DRUIDISSM.

Northern Advocate, 21 March 1921, Page 4

DRUIDISSM.

A Hi:CORD FOREGATHERING.

GRAND PRESIDENT'S VISIT,

The stability and expansion of tlic Friendly Society movement in the North wa- exemplified to the full oti Saturday night, under the auspices of Whangarei Lodge, U.A.0.D., Xo. tiS, when the assembly both at a special meeting of the lodge minted and at an informal ''harmony" funelion after ".aids easily constituted a' record. Thirty brethren of the Order, pallv Northern Oak Lodge (Northern Wairoa) members journeyed in eight motor cars from Dargavillc to participate in tho fellowship. They comprised the following: —Northern Oak. —Bros- G. Klein, A.D.; S. Chaplin, P.D.P. (also of Horowhenua); 11. G. Spiers, J. Brockbank and I?. Bowman, P.A.'s; G. Banks, J.P.A,; Williamson, V.A.; Adams, Bell ,Gill, J. Smith, Stewart, Danks, Fenton, E. Smith, Lc Noel, Newman, Holm, Pic-kard, Guillemot, Osborn, Ozieh, Williams, Whitburn, Mitchell, J. Brady and Forrester. Makiuo Lodge—Bro. Simpson, P.D.P. Eureka (juul formerly of Northern Oak) —Bros J\ McNaught, P.S.; Oroua —Bro. C. S. Ruvh, P..S. Conjunctively v\~ith the forenained some 50 officers and brethern of Whangarei Lodge" were present at the special meeting, which was opened at 7.30 under the gavel of Wor. A.D. Bro. Thomas.* After the despatch of various routine formalities the newly appointed Grand President of the Order, Bro. W. Lee Martin, who had journeyed expressly from Auckland, wo* received in due form, and with Bro. F. Voice, P.D.P., as Presenting Officer and D.P. Bro. H. Reynolds in association, made the following regalia investitures. —Past District Presidents—Bros. W. Reynolds and T. Reillv; Past Arch—Bro. J. Wil-

son. A framed P.A. Diploma was pro f j-nted to Bro. W. Mogforci, and at a later stage the investiture of Bro. A. Dobson as P.A. was also carried out. Tho honours recipients made proper

acknowledgement- and special thanks were accorded the Grand President and the Installing Officer, Wor. Bro. Leo Murtii! promising he would do his best o visit Whangarei again and Darga- •» ille before his term of olhcc expired. The regalia worn in tho varying devices of merit made a conspicuous showing and the proceedings throughout "were unusually impressive.

THF, SOCIAL SIDE T]ic subsequent entertainment- of \ k-iting brothern of the U.A.0.D., and •>'er societies, members of the Masonic Craft and others was an excellent .•function, in which brotherhood was a dominant feature, the catering and the decorative effects all that could be desired and the mingling melody of the best. The stewards' duties were capably and courteously performed, and under the presidency of the Arch Druid the hundred edd participants enjoyed in the highest degree until midnight .brought the occasion to a close. After hearty observance of the Royal"- toast (proposed by the Arch Druid) the Grand President was given a leud-in "by the proposal of "Grand Lodge'' by P.D.P. Bro. A. C. Bevington.

Wor. Bro. Lee Martin first made reference tc the efficient piloting about the district accorded him by the District President, and said 'that as a

stranger to the locality he had been impressed by the genevnl 'ippearance of prosperity prevailing and "tlie general aspect of the country. The possibilities of the district, he asserted unhe .i'atingly, were equal to anything south of Auckland, and if he sold out his Waikato, holding it was not improbable that he would come here. South Aucklanders did not understand tlw; true position of the North as far as he had viewed it, and terms of disparagement were quite unjustified. The Grand Lodge, continued the speaker, when first established controlled only 11 lodges, but now had jurisdiction over 84, and whereas the membership at the time of establishment wa-) only G44 it now numbered neaxly 31,000. The funds in the period under review had increased from, £3750 to £93,000 v exclusive of amounts held by subordinate lodges. Increases shown last year alone were—Sick and funeral, £.'!6MO; insurance, £7."Sfi3; and £3039 had been earned in interest. Thc> axiom "competition is the life of trade" applied with equal force to Friendly Societies and spurred them all on in their common beneficient aim. Frindly So- j cieties claimed some of the most responsible men in the Dominion, whoso first training towards high achievement had been received in lodge room->. He was glad to be ablo to congratulate sister societies upon the splendid progress which they had made and we:.nii'.ku'g. The Grand President allude ! to the Government's National Pro\id.;nt I'm)d scheme, which wiis likely to be extended in scope, and said that while he did not object to such a

scheme of itself the fac-t should not be forgotten that, t'he scheme hud the weight of the country's Consolidated Fund behind i% which meant that; Friendly Society members along with others of the community had to contribute to the success of a rival measure while at the same time the societies had to carry on their own cause independently of any privileged support. Therefore he felt t<hat Friendly Societies should co-ordinatc in their own interests. He would endeavour to secure more frequent visits of Grand Lodge officers to the smaller lodges, which stood as outposts of the Order ami deserved more direct recognition. One matter of much moment to Druidie member*, said the Grand President, was 'the recent decision of Grand Lodge to institute a plan under which members would bo able to borrow

motioy per medium of Grand Lodge for

! building their own homes, repament i to be made monthly at the rate of IPs per £100. Only members of tho Order would benefit and mortgage transfers would ba possible only to member* Thanks for the cordiality of the reception he had been granted were expressed in conclusion by the Grand President, who was loudly applauded on resinning his seat. OTHER TOASTS. The following were the other toasts on $ie list: — "Northern Oak Lodge." proposed by D.P. Bro. H. Reynolds; response by the Secretary of the lodge named and P.D.P. Bro. Chaplin.

"District Presidents of Nos. 17 and 38 Districts.''—Proposed by P.D.P. Bro. F. Voice, reply being made by P.D.P. Bro. Simpson (on behalf of No. 17 D.P. Bro. Dunn) and No. 38 D.P. Bro. H- Reynolds.

"Kindred Societies" —Proposed by P.D.P. Bro. W. Reynolds. The following made acknowledgment:—Bro. Martin, Secretary Dargaville Hibernians; Bro. F. T. Steele, 1.0. Q.F., M.U., "Whangarei; Bro: 0. E. Stout, P.D.P. of N.Z. Order Oddfellows, the last—named suggesting a movement in the direction of a Friendly Societies' Hall in Whangarei; and Bro. H. Forth, Chief Ranger, Whangarei Foresters.

"The Pel-formers''—'Proposed by Bro. A. T. Brainshy and responded to <by Bro. fStout.

"The Press."—Proposed by Bro. D. A. McLean (Whangarei Druids)' and acknowledged by Mr H. W. Crawford ("Northern Advocate" manager) and Bro. F. Voice ("Auckland Star" representative).

ißro. Kennedy. P.D.P. No. 10 District, and Bro. Rush, P.D.P. Palmerston 'North, expressed their sincere appreciation of the welcome which they had received.

Compliments per toast medium were paid to the Arch Druid of Whangarei Lodge (proposed by Bro. •Chaplin) and to the Stewards (proposed by the Grand President). CONCERT PROGRAMME. The following items were fitted in between the toasts, response to encore calls (which were quite usual) ■being prohibited by rc-ason of insufficient time. —'Song, "The Bells of Peace," Bro. H. Park&r; song, "Down the Vale"; song," "The Last Muster," (Bro. W. Hughes; song 1 , "Grand Old Flag"; re'cftation, "The Groom's Story," Bro. Martin; song, "Till Desert Sands Grow Cold," Bro. Redwood; humorous song, "Far, Far Away," Bro. Stout; song, "An OldFashioned Town," Bro. Parker; song and whistling solos, Bro. Thomas; humorous recital, "The Fii'e .Brigade," Bro. Simpson; song, "Ragged Vagabond," Bro Redwood; humorous recitation,. "A Wee Scotch Nicht," Bro. Martin; song, "Mother McChree," Bro. D. Harris. ,

"Atild Lang Syne ' and. the National Anthem wound up an entirely pleasant function. ROLL OF HONOUR UNVEILED BY GRAND PR EVIDENT AN IMPRESSIVE CEREMONY There was another very large gathering in the lodge room yesterday morning, when the members of the lodge and the visitors assembled to unveil a roll of honour containing the names of the brethern who served in the war. The Arch Druid; Wor. Bro. Thomas, presided, and was supported by the

Grand President, Most Wor. Bro. W, Lee Martin, and many officers.

The'proceedings opened with the National Antham, which was followed"by the soldiers' favourite hymn, "Nearer my God, to Thee." The chairman then asked Bro. A. T. Brainsby to pay a tribute to those whose names were 'to be honoured. Bro. Brainsby spoke as follows:—

"Wc are assembled to pay a simple and sincere tribute of honour to the comrades of our venerable order who answered the call of their country in the late war. It is natural and fitting that our thoughts should be chiefly focussed upon the remembrance of tho-:o whose devotion and daring were completed and consecrated by death. As they rendered the supreme sacrifice, it is ours to render them the supreme honour. "Wc arc not, however, any less mindful of our comrades who have returned. The seed-i of all soldierly devotion and sacrifice arc sown in the act of enlistment. By that act a man renounces in behalf of his country all rights over his own life. Where he may be sent, and to what dangers he exposed, he doe? not know. It is sufficient that he lias dedicated himself to his country's service to bear all harships, brave all perils and accomplish all duties in that splendid spirit of knightly valour that is ready, if required, to advance with unfaltering steps to the brink of death. If therefore, among the names on our Roll of Honour there arc some who are mingling with us again in the fellowship and mysteries of our order, and in the casual companionships of life, we nevertheless bear proudly in mind that they answered their country's call, and played a soldiers' part, braved the perils of the deep, felt the pangs of solitude and separation in a foreign land, bore with fortitude the shock-, of battle, and passed witn open eyes through tho red mists of suffering and carnage. They endured hardness as good soldiers, and, they rendered no casual and stinting service to their country, we render r to them no casual and stinting honour in the tribute we pay today.

"Our tribute to the fallen is, however, touched with a deeper solemnity. We are present at the holy communion of the living with the noble dead. We

selule their spiritual and deathless presence, feeling that we. are more honoured by them than we can render honour. Whatever faults or failings

we once know in these men, we know no more. In tho fierce fires of battle and fro ri.icible of death only the gold of character endure:'. As the atfeiut-

•<nt prpares visitors 1 o enter an eastern mosque, so death has received these men, our fallen brothers, and robert rhom anew in the stairless garments of immortality. All that could obscure the beauty of their .sacrifice is fallen away and forgotten. Wc render our homage to-day to the spirits of brave men made perfect. It is litis that makes the whole tragedy of the war bearable. By remembrance and honour we receive our dead to life again. We enter the sanctuary sorrow, which i- iempor::l, to pt:-s into tho temple of triumph, which nbideth for ever.

''At Paris, one Easter, I watched the crowd- of people ascending stops of the Madeleine to lay offerings of violets, lilies and all manner of fpring blossoms upon lite form of-a recumbent cross within the church. Without distinction, rich and poor mingled their gifts, until, as the day wore on that rough symbol of supreme agony Wis only outlined in flowers. So, since the war is over the remembrance of the Empire's suffering is> blended with the imperishable glory of victorious sacrifice. The rouglit outlines of her agony are softened beneath the tributes of homage and love from thousands of homes and circles of friendship. We share in those offering? by -he tribute we pay to-dov. Nevertheless it is not by what we bring to the shrine of remembrance that we pay the greatest honour to our heroic dead, but by what we take a.way, in nobler aims for life, and in ret.ewed inspiration to dedicate oitrselves to the great tra 3i J ion ; < for which thev died.

"Ever preserving their memory in honour, bequeathing the story of their heroism to our children's children, and receiving afresh into our lives the inspiration of their lofty manhood and wo render our unfeigned tribute of honour and :ovo and leave them

to Test in their incorruptible renown."

After Iho hymn ''Abide with 'Me" had been sung, tho Gran 1 President, was a-»ked to unveil the Roil of Honour He said that he felt deeply conscious of Die honour that the lodge had done

him in asking him to unveil its tribute of honour to those of its members who had served in the great war. There

was no one present but wan conscious that in going to the war and responding to the Empire's appeal and the rail Oi' duty tlio.;o men h-id realised that they had taken their lives in their hand ;. In Christehurch there was a s'.atuc of Scot", the explorer, earvod by his wife. Lit up at night, the gleaming whiteness of this statue re-

vealel come conception if what the explorers had endured. The inscription upon the statue contained the la >t words written '-v Scott in his rent

—"I do not'regret this journey, which his shown that. Englishmen can endure hardships, help one another, and meet .'loath with as great a for'itiule us over i:i the past." Looking upon the .statue some months ago, said the Grand Presiilent. Lis thoughts liad boon of those who had gone to the great war. All those present must recogni-o that those men who had faced the horrors of the war and had practically passed through death were worthy of the truest instincts and traditions of all Britishers. Of the members of the Druids' order 12£ per cent, or 1200 brothers, had seen scrvice. Many -of them had come back shattered in health or in nerves. The hand of friendship went out to ■these men;- the members of the order felt that they could help these brcthern to bear their burden. To those who had lost their dear oner, the hearts

of the .'iiembero of the order, went out, and a'< the representative of the Grand Lodge he wished to express its fullest sympathy with all who had suffered.

The Most Worthy Bro. Ihon unveiled the Roll of Honour, diawing away the Union Jnclj, with which it had been covered, and all present stood for a few moments in reverent silcnce.

The Grand President added that the members of tho lodge whenever they came into the room would look upon the names of their honoured comrades, which would be to thorn an inspiration in connection with their- duties as members of the order, as citizens, and as members of that greater citizenship which stretched around the world. The men whose names they honoured had borne a great responsibility. "You and I also have our responsibilities," he concluded. "May the example of these brothers make up better men", make us better understand what i"» required of us, and inspire us to see that we leave the World better than wc found it."

Bro. Dobson sounded the "Last Post" on the cornet, a*d then played

the "Dead March" on the piano, and after tho Arch Druid had briefly thanked the brethern for their attend-, ance, the ceremony ended.

The Roll of Honour designed by Bro A. M. McLeod is a handsome piece of work in fumed oak. The initial* "IT. A. 0.D." appear in a circle at the top, embellished with some finely earved scroll work of emblematic design. Beneath are the words, "Whangarei Lodge, No. 38." the sentence, "Their fame liveth for ever," and the war dates, 1014-1918. The three panels below contain 22 names of members of the lodge who served in the war, the last four names, being enclosed within a special border under .the heading, "Killed in Action," These four names are J. E. Partridge, J. V. Telfer, L. L. Quaifc and B, B, McKenzie, The rest of the names arc as follows: —- E. Jackson, D. Harris, R, B, Thorburn, G. A. R. Hurley, A. «T. Edmunds, L. Morton, F. Tebbutt, W. Mcßeath, P. G. Mcintosh, W,-It, Price, P, C, Sorcnscn, 0. Sharpe, E, T. Armstrong, A. L. Thomas, A, E, Lcathcrbv, F Schofleld, and W, R, Curtis.