HAMILTON CHESS AND DEBATING CLUB.

Waikato Times, Volume XV, Issue 1259, 24 July 1880, Page 2

HAMILTON CHESS AND DEBATING CLUB.

The first meeting of the Club was held last ovening in the Court-House. There were about 25 members present. Mr J. K. Macdonalcl, Chairman of the Executive Committee, opened the proceedings by reading a letter from Mr H. W. Northcroft, R.M., thanking the members for electing him President of the Club, and regretting that he was unable, for various reasons, to accept the position. .The Chairman then moved — " That Mr James Hume be the President of the Club for the ensuing year. " ! This was seconded by Mr L. O'Neill, and carried unanimously. The President having taken the chair, read the following address :—: — Mr Chairman and Gentlemen : I have to thank you for the honor you have done me in electing me the first President of the Hamilton Chess and Debating Club ; and, in taking the chair to-night, it may be proper that I should make a few remarks with reference to the use of an institution of this kind and the advantages to be derived from it. It is an old saying and a true one that we are never too old to learn ; aud it is also true that our education only begins when it is generally supposed to have ended — with our schoolboy days. Most men entertain rather a mistaken idea as to what education really is, and many, possessed of energy, and still in the vigour of life, deplore the want of advantages iv their early years and the deficiencies of their education, when they are perhaps daily wasting leisure hours which, if properly made use of, might still secure for them no mean attainment-; and there is a vigor and self-reliance about a self-educated man which is hardly attainable by any othpr means, and we are all aware that many of the most remarkable men of all ages have been entirely self-educated. A debating society, such as we have now formed, is calculated to be one means of promoting selfeducation amongst v«, for when we meet together for the purpose of debating on given subjects we can hardly do so wjthout increasing our individual knowledge and enabling us to take a more intelligent view of the subject discussed, and no doubt we may occasionally learn something which may be of practical utility in our every day duties. The debates will al>o tend to improve the members for public speaking, ami promote an interest in the m«de of conducting public meetings. There is no question that it is a great advantage to a man to be able to express himself clearly, fluently, and to tho purpose when required, and no attainment will give him more influence over hw fellowinen than this, when accompanied with a cultivated understanding, good judgment, and sound common sense. There are some men who have a natural gift of being- able to speak well at any time, and to others it is very easily acquired ; but there can hardly be a greater mistake thau for such men to imagine that their understanding of a subject is always in proportion to their speaking about it. There are great advantages also to be derived from hearing a subject stated and restated from a different basis as will frequently be the cii'-e. The discussion of Home politics will also be an interestiiQ' and instructive subject, and tend to improve our knowledge of the great questions of tho day. I wtfuld impress upon the Committee that the subjects brought down for discussion should be of a nature to- improve the members both morally and intellectually, so that the Club may be «i leal benefit to our community, and to our young men in particular; and it is most desirable, and indeed essential, to its success thai, the members should attend the meetings regularly and take an active interest in "the difcussions and iv the affairs of the Club generally. The Chairman then submitted to the President the following names, as thoMi of his colleagues : — .Secretary, Rev. C. (jtiffin ; Treasurer, Mr S. E. (i. Smith ; and the appointments received the President's approval. The Chairman also mentioned that Mr Northcroft had kindly placed the Court-House at their disposal for debates, and the Mayor had kindly ottered the Council Chambers for clie-s. The necessary chessmen and boards had been procured, and would be ready on Monday night. Several notices of motion having been dealt with, The Chairman moved the order of the day, " That in the opinion of this Club the foreign policy of Earl Beaconsfield tended to increase the greatness of the British Empire." He supported tho motion iv a very good speech, which lasted about 20 minutes. Mr Park followed on the opposition side, and tho Secretary in support of the motion, and the Chairman having repplied, The President put the motion, which was carried. The Treasurer, in moving the adjournment of the Club, said the members would meet for chess playing at the Council Chambers, on next Monday and Thursday nights, at 7.30 p.m. It was also annonnced that the Treasurer would, at the next meeting, bring down a statement of the finances of the Club. The Club then adjourned.