TOUCHING THAT HARMONIUM.

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 770, 24 May 1877, Page 3

TOUCHING THAT HARMONIUM.

Sib,— ln your issue of the 15th instant your Alexandra correspondent mentioned the abstraction of. the Harmonium from the Public Hall by* the instructions of Mr Maclaurin. Your .correspondent only adverted to the fact,* but did not fully disclose the scandal of the affair ; nor should I, if Mr Maclaurin had returned the instrument whioh I have been waiting for. .

The actual facts of the case are as follows : —

Mr Maclaurin wanted a Harmonium for the conduct of his Presbyterian services at Alexandra, His own congregation were unable, or unwilling (Mr Maclaurin best knows) to find the money. ' He therefore had recourse to people of other denominations to assist him. They were quite willing to do so; on the understanding that the matter should be placed on a broader basis, viz : that the Harmonium should be purchased for the use of whaterer denomination should wish to use it, whether Presbyterian, Baptist, Wesleyan or Episcopalian, in fact to be a public instrument j useful either for church purposes, or entertainments j and as a proof that this was the positive object of the subscribers, I will mention the case of one (a Presbyterian) who had subscribed a guinea ; and arbitrarily interlineated the words "to be under the sole control of Mr Maclaurin or the Presbyterian clergyman for the time being," which caused great indignation. The offensive words were expunged, and, "to become the pro* perty of the subscribers" was allowed to remain unaltered. The offending pres^ byterian's name was struck off the list, and his guinea immediately replaced by three Episcopalians, signing, for nearly treble the amount, and it is remarkable that the majority in number-and value are ifpiacopaliaus.

The instrument; was purchased and deposited in the Public Hall. a "A Committee was to have been appointed to take harge of it, but through the dilatorineas of th9 gentleman who undertook the management of the matter, this has not yet been done. Mr Maclaurin has recently been appointed School-master. at Te Awamutu, so he got two or three personal friends — subscribers— to sign a paper to the effect, that "Mr Maclaurin having left the district, we the undersigned, desire -that he be placed in absolute possession of the Harmonium as a testimonial from us." So far so good, had all been willing, — bub they were not. Nevertheless he managed to obtain a majority of signatures under various pretences; for example : on application lor a signature to this document from a party who objected to the instrument being removed to another district, to the detriment of this; Mr Maclaurin remarked that he merely wished to get sole right to the instrument, in ( order to sell it for his own benefit ; and would give a written guarantee to the effect, that it. should not be removed from Alexandra by him, or any other peraon on his behalf. Of course to a professed teocher of the Gospel, our -friend replied " Your word is sufficient." and" signed. Three days after this conversation, the instrument was taken to Te Awamutu, greatly to tho disgust of our too confiding subscriber, and bo surreptitiously was it taken that I did hot bear of it until the sixth day after its disappearance. A request was then sent for its return which elicited the notice referred to by your correspondent. "That those subscribers who were unwilling that he should retain the Harmoninm, could have ' two-thirds' of thefr money returned on application to him within a month !" Rather cool when his ripbt to, the instrument is denied ! I challenge Mr Maclau ia to deny any of the above statements Should he desire my name you are at perfect liberty to disclose it to him.

1 have to apologise for occupying so much of your space, but could not place a atatement of the matter before your readers in fewer words to justify the subscribers and Mr Maclaurin, — I am &c* Vkrttas.

Alexandra, 22nd May, 1877.