DRUIDISM

Evening Star, Issue 12316, 4 October 1904, Page 6

DRUIDISM

There was a very large gathering last night in Ivanhoe lodge room to witness an event to which local Druids had been looking forward with considerable interest for_ some time past. The negotiations, which have been afoot for many' months for the fusion of this lodge with the home rule movement, as it has been called, were brought to a successful close, and there was consequently not only a foregathering of old antagonists, who had agreed' to let the wretched post bury its dead, but the liveliest interest was taken in the. act of union by the younger generation of Druids, who mastered in force, and to whom, of course, the struggles of the past were but as faint echoes of the recitals of their mentors and seniors. The Arch Druid’s chair was occupied by Bro. A. Hunter, and an official visit was paid by Lodge Otago. The District Grand Lodge were received with the customary honors, and were represented by D.G.P. Bro. E. Keliett, D.G.V.P. Bro. K, J. Bryant, D.G.S. Bro. D. Larnach, and D.G.T. Bro. Wm. Evans, while the Board of Management were represented by Bros. Osborne, Mitchell, Oldenburg, and Slid ton. It was only to be expected that on so memorable an occasion the stalwarts of the Order should be present, and among those who witnessed the official sealing of the bond of union, which marks a new departure in Ivanhoe’s history, were PJD.P.s Jesse Haymes, VPynn, Butler, Hanson, and Baii-d, together with Bros. Justice (2), Hill, and George Hutchison. In formally taking over the lodge P. 631. Keliett presented tho A.D. with an engrossed letter, which is to find a resting place among the archives of the lodge, in which the events of recent years were sketched as follows;

“It affords us the utmost pleasure as a District Grand Lodge, and the siucerest gratification, as individual members of the Druidic Order, to be present with you this evening at what may be regarded as an epoch-making event in the history of Druidiam in Otago, for the event will witness the unification (all but complete in relation to the principal district, but certainly so as far as Dunedin itself is concerned) of the Order in this city and suburbs under the broad justice banner of the District Grand Lodge o I Otago and Southland.' On such an occasion it is but fitting that a short retrospect of the history of I vanhoe Lodge should be made. It was established on October 15, 1880, was numbered 113 (as you will see by your charter on tnese walls), and is the second oldest lodge of Druids in Otago. You have always been successful in maintaming a strong lodge, financially and numerically. Your present membership stands, as your officers tell us, at 260; and it is a fact well within the knowledge of all the stalwarts of Druidism in Otago that Ivanhoe has ever been foremost in upholding its proud position, and has always provided the Order with men, tried and true, who, gaining experience in your chairs and the ripened judgment that necessarily follows from the acceptance of office and its responsibility, have made their mark in the higher councils of the Order, whether it has been as District Presidents or as delegates to the parent Grand Lodge of Australia, while to vour lodge belongs the proud distinction of having the name of one of its past members enrolled among the Grand Presidents of the supreme body of Australia. These facts speak eloquently for the zeal and enthusiasm that have characterised the leaders in your lodge during the long years that you have dutifully and loyally owned allegiance to the Grand Lodge of Australia. In holding out to you the right hand of fellowship, and in welcoming you as the latest adopted child of the comparatively newly, formed District Grand Lodge of Qtago and Southland, we assure you that, individually and collectively, you 'will receive the full strength of that affection which rightly distinguishes all the world over the workers in the - sacred cause of philanthropy, charity, and the uplifting of the human race. On behalf of the District Grand Lodge of Ota.go and ’Southland, I now declare officially - Lodge Ivanhoe, No. 115, now numbered 17, to be incorporated with our District Grand Lodge. And may the union now consummated endure unto the end of time, and bring in its train the blessings of happiness and prosperity to the members, one and all, and to our beloved Order.”

The Arch Druid made a suitable reply, expressing his firm belief that the career of the lodge under the new dispensation would be even more successful than it bad been under the Grand Lodge of Victoria. Congratulatory addresses were also given by D.G.V.P. Bro. Bryant and G.S. Bro. Lamach, while the remarks of P.D.P. Baird and Bro. Cohen were mainly reminiscent, and dealt with the history of the home rule movement, during which the lodge room of Ivanhoe was the scene of more than one nistoric contest for ascendency. The wish was also expressed that in the very near future the only remaining lodge in that worked under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Victoria would follow.the example of Ivanhoe, and make for national unity' by allying their fortunes with those of the District Grand Lodge of Otago and Southland.