MARYBOROUGH ART AND INDUSTRIAL SOCIETY'S EXHIBITION.

Marlborough Express, Volume XX, Issue 107, 9 May 1884, Page 2

MARYBOROUGH ART AND INDUSTRIAL SOCIETY'S EXHIBITION.

Ewabi's Hall was again thronged yesterday horn morning . to night with ; visitors whosa enjoyment 61 the Exhibition conclusively proved its entire auooess. The attendance m the evening was very large, and at one time there was fully 500 people present, the crnßh espebially near the stage being decidedly inoonTenient. We need hardly say that with every fresh visit to the Hal} fresh beauties were to be discovered m exhibits, bat the latter hare already been described m such detail m oar eolanVns that there is ho necessity to deal with them an> further, v The Choral Sooiety Oroheatra attended again, and played leleotions of -dance music even more correotly and spiritedly than on the previous, night. Several ladies present kindly volunteered their services as pianists, and some accomplished playing was the result. Daring the- evening the officers and Committee ascended the stage, and inaugurated the prize distribution. . ' Dr. Muller.Piesident of the Society, occupied the chair, and was supported by the Bey. D. MoNiooll, ; ana Messrs Dodson, Seymour, Barleyirian, Paul,' and Allen (Hon. Dr Muller m the oourße of a somewhat lengthy\add.ress gave a description ol how the SoQiety'.was organised, its dbjeots, the preparatory meeting of the promoters, and the formation of a oommittee composed of six representatives from the Pioton Distriotand.six from .Blenheim. At first they prooeeded to work with great trepidation, th 6 idea being novel, and there being a doubt whether it would succeed. The first question wan the funds without which the Society must have fallen through. He canvassed the neighbourhood and found the idea received with enthusiasm. A goodly list of members waa the result. It was resolved to go on, though the Committee were still anxious ifhat the result would be. As a matter of fact the exhibition hail far exceeded any expeotajipa^hey, eyei^had,., M«%rougb.

had come forward with an Exhibition which would do credit to any province m New Zealand. The exhibits m the room would have done well m the Old Country; and even m South Kensington Museum there were not better specimens tHan were to bo sben Here; He confessed that he hai? had no idea there was so much talent latent m the provinoe. The Exhibition would do good m many ways. It would enconrage the timid to come forward; and siy that next, time they could .dij bm well as Or even better than tho exhibitors on the present occasion. It would also excite emulation m the minds of the young. The Committee h»d endeavored to get the juveniles to come forward, by giving priiea which cottld be competed for by children attending not only the State Sohoqls hai all other .schools, the 1 only restriction being tfiat tHey must be under 16i He was lorry to day there Had been a very poor response to the' idea; One young gentleman, however, had sent m a map of New Zealand and Rome anatomical drawings, Which were a <jre,djt to him. With, regard to other th'WgHittao visitors had looked round and fixed their judgment, and would agree with him that the exhibits would have been most creditable to even a larger province. On a future ocossion they might hope for considerably more competition', as the Committee were_ determined to try_ and make the Exhibition a permanent institution, It was imagined that If it wat held once m efery twO years it \vonld b 6 & success, not only as great as. {his, Bat that to every One m the present Exhibition there wodld .be t#o Hi Ibree exhibits Id the next. The Committee would,, however, like the opinion of the pnbllo as to whether it was advisable to po on, and. whether;- the publio would support another Exhibition as they had anpporfed' thia, and thereby; make the Society- d. perpetual Institution. Thia Had Men .ft.. ;rial : experiment, : and : the Committeo' had done the beat they could. •: They < were comcious of failures though not from lr.ck of will, but froni| ignorance ;as to what would ba brought forward. They were particularly indebted to one member of the Committee— > the Bey Mr MoNiool— for his great, ter*'vices, and to Mr Allen, the hon. Eti n wnO ' had worked at the Exhibition from mom' ing to night. -Tha publio ought to express some mark of their feeling towards thosa gentlemen. (Applßuse.) fheOomf mittee had seen what could be doneijafld at the next exhibition would b» able to icotify errors, and make it more wortliy-df attention. There wag no dispute as to ihe good whioh iha Society ooold do to .the rising generation, and he hoped it would go on and prosper. Ths Commit- 1 tee had met that afternoon, and arranged to call a general meeting of members towards tha end of the month m order to eleot officers and committee, and make arrangements for holding a future exhibition. He hoped the publio wonld support them m this, and aid tha success of the next Exhibition. in. every way. Dr Muller then read the list of prize-winners, and announced that the amounts would be paid to them by the Treasurer at onos m the room at the rear of the stage. He also announced that a framed certificaU was m course ot preparation, and would be given to each gnooes.iful exhibitor. (Cheers.) ••■_.. ..•:■ Mr Dodson, who was woaiVed with applause, said that there only remained one thing to be done, and that was to propose a cordial vote of thanks to Dr Muller for the zeal and downright hard work, ha had displayed as' President m promotiog the aucops? of the Exhibition; •:-..•/. };F-. • The vote.of. thanks was oarried with aoolamation. •..■■ ... .. :•■ .■ ,; ... The successful exhibitors then proceeded ;to the jrear of the stage, where Mr Barley ■ man ; the Treasurer, paid over tha prizemonies, the Picton people, who were anxious, to patoh the train, being paid oft firat; ■: ' ' - : " n The total prize-money amounted to 'over £60. The takings at the loots last night were £25 os, whioh with those of the previous night, brought the total door money up to nearly £50. This sum added'; 'to the sub^ariptiona and entries, shouldf lender the Exhibition a financial enooesa.