ORANGE ANNIVERSARY.

Auckland Star, Volume XXX, Issue 161, 10 July 1899, Page 2

ORANGE ANNIVERSARY.

The Orangemen of Auckland .helfl the usual annual July service yentetv ; clay afternoon in the Choral HnUi wh'lch was well filled. The membert met at the Protestant Hall, Karangfahape Road at 2 p.m., and headed by • the Newton Fire Brigade Band, they marched to the Choral Hall. The Bible bearer was Bro. D, Cromarty, and Bro, C, Double carried a stspdard bearer. At the Choral Hall the few ncr of one of the lodges, bearing a picture of King William, on horseback, covered the preacher's desk. The Rev. William Ready, of St. Joh>a Wesleyan Church, Ponsonby, conducted the service. The preacher togk for his text Kings U. IS, 4, "Heaekiah removed the hifh places, and brake the (mages, and out down the gr<Sv*s, and. brake in pieces the brazen serpent that Moses had made; for unto those da-ys the children of Israel 414 burn incense to it; and he called it Nehuatan." Tli« rev. gentleman - trckt' ed hie subject in vigorous style. He said that he did not believe in i religion which simply got within-ton* walla, occupied itself with singing. hymns and saying prayers, but whicn * when it closed the service squeezed Almighty Gpd between the leaves of a booh; «wd left Him there, He tie* lievcd in a religion of work, wWch found gambling, and took it by the throat and strangled it rather than it should strangle their brothers—a religion which took strong drink by the thToat, a,nd strangled it .rather than it pAouJd strangle the weak<?nes of the oommunity. That was not a ; religion which thought only of God, - and let the poor to rot in bovffJsin back alum*. Religion; was first .Jove to God, and then love to' ma-n; kian inhibited a good many &ings^ God was a Prohibitioni*l-'-aH ■ along, the line. It ran: "Thou shalt not,"J <fThou shalt not." Hezekiab, had the cour&ge of his convictions, and called the memorial of th© brazen serpent, which hftd degenerated into an idoL <*a. mere piece of brasi. Cromwell was one of the grandest and noblest of England's sons, and although the House of Commons refused to put up a monument to.-rjtvis memory, he w»b enshrined in; tMts hearts and affections of Englishmen, and had there a monument ■which the House of Commons could never' pull down. The rev. gentlemtn went on M to sny Romanism a.nd national deciiy went together. They were twin «ia» ters. Where the Pope reigned,, tfe people did not reign at all, He hoped they would be true to their God, theirBible, and their Protestantism. The choir sang "Hold the Fort," "Dare to &> a. Paniel," '«Qn]y an Armour-bearer," aiid ''Onward, Christian Soldiers." The brethi'en marched back to the Protestant Hall, Karangahaps Road, headed by the band. At the ball a vote of thanks wit tendered to the Bey, Mr Seady for his able address,