ONCE MORE "TOUCHING THAT HARMONIU.

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 775, 5 June 1877, Page 3

ONCE MORE "TOUCHING THAT HARMONIU.

Str.—TJaVing new ascertained that Mr Huberts, 'of Alexandra, is. the writer of tho letter which appeared in the Waikato Timks, of the 24?h ultimo, with the above heading, I hasten .to place before the iublio my version of the faot's of the case., > Mrßob«rts, seeks to make It appear, ttiat Babsori»tioas towards the harmonium ia qtcetiou, were given on the understanding that the inetsrument should bs a public one, and available for all dencaaiuatioas, a»>i for all entertuiumoats. Thfo faadimental fioint he seeks "to estahlurh, by informing your readers that great iadi§aatic4 was caused by a Pratbyteriaa iaterlintating the words, to. be under the tele comtroal of Mr Maolaurin, or the Presbyterian Ckrgymaa for the time being, and that tha offensive words were expunged.. The aotttal • facts are- as follows .—iWishing to obtain a-a harmonium for my own Sfrriees,, and having secured Moiayseif the undisturbed, possession of the Hall on Sundays by the; payment of * fixei reiit., I did, without' con.H«iting aity iadividual, draw up this beading to a sabMriptioa list • ' Sabscriptious tiiwards an k.rmouium, which Is required to render •Mr MAclanriii's Sunday aerevicia m : o»e acuaptabie aud effective. The iustiuuiunt. to be the properly if the sub-cub. rs iu the eveat of Mr Maci*urin leaving Aiexaadra.' A Pr«sbyienaa did tamper wuh ftita heading as the 'paper Went round, eufr, it is not trn«, as Mr Jt *onld h*v« it tenders 10id that piiUio- iuligna<ien l?d te 'the.-expunging process, as the words wen? euite offeiisive tj m> telt, sad w»ro ob iterated bj my o«vu haud. The Various h«m« coiitribsied we«e p it into m) h\ads. I puichased the nmr.ru•leaf, »b-1 pat iViit n.e Hali which 1 bad ire' l . I pi>.ridrd a cover for tiie iust>uMent at my own ei| euce, and kdpt fiie kef. In tetmr of the pap r I have qix fc»d, the instruuient was, io long as 1 i "mai< vd *t AlexiuJrn, my propiriv, wnd ao dca >mintttiot) or party could have had tb« use »t it; withuut; my conseni. %hv f»#e'd"Temp'ars did. rcquvst me ,to allow them thf Ure of the haruiotiium at their im' etiiigs, a d I co>ie<ntvd, on obfc-iimn/ fieoi t eui a p<oiijUt-> that thry would be careful in t..eir use. of the instrument, nnd r. gu ar. in returning the key when tbtir Hirelings.-were over.

4 A Committer' wrids Mr. Roller's, seems to huve ben a,ip intrd to take charge of it, but, throu t h the dilateriness of the gentleman who undertook the management, this has not yet done! v.re ti.ings really so bud in 'Sleepy Holjriw ?" The deucrip'ibn is so delightfully romantic that its literal truth can hurdiy be accepeed. aud I would venture to hint that the thing was not done, bt-.ause I was, in my own persoa, while at Alexandra, a ' eemraittee of managemmt'—in fact, the possessor of the iusrrumont.

Mr Huberts, moreover, affirms that I succeeded in »btabiint; the consent of the majority of the subscribers "¥y ' various pre.enews,' anil that three dajS after assiring one subscriber that the instrument would he'sold at AlflX-tndra, 1 had it removed to Te Awamutu, and that iu a Very surreptitious m kner. To this 1 rej )y that, Wore my removal to Te Awamutu several subsoribera signified to me thai it was tkeir wish, that the har* lautiium should be ray property ; but "I look no action, towards ascertaining the .gtueral feeling of (he subscribers till thtee.months after my connection with Alexandra hod censed. During this peri d I oame to be informed, by an eye-wiUes-j, i hat the iiist/ument was in the way of being ruined by the piling of wood above it, and other unceremonijus methods of treaWnt I came,: also, to know that some of" the members of the Ball Committee had » eye to the instrument, as a aaee little assM; bo nt et the debt on «fo*ir building They had charged mo £» for the Bunday' B use of tke Hall, and a« I did thialt that they- would get much more than tl.ey deserved, if they w«re permitted to grasp both rent and harmouium, 1 get myself, dtring. Easter we« 4, to ascertain tke Irishes of the autsoriher*, and »H on who» I called were, with two exceptioos, willing that tke iastrament should be banded over to me ; and it is not a little ouriqua that the exceptions, viz: Mr Duffiw and Mr Hoberts, are members of tke said Hall Committee. Mr Duffusi would nat conseat to subscribe my paper, bat affirmed aot only that he »ould give no opposition, but that, if auy meeting were called on the subject,' lie would maintain a mistral position, by not attending it. Mr Roberts asked me if I had obtained the signatures of the majority of ±he suband on my replying in the afirmative, he rt j lined, * of course. I will yiald bo the majority.' The readers of the Waikaso Times will not think that he kas yielded with much grace, when they fin* him, witk the same pen, allow* ingthat I had okianted that mij»rity, ftii4 loading me with abuse, for not doing what he says the minority wishes me to do.

He alms that-1 won over a doubting BftbMriber, by assuring him that the karsaoniaaa woald sot be take a to Te Awatsmta. 1 gave bo individtal any such assurance*, la the ewe mentioued, t\te .efcjectioa stated wax that, Against •my staking the instrument to the Te Awamuto Hall, to d«> service there, jm it had dome hi tha Alexandra Hall. I gave him the aastrance that I urould not do this, and that it was tty wish to have the instraaeat sold where 1* steo4.

A week alter ay visit to tfce subseribers, I farwardod a tatter fo> the Secretary of the Alexandra Hall Committee, asking him if ke oould assist me in the way of arranging as to the harmonium sale. He replied* that there was no thiuce of a parchrser being obtained there, aud that my best oourse was to remove ic to Te Awamutu. Accordingly, three weeks (not. three days) a'ler X had been iu Alexandra, 1 imtrneted Mr H olden, carrier, to bring the harmonium to this p'aco, sending with him a letter, addressed to the aforesaid seoretary, in which he was requested bo assist in transferring .the instrument from the Hall to the drty. So muoh for the ' surreptitiousness'' of the procedure. B it, to my mimj, the xaist startling; o' the writer's asset tions is this: ' I di i nut

hear of it until the ninth day its dwappearabc!' Why is Mr Roberts really j.reparud to affirm that he did not h-iar of the which' tojk p!ao*' witflo two ty yjrds.of bis own door, whn Mr llolden.wag ordered ; t < turn hack aud replace the instrument i>« the Hall. ; That he did not he».r of. this ere B>x moultes had «l*pp*d,!, Hear <>f it wh*h it wut like a fU hj of fire through, every hild in Alexandra. I am much grieved that Mr Bob-r'a h>s acted as he has done. F*Vr m ire. • hau two years, I, and my iauiiiy u«*e b «u on the be" t of term/ .with hue/ami hi», and, at my lisV iu„«.«:vi< vr wilh him, our! friendly rela* \nm* regained unnff.oted: Under such cuuuuutaapep, I bind reason to expect that he would not- have openly' assailed my character without warning me of his intentions, by some private channel of communication. I ( am quite certain t'jat his true-friends .will be one in thinking that, ii his olject in writing as he has done, was, as he alleges, to. ' justify 'me, lie has done anything 1 butr justice t6 himself.—l am, &c.y Kober? MaCLAVKIN. -•;•'• .. Te Awamutu.Mu. ::.'S'T. .