MR BOOTH'S MISSION TO CAMBRIDGE. A Split in the Camp.

Waikato Times, Volume XXIV, Issue 1968, 17 February 1885, Page 2

MR BOOTH'S MISSION TO CAMBRIDGE. A Split in the Camp.

Arc oiinivt. to announcement, Mr I{. T. Booth, tin 1 well-known tempciance advoc.ite, dehveied a \ei\ lnteiesting and «-tirriug lectme in tlie I'ublic Hall, C.iiiil>ihL'i>, on Fnd.iy evening. Thine was a fairlj Luge audience, mid :i large numiicr of those prcM ntcniif i'>iij| distances. The lecture wasonoof unusual mteiust, dealing \ itli the ])o]iuliir vico in all its striking hideous ness, .md tho di-.com so w.is inteispewd w itli a numbei of appropiiate anecdotes .Did illustiations. Mr Booth is adtniiably suited to liin woik, and th mgh not wli.it in.iy lw teiniod brilliant, bis stylo and foice of expression enables him to command the attention of his hearers throughout, and c.uiy tothoii minds a thormgh conviction of thi' indisputability of hi-, tenets. On Saturday evening Mr Booth was announced to give n second lecture m the s.ime place, but owing to some unfortunate misunderstanding aiising in the minds of ceit.iin gentlemen concerned in the pro gioss of tnmj>erancn in general, and Mr Booth's visit in paiticul.ir, tho lecture did not come off. Jt appears th.it shoitly aftei Mr Booth 't arrival in Auckland, the C.unbiid^e biauch of the Blue Ribbon oig.uiis.ition invited him to pay a visit to this distnct to promote the spirit of temper.mcc here. Mr Booth it seems did not f.ivom.ibly entertain tho invitation, not Ik-lien ing in short visits to country towns, .is to effect anything hko success in his pui suit it required sonio considerable time with nightly application. Subsequently, however, Mr Rice, Baptist Pastor of Auckland, contemplated a visit to the Lake Country and so invited Mr Booth to join him. The latter consenting, Mr Kioe thoughtfully improved the occasion by getting Mr Booth to consent to delis ei a couple of lectures in Cambndge on their way through, and having thin succeeded ho communicated with his Baptist friends at Cambridge, telling them that they might advertise tbo advent of the gio.it temperance advocate to then midst, with tho additional intimation that he (Mr Kice. of Welle»ley-street B.ii)ti<t Church) would tako the chair. This was done .iccmdinglv. but in making the ari.iugcmcnt it xeeius the otiicers of tho local bi.mch of the army were altogether igiioied, and this oversight is said to base (not to put too tino .i point on it) "got their backs up.'* When .Satuidoy night ai rived .i huge concomso of people had gathered together in town to hear tho popular advocate and enli.st in the cause. Some came from Oil. uipo and othorn from To Awamntu, and several other places in tho outlying distucts. But wlnlo the audience woio taking their seats Urn wind, it appears, was rising behind tho scenes, and g.xvo every promise of blowing a hum enne before long. Gentlemen of the cloth were exchanging words of acidulous politeness, statements of doubtful veiacity wvie finding vent and getting into liberal cncul i tion ; aspcrKions were being cast mound, all of which required coucspondingicplios. The local band now appealed ill finnt of the lull, and contuhuted its quota to the ludicrous and unseemly tumult. The drummer gave his instrument the orthodo\ pieparatoiy t.ij)", to which the harmonious stiains of "The Kle|>hant waltzed around" .succeeded. All pos<ibi]jty of ,i tiuce was now ended, ono paity believing that the other party had puipost'ly arrangi-cl for the musical iuteriuptii'iii At i 1 Booth said he could not apeak undi'i tho depressing sti.vins of the bi.xss lnstiumouts, and on the polite repicseutation of koiuu fiiend, the blowing operations were tran.sferred to the opposite side of the roadway. By this time, however, confusion had got worse confounded inside, and levereud gentlemen and their satellites were consulting each other in tones anything but toft, w itli a goodly few of an admiring audience standing around. The. " popular advoevto" >}ot into unpleasant proximity with a local enthusiast, whom ho addressed with undoubted lucidity respecting his action in the little affair just on. Ono section weie accused of standing at the door on Friday evening and inciting their people to keep away in order to show their disappiova.l of the action of another section. Anyhow, matteis got so confused, and men so nmed up m their respective views of the situation, that Mi llootli mado his bow to the audience, and bndo them a veiy good evening, leaving tho pl.itfonn without affoiding the treat which so many had come long distances to hear. Consequently, people who had come with their minds made up to go home we.umg the insign.i of reformation, went away h.ully disappointed, and a few are cuirentry inpiuted to hnvo gono hack to tho enemy, Whatever may Fjavo been tho stnte of alf.iiis behind the scene, tho ac f .ion of Mr Booth wassc.weely wai ranted. He w.is announced to lectuto, a largo audiouco had gathered to heai him, and why ho should thus, tluough a meio pcisonal misuudei standing on the pait of other people, havo so far foi gotten liuusi-lf as to take the step he did is vejy luud to HCCOiuit for ? Mr Booth dolivcrod a very inteiesting and appropriate lecture at tho Baptist Tabernacle on Sunday afternoon, when there was a large attendance of school children and their fuends, A c< (Unction was takon lip at t))« olqsp uf kl|t» service in ajd of tho chuich funds. Mr Booth and Mr Hico loft for Kotorua yesteiday iriommg. Dining their stay at Cambudge they weie the guests of Mr Houghton,

MoiUHßsDns'i Know.— How many children nro punished lor bt ing uncouth, wiMul, and in dillerent to lnstrm tions or reward simply because tlic-y arc- out oflicvltli ' An intelligent lady said of a child ol this kind: " Mother don't know thnt \\\i> ■.lioiilj i;ivn thi> little onn moderato doses of hop Hitten for two or three wooks, and the child would be all a parent could desire." Look for.