A STRANGE TEA PARTY.

Waikato Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 214, 3 April 1886, Page 1 (Supplement)

A STRANGE TEA PARTY.

"Admit Bearer to a Free Tea for Rogues, Thieves, and Vagabonds, oa Friday evening, January 8, at 7 o'clock, in the Lillie road Mission Hall, West Brompton. After [the Feed an Address will be given by your sincere friend, Ned Wright." The dubious compliment conveyed in tho above invitation might uaturally have | been imagined to induce a feeling of diffidence on the part of its recipient, bat apparently delicacy is not a marked characi teristic of the "dangerous classes." Not only did those to whom tickets were addressed preseut themselves in full force, nearly filling the Mission Hall, but there were a number of applicants outside who, though not specially invited, were willing and anxious to prove that 'they possessed the necessary qualification for admission. It afforded food for reflection that so many who came under the designation we have quoted above should have appeared in such a remote locality, especially, moreover, a3 quarter sessions .are now on, aud the attendance of this class of the community is generally largely requiicd to tike their part therein in the admiuistrrition of the law Nevertheless, some 150 gjiusts, chieQy young men, many of them mere lads, assembled under th« Mission H«dl roof to enjoy the meal proniled for them, and afterwards to listen to f h» exhortations of Ne«l Wright Tin* pf> (••••hiigt were tolerably orderly, bur tti- r«* oin 1 or two turbulent ap.rts ■> -ll' wmm nor'riMig apparently wouid a.t.. >:,. A coiif|iU;nt was nuiie by .i •!.» « i n » • g^utLinai. v; the hick of tti- iomo •> -I- had be n asked to tea! ainl,<;u>l . . f l Oi>ii't take any notion of nun : :»• i« >■ lHug a coufoun'lfd lie, for Ix. \ p n . I-.; an) •■nuking j idt m|ow,' -vh» !•'• run-t of "A'r.ghv, ami the imicni >' '.n ■ f^] lin/iy put d iwn, th iii_r>* i it. • i ti ur t.u- n:',.r-«»<ft, *'lt ynU oin p'-nve wl">t vwi'fp ««ai'l I'll ffiVft iv ' Ned Wug'i* tsu.i gave out the In inn, % Hold the Fo t, ' whiuh w».s s»nng to the accoriipin'tnciir of a i*i->liu and harmonium The h' him, u'i the whole, Was rcmlfieil with die ?r»)ing »n<l respect, but it \va< ii >t <ii<ncult to detect some s ray discordan' sounds mingling with the Well in 'ant efforts of thft majority. Wright next claimel attention for one of his characteristic addresses in which with considerable pow<jr and feeling, he depicted his early life and th* change th* com ersiuu had worked in htm. His style is manly and straightforward, and he undoubtedly possesses the power of controlling l« r ge hiul disorderly audience*. It must be »ilaiitte>l, however, that tha narrative of his early exploits in the criminal live awakened a more lively interest among his hearer* than hi* spiritual advice did. His account of i how l|e met iv battle and conquered one CoopeV, a prize fighter, in,2h 2Smin, was received with due respect, but some exhibition of scepticism were dimly visible when he asserted that in cou»pquence of 22 years' total Abstinence, he should, had. he to meet Cooper again, be able to' "settle 1 ' him in an hour. The address largely made up of personal reminiscences in which wero >nclni!o<] the pain* fat expc ieuces of cany ing coals at the new model pi .sun at Watulsworth, and a Bogging thiongh thu fleet at Portsmouth, had n certun <> ug>i and vigorous power about it that lu-li the audience in close i attention tlii>iUi>h'»iT. To every incident that Wiiglit iii itfil he appended some mural ies-on, which he happily and adro-tly ' iapte ! At the conclusion m.my if tik It .u.rs remained to hateu to a spe.Til -p -mI in them as to h u'nung>i -ii Hi-, i c So fir a^ could be ;isomaiu< <l, in v of tna character of tlw cum uy i.ii-n* was no breach of order, a. id o ily one p 'he-man sufficed for the preservation of peace in tbe immediate vicinity of th** Hall

How To Make Good ["«*.— A. coi respondent of The Grocer writes, recommending the following system of making tea: — Fust, put tho desired quantity t>l tea (ont» spoonful for each and one for the pot) into a small muslin bag, whioh drop into tbe teapot, after thoroughly wimvng and <ir>tug tiie Litter : then pour sufficient boiling water into the teapot, and let it stand for about five minute* ; after which, extract the muslin bag containing tea- leaves, and then the tea in n be poured out. and drank with real satisfaction. The advantages of this system are that the second and third cat) will be found equal to the first ; that th" tannin and other properties of tea no considered beneficial are left in tha muslin bag ; and that the consumer gets a »•" mge .»•»•!.•» s n this case may b« dn 'i»d »i'h > ot truth a* •'cheerhv but uwt uwbruuitta,"