A MONSTER MEETING AT INVERCARGILL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2666, 19 April 1905, Page 33

A MONSTER MEETING AT INVERCARGILL.

(From Otib Own Correspondent.) INVERCARGILL, April 12.

The visit of Father Hayes, the apostle of temperance, to this town has created the most intense interest, and to-night'e meeting in the Zealandia Hall was probably the largest ever collected under a roof in Invercargill. Soon after 6 o'clock people began to cather in front of the hall, some of them in their anxiety to eet a seat bringing their evening meal with them and relieving the long wait by satisfying the cravings of the inner man. When the doors were opened a* 7 o'clock a large crowd had collected, and it is safe to say that before the meeting got under way quite 2500 people were present. This huge audience was thoroughly representative of every class in the community, and it was a subject of general remark that Roman Catholics were present in large numbers. A temporary platform had been erected outside the stage, that the voices of the speakers might reach to every corner. Punctually at 8 o'clock the Rev. Father Hays ascended the platform, accompanied by the Mayor (Mr W. B. Scandrett), the Rev. Mr Dawson (president of the Executive of the New Zealand Temperance. Alliance), Mr 3. S. Baxter (secretary) and the Rev. R. Ferguson (president of the Southland Social Reform Association), while Messrs J. Stead, J. J. Wesney, J. D. M'Gruer, and the Revs. Pybus, Raine, and Hunt occupied seats on the platform. The lecturer was welcomed to Invercargill by Mr Scandrett on behalf of the citizens, by the Rev. R. Ferguson on behalf of the Ministers' Association, and by the Rev. Mr Dawson on behalf of the New Zealand Alliance.

Father Hays on rising to speak was welcomed with prolonged clapping and cheering and the waving of handkerchiefs. The appearance of this world-renowned temperance reformer is somewhat disappointing. Of slight build, his figure droops pathetically, suggesting physical weakness. Indeed, this is not to be wondered at, for his visit to the colonies is primarily due to the fact that he utterly broke down at Home. Whatever may be- the present state of his health, his utterance gives no token of weakness His articulation is almost perfect, his voice strong, cultured, and unusual, and he fills the hall without perceptible strain. He is extremely deliberate in speech and gesture, and his witticisms slip out in the most casual way. While he. is a most earnest speaker, he makes free use of stories, humorous and pathetic, in making his points. Referring to the oftrepeated cry that temperance advocates are extremely intemperate- in speech, he told a tale of -a sea captain, tinable to get his orders attended to, calling down the tube to the engine room. "Is there a blithering idiot at the end of the tube?"' "Not at this end sir," replied the engineer ; and, said the lecturer, the boot is on the other foot. Intemperate statements are less common among temperance advocates than among their opponents. Referring to the efforts of the British Government during the last 4-00 years, professedly- to promote temperance among the people, he told of a coach loaded with people toiling up a steep street in Dublin overcoming the horses and rushing down with its living freight into a dry dock, where an Irishman hastened to turn on the cook to float the 'bus. And, said Father Hays, this is what the British Government has been doing to promote temperance — floating the people in drink. His illustrations, however, were not all humorous. Many were most harrowing and pathetic, and presented such vivid pictures of the horrors begotten of the drink as must live for many a day in the memories of his hearers. In reply to the objection to aggressive temperance work and the claim that their purposes could be attained by religious training alone, he asserted that those who needed to be saved from the evils of drink never darkened a church door, and he was afraid it was useless to endeavoiur to save the sinking ship of humanity by pumping it out while a legalised trade was allowed to pour in a destroying element.

The lecturer closed with a most stirring appeal to all to take the pledge, which ran as follows: — "For the glory of God, for example to man, and for mv own personal safety, I resolve, with God's help, to abstain from all intoxicating drink and to promote by word and example the holy cause of temperance." On his invitation the whole of the vast audience- rose and repeated this pledge after Father Hays, and large; numbers of pledge cards were distributed among the people to be signed by them at their convenience.

During the evening the announcement was made that since arrival in the colony Father Hays had been deluged with letters and telegrams of welcome and encouragement from all kinds of religious and temperance organisations throughout the colony. and special mention was made of one Irom Auckland running as follows: — " We as Roman Catholics bid you a hearty welcome to our shores, and wish your mission in the spiendia cause of temrjeranee every success, and hope our Roman Catholic friends throughout the colony will ioin in general rejoicing. — Maurice Casey, Wm. White. W. Doran, J. Hoare."

Old residents say unhesitatingly that the meeting was certainly the largest and one of the most enthusiastic ever held in Invercargill.

T HE EXPLAINS HIS POSITION.

INVERCARGILL. April 13. A meeting addressed by the Rev. Father Hays at Wmton to-night was a very large one, including many Roman Catholics. Father Hays made a statement to the effect that he was glad to meet at Inveroargill and Winton so many of his Roman Catholic co-religionists and to know that they had taken no notice of the vile attempts of people interested in the liquor traffic to drag the Church and Bishops in the mud and cause religious strife He had personally the greatest respect for bishops and priests. They wer c not opposed to his work. He could not expect bishops to officially use their, position to the countenance as a Catholic movement of that which was quite unsectarian. He had come to New Zealand quite independent of any church. He was not the paid agent of any society. Having succeeded Cardinal Manning as vice-president of the Alliance in England, the sister Alliance in New Zealand, as lepresenting all the temperance societies in the colony, had undertaken to organise for him meeting* and business arrangements. -It was no part of his work to dictate to people as to which way they must vote. He had a civil right as a British subject to visit New Zealand and study the temperance question and form his own opinions.

April 17. The Rev. Father Hays delivered l.is second address to-night at the Zealandia Hall to an even larger audience than that of Wednesday last, there being nearly 3000 persons present. As- before, the lecturer on rising to speak was greeted with rheering, clapping of hands, and waving of handkerchiefs. The addre«s, which was listened to with rapt attention, was even more earnest and eloquent than the first, and at its close the lecturer asked the audience to rise, and those who felt they could do so sincerely to repeat the pledge after him The whole audience rose, and, judging by the volume of sound, a very large proportion of it must have repeated the -oledge. At the close of the meeting hundreds of the people crowded round the stage to shako hands- with the lecturer and wish him well. A/ter the hall had cleared somewhat the leaders of the temperance movement in Invercargill gathered round Father Hays on the stage, and the Rev. R. Ferguson, on their behalf, presented the rev. gentleman with a set of greenstone sleeve links "and a gold-mounted greenstone cro^s es mementoes of his visit to liivercargill, and wished him God-speed in hi? future work. The impression amongst tempei'arK?c workers here is that Father Hays's visit will be productive of much arood in inspiring their workers, and they claim that many who were befoi'e lukewarm or antagonistic have now decided to throw themselves heartily into the no-liecnse movement.