ORANGE ANNIVERSARY.

Auckland Star, Volume XXI, Issue 165, 15 July 1890, Page 5

ORANGE ANNIVERSARY.

CELEBRATION LAST EVENING.

SOIREE AND CONCERT.

Last evening the two-hundredth anniversary of the Battle of the Boyne was celebrated by the Auckland lodges of the Loyal Orange Institution by a soiree and concert in the Foresters' Hall, Newton. The interior of the hall waa gaily decorated with the banners of the various lodges, and there was a very large attendance, the building being crowded to the doors. The members of the order.including a large number of the fair sex, all wore their regalia. There was a very crowded attendance at the 6.30 tea, which had to be served in relays, the tables being presided over by the ladiee of the Female Orange Lodges. ;After the tea, the public meeting was held, Grandmaster Farrell presiding. The Chairman <pas supported on the platform by Bro. J. Jamieson, D.G.M., and the Revs. A. J. Smith (Grand Chaplain), E. Best, R. Scotb West, and a number of chief officers of the various lodges. The Rev. E. Besb opened the proceedings with prayer. The Chairman expressed his greab pleasure in presiding over that meeting, especially as it was the 200 th anniversary of the Battle of the Boyne. He felt sure that all present felt pleased that euch peace and harmony as now existed prevailed, and that there was no likelihood of a repetition of the events they were about to celebrate. There was no doubt the spread of education was convincing people that the mere chance of birth should be no barrier to true and valued friendship. He had a surprise for the meeting in the shape of a very interesting memento of the Battle of the Boyne, which he first saw in his native village, near Enniskillen, 28 years ago—a cuff of the coat which King William wore at that memorable struggle. In 1863 he was a fellow-passenger out to Auckland with the owner of the relic, Mr Isaac Keary, for years well known at the Thames and Auckland. Tho wristband of the coat hac , -been torn off in alarm that the King was wounded by an Irish bullec that grazed his arm. It had since been handed down from father to son until it was now in possession of the late Mr Keary'e son, residing at Arch Hill. The Chairman then exhibited the ancient relic amidst much enthusiasm. He then called upon the Rev. E. Best, who was present on the platform, to move the first resolution of the evening. The Rev. Mr Best was received with applauee. He said that he was sure no ore who bad the good fortune to visit old Ireland would ever forget it. Hβ himself had very vivid remembrances of the scene where the memorable Battle of the Boyne was fought, which he had visited many years ago. Hβ spoke of the manner in which the fighb took place, describing the positions of King James's and King William's armies on the river banks, and the manner in which the gallant Orangeman's troops crossed the river and routed the enemy, thus winning one of the most memorable battles in English history. He thought it was a favouring Providence that ordained it so that when King William's infantry entered tne Boyne to cross.to the enemy's position under a terrible fire, there was a very low neaptide, thus enabling the soldiers to ford the river in safety, which would have been impossible had the tide been any higher. In the Battle of the Boyne the Irish were said to have fought like devils. Perhaps they did, but then the Old Book commanded them to " reeist the devil and he will flee from you" (laughter), and they did flee. That great battle was one of the turning points in English . history, and, they; ehqujd;be aver., grateful[JEOr the face that from that time till now they had lived under a beneficenb jProtestanb reign,- -which _ had been secured to them by the accession of William of Orange. And he did not like to leave them without speaking of our Gracious Sovereign, Queen Victoria, who has now attained a good old age, and who, he sincerely hoped, would have many more' years of life and sovereignty. With reference to the latter portion of the resolution he was to move, that relating to the present state of Ireland.he wished to say something. Some ridiculous statements had been made by certain people regarding the present state of Ireland and the wrongs of her people. Well, he himself could claim to know something about Hβ wae an Irishman born and bred ; his immediate ancestors had lived in Ireland, and he was an Irishman himself by birth. In Ireland he had epent almost all his life up to the last ten years or bo, and as a Wesleyan minister he claimed to know something about the country, as most Irish Wesleyan ministers did. Speaking, of the Wesleyan portion of the Irish population, he said that the Wesleyan people in that country had invariably been the most lawabiding and peaceable in the land. They had never cost the English Government one sixpence for keeping them in subordination. With very slight exceptions, hardly worthy of notice, the Wesleyan population of Ireland were fervently oppoeed to Home Rule—or, rather, Rome Rule—and were ready to a man almost to stand up for the orange. Some people said that ministers had no right to interfere in politics, and this came to his mind when he began speaking on Irish affaire. But in some things all ministers decidedly had a right to interfere and help the right- by voice and deed, and this was one of them. Though he was not an Orangeman himself, his sympathies would always be with the Orange cause. He paid a high tribute to the Ho*n. Mr Balfour, - Chief Secretary for Iroland, and eulogised hie Irish policy, which he said was both tair and firm, exacbly what the Irish tenantry needed. The English Government were, at the present moment, in imminent danger of inflicting very serious wrong upon the Irish landlords, in their proposals for the fair adjustment of the land tenure. Many, very many, of these landlords had paid for every foot of their lands, acquired them in the English market, and many of them were doing all they possibly could to help their tenant? and ameliorate such of their conditions of life as needed improvement). He did not for a moment propose to defend the deeds of the Irish landlords of fifty or seventy years ago. Some of their acts should bring a blush to the cheek of every Irishman, and at the present day there were many landlords who were suffering severely and unjustly for the misdeeds of their forefathers. ■ But to-day he considered there was hot a more •favoured body of tenantry in the world than the Irish farmers. The tenants of an Irish landlord had innumerable safeguards at presenb against injustice or wrong - doing towards them by their landlords. Hβ thought that there could not be anything under the skies more just and fair than the attempts of the present Government of Great Britain to render more satisfactory the position of the Irish people as to land tenure, and those who spread opinions to the contrary were baneful agitators. The speaker alluded to a certain band of men in Ireland who won popularity, and money too, by persistently and systematically keeping the country in a chronic state of agitation and discontent). These men had nothing to lose in the country, bub it was to their interesb to fan the flame of discontent amongst the people. In further remarks Mr Best said he had no wish whatever to say anything that might appear at all antagonistic to his Roman Catholic fellow citizens and friends, for he had many worthy Catholic friends, and had in the Old Country received exceeding kindness ab their hands in many ways; but he was compelled to declare that in Wβ hdneet belief the great and crowning

cause of Ireland's discontent was the presence in that country of a large and disturbing proportion of the Roman Catholic element. He was sure that this was a powerful disquieting influence in the land. In concluding, he again referred, in terms of high praise to Mr Balfour and his Irish administration, and for the firm, jusb, and capable manner in which, Mr Besb considered, he wielded the reins of control. Speaking to the Orangemen of Auckland, he fervently hoped they would continue in their good work in the cause of liberty and right. Some people seemed to think that Orangemen should drop all these things, forget the events which they were proud to celebrate, and let the dead past bury its dead. Bub they were not allowed to forget these things, for constantly they were called upon to resist to the utmosb attacks upon the religious and social liberties which they should be as ready to resist in a peaceful manner, as their fathers had so many years ago in battle. For his part he believed in trusting in God and keeping his powder dry. (Laughter and applause.) He begged to move the resolution standing in hie name, ''That this being the two-hundredth anniversary of the Battle of the Boyne, which gained for us civil and religious liberty and placed a Protestant ruler upon the throne of Britain, whereby our Protestantism was secured and our civil rights preserved, we return thanks to Almighty God for preserving the illustrious House of Brunswick, and tender our unswerving loyalty to Her Most Gracious Majesty, the rightful successor of that illuetrious House, and we heartily concur in the action of the Salisbury Government, and especially in the policy of Mr Balfour, Chief Secretary of Ireland." (Loud applause. ) Mr J. E. Baker seconded the motion. The Rev. A. J. Smith, G.C., said he had great pleasure in moving the second resolution of the evening: *• Thab thia being both the Jubilee of the colony of New Zealand and the Orange Institution in the colony, we, aa Orangemen, feel proud to commemorate these happy evencs, believing that those who cannob appreciate memorable events in history are incapable of making their adopted country an honour to the nation over which Her Majesty presides." (Applause.) Hβ Was not able, like Mr Best, to aay that he was an Irishman, but he was happy to say thab he was an Orangeman. Tho Orange Institution was nob a mere ephemeral growth thab was destined to be shortlived' It would be for long, he hoped, a powerful influence in the country to aid the cause of justice and liberty. The Orange Order had produced men of heroic mould and sterling worth in the past, and ; he hoped ib would in the future. Mr James McGregor seconded the motion. • The two motions were then put seriatim, and both were carried unanimously, amidst applause. During the evening an excellent musical and miscellaneous programme was rendered by various lady and gentleman performers. Mr J. Ryan opened the vocal numbers with a song, " The Walla of Londonderry." Miss Harris and Mr Simpson were exceedingly good in their duet, " Matrimonial Troubles," and, in response to a vociferous encore, gave " The Singing Lesson." Mr Menzies sang " True Till the Last;" Miss White, " Birds of the Night;" Miss Herbert, " Let Me Dream of England ;" and Master Ryan, " Some Day I'll Wander Back Again." Mr C. Farrell (violin) and Miss Farrell (piano) played an instrumental duet from "Patience;" Mr Edmonson gave a humorous Scotch reading, "Jeeme Kaye's Visit to Balmoral;" Mr D. Cromartyrecited "The Covenanter's Dream.;" the Misses Adams and Farrell contributed a pianoforte duet (Tancredi) r Miss Gardner favoured i4 with a recitation, and Mr Bell recited "The Orange and the Green." * " , , Votes of thanks to those who had assisted to render the celebration & successful one, to the ladies who had presided ab the tea-tables, to the Franklin Road choir and others, were proposed by Bro. W. Thome, Grand Secretary, seconded by Bro. W. Sherson.P.G.M., and passed by acclamation. Three hearty cheers were given for the Grand Master, aad the singing of " God Save the Queen " closed the meeting.