Awamutu about tho middle of Norelnber for the purpoie of putting the A 0 Force throug li Oarairr drill. At the conclusion of one portion of the drill, ho informed the men that he had

tTOINCD THE GOOD TSMPLABY in Hamilton, and pointed out the b^tefits h« had derived therebj. He thea told them that be would consider it an affront for any of them to ask him to driak after what he had ittted. During the erening, after drill, when the officer* and men were collected together in the Te Awa* mutu Hall, Mr Cannj who was building a newhotel, came in with a petition to hard a

UCENSE 'GIINTBD him, wWfch he placed on a table, and asked thoie present to sign ft. $ergt Fraaer ••id : " Hold on a bit lads, I hare •omething hare for you to »iga also ; wboerer it on my lido Yin. sign thit." And he.-o he plaoed On the tible eide by iid« witk Mr Canny* petition, a FOEM OP APFLICATJ6N for » dhart«r for a Good Templar Lodge. He lucceeded in getting

▲ JfAJOBITTOr BIGNATURtfI — some !&0 in number — and within a fortnight ft charter was receireci. Bro 3-aorge Hihd wtl appointed epecial deputy to initiate memberi and install officers. The

Opening Ntarifc wai fixed foY the 27th November, when ft large number of the members of the Hope of Waikato went up to assist in the ceremony. Prior to tb» opening, Bro Madden delivered a Very interesting lecture on Temperance, after which between 15 and 16 members were initiated. 'Unfortunately the Cambridge Cavalry Review was held on the same day, and * number Vho wduld h*ve joined were unable to attend. The following lodge night, however, the number had iwelledJK^ nearly thirty memberi. It has

Steadily iNCßiisrb •ince thth and ia now one of the HOST ZBOSrBBOUS LODSB* ia Wiiluto, and manycuntedtifj to the gdbd h hu "tcoomplishecl.

*DISSENTIOy. Where wsemblios consisting of fnany grades of society are brought together week after week) and templar bodies are essentially of thii clasp, a oertain amount of jealousy and illfeeling is sure to creep in, and the fiopo bf Waikato was no exception to the rUl'e. Tho faot was the lodge was beooihihg too large to be easily thatfaged and it was necessary to open froth lbdge«. To this -*nd a charter waa applied fbr and granted for Hamilton Ealt, aboutVho e»d Of Dooembor and thortly afterwards

"A 8B?ABATI0K TOOK 'nIaOX. and on'the'4*h ol December Bro G-eorge Hiai; misted by ieror*l members from the Hop* bf W»it»to Lb'dgt, opened

TH* WITH XOIiUB. in the W*ik»to. Although the whole Of thji members on the other side of the rirer separated from the parent Lodge, it made ho very app»"eafc difference in the attendance of the Hope. Partj feeling lseemed rather to increase th^a diminiih, and it bad become absolutely etsentiii to th* preserration of that h'armbaj which ought to exist among a brotherhood of the kind, that a ■till {urther dimibuatidn of itt nuroben "ihould take place. Accordinglj an application fora dew charter was feigned bj some fifteen^ or twemfcj members and Mr'Lewii O'Neil deputed to prb* ceed'tb Auckland to explain matten to the Grand Lodge, and to fcbtain a charter and neces3ary p>rapbcrouli» and inaigna of offi'^s. JTho ch»*Vor wsts readily granted and Bro G B Madden Appointed f)eputj to bpen the Lodge. Oil Tifesdaj Dec 14th, the

ONW"AHD TO TIOTOftT LODB-B. Was organised, making the sixth Lodge opened in the Waikato within a period of los* than nine months, and altogether numbering about 300 members. At first tome ill-feeling existed bstwoen the two Lodge*, but that, toon wore off, and * spirit bf frieutlly eihdUtibn took its place. Eaoh Lbdge was eager to excett the other, and thus did much in adding to their numberi. Few members of anj prominence ever left the district without tome recognition, either in the form of a written testimonial or something •till more tangible being made him : and so it was whon Mr 0 Longbottom announced his intention early in January of leaving the district Oa tire 11th January a handsome gold chain was presented to him " prior to his departure for ths South" in token of the zeal and energy displayed by hitn'in promoting the interest ana welfare of the Order. Another lot's to the Order, and 'particularly td the " Hope of Waikato" Lodge, was felt in the ' departure bf Bro G E Madden. {This gentleman had froth the establishment of Tomplary in the Waikato to the time 6f hip departure occupied the posit tdh of Worthy Chief Templar of the Hope, and no one could hare filled that onerous post more conscientiously or impartially than did he. Kindly in disposition, lie yet ruled his Lbdge with firmness and deoision, and when it ) was known ho was about to leave the distriot 'there was not a member df the Order who did not view his approaching departure with regret. On the 31st January last he was presented, at a speoial meeting convened f6r ths) 'purpose, with a handsome lover watch and gild chain, acootnpaniod with a testimonial showing Che high esteem in whioh he was held by the fraternity. ( t f , , This Is 'the last event of importance up to the present time. It ia an acknowledged fact that the establishment df the Order in the Waikatd has been the means of e'fteoftng more 'good in proporti6n to its impsrtanoeA&& popuja&on than in any other part of the Voldhy. JSiany, Verymany, whb hate 'experienced in all its horrors the curse of intemperance hare had cause to bless the day they became members df so noble a oause. , But with all this th« Lodges ar*^. not whit they should, and it is to be hoped wilfll be. They have strired to add to their numbers, and doing so have, apparently been satisfied ; but id what is really wanted is to make their meetings more attraotire. debates connected with the subjeot of Templary, and other friendly discussions should be introduced, if not erery nigut atleastat regular periods, and, what would tend more than ought else to bring men from t&e Bar parlors— a reading-room and library should be attached td the lodge room. A little unanimity and zealous work would accomplish this, arid it ought not to be said that with so easy and efficacious a means of accomplishing muoh gdod and adranciug a cause in whicn every individual member should work heart and >ouh a library cannot be provided. We had aimoit forgotten to mentidn the Juvenile Temple. It was started some few months back, and is well eonducced and ably managed, and is a most useful institution in instilling early habits of temperance which time only aeire* to strengthen. , Wo nd\r leare the Order in Waikato in a proip*roil* condition with power to accomplish much good for fallen nature. May they work to tk*t end. , ' . 11 Till inebriety, With all it's impiety, Yields to sobriety Throughout the land.

(Jyro Shooting Match.— Th» I following if th« list of the membir* of the Hamloy Q-utt Club who will fir# against the member* of the Waikato Ghin Club m the gyro match to oomtf off on the 2jid mit :— MeiSMWynynrJ, tiuisellj Middletoa, Bottie, Morrin, Aitkoo, Qxyimoi «nd Palme*.