DRUIDISM IN NEW ZEALAND.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXI, Issue 7223, 24 April 1884, Page 5

DRUIDISM IN NEW ZEALAND.

TO THE EPITOK. Sir, —Although up in the wilds of Alford Forest, I am yet able to get my copy of your valuable and widely-circulated paper, and in Tuesday’s issue I see Mr George Bishop has done mo the honour of referring to certain utterances of mmo and others at a late meeting of Druids. Now, I am not going to assist that gentleman to open up a newspaper controversy ns to the advisability or otherwise of establishing a District Grand Lodge in New Zealand. It has nothing to do with the subject I spoke upon at tho mooting referred to, and I question very much if it is of sufficient public interest to warrant tho uso of valuable space in tho leading newspaper'to discuss j besides, the matter has already been decided by the almost unanimous voice of

the members of the Order here, and I am sure, on this subject at least, “ Mo and my brother stand alone.

Without wasting time in noticing the rather questionable taste Mr Bishop has displayed through the whole of his fetter, and the want of analogy between tho new and original quotation of the throe Tooley street tailors, and the expressed sentiments of over 70 gentlemen, equally capable as the Messrs Bishop of forming as opinion, I will at once to the pith of the whole matter. The New Zealand Lodges have decided that the time has arrived when tho first step towards forming a District Grand Lodge,shall be taken. Communications to this effect had been forwarded through the proper channel to the Grand Lodge, and the Messrs Bishop and two other gentlemen were sunt to support our petition, and their expenses were paid for that purpose. Nevertheless, when the question was brought on for discussion, both the Bishops falsified themselves, and voted and spoke against tho petition. Now, Sir, unfortunately I have not tho gift of language to any great extent. My vocabulary of English words is somewhat limited, consequently I had to use that very much objected to word, “ disgust” in characterising their conduct, for the simple reason that no other word, to my mind, seemed so thoroughly to express the universal opinion of their most strange conduct. In conclusion, permit me to say that I am intimately acquainted with the personnel of the Grand Lodge and Board of Directors in Victoria, and, without detracting from those gentlemen in any way, I am prepared to state that we have men amongst us equally capable of administering our affairs here—men who, in the face of almost insurmountable difficulties, and with but little support from the Grand Lodge, have spread Druidism through the width and breadth of the land, making its benefits felt in hundreds of happy homes; and although the majority of them may not he able to spin Latin by the yard or weigh Greek by the ton, they are, nevertheless, endowed with good common sense, and know almost as much of the matter under discussion as Messrs W. and G. Bishop claim for themselves. —I am, &c.,

S. D. NATHAN. Alford forest, April 23.