SEEING IRELAND IN A JAUNTING CAR.

Temuka Leader, Issue 5839, 6 July 1909, Page 4

SEEING IRELAND IN A JAUNTING CAR.

There was a very good attendance at the Parish Hall, Geraldine, on Thursday night, when the Rev-. T. Stinson gav« his interesting lecture “A trip through Ireland in a J aunting Car. The px-oceeds were in aid of the Presbyterian Sabbath School funds, which should materially benefit. The Rev. G. H. Maim kindly gave the lecturer the use of his and ably manipulated it for the limelight \icwj3 which illustrated the lecture. Mr K. Makcnzie, superintendent of the school, artrd ns chairman, and before introducing Mr Stinson thanked the audience for their patronage and Mr Maim for Ids assistance with the lantern. The lecturer introduced his subject by holding up an Irish black thorn, which :e was to use as an indicator to the I internist. H« traced th» history of the black thorn and the uses it had been put to in Ireland, and told several .amusing stories about broken heads at Donnybrooke fair. In fact, no fair was complete without the black thorn, and the men who used thorn against one another were the best of friends next day. A jury was very unwilling to bring in a verdict indicting' a man for killing another with a black thorn in a fight. In one case the verdict was “the man met his death by a piece of timber falling upon his head.” In another case, the verdict was that “a man with a skull so thin as his should not have put himself in the way of a black thorn.” Tlio lecturer said ho might take up the whole night with one subject dealing with some phase of Irish life or the history of Ireland. Ho could deal with it from its historical point of view, taking them back to the time when it was called Scotia Major, and Scotland as we now know it. was then only Scotia Minor. In other words Ireland was the first Scotland and the first Scotsmen wore Irishmen. (Laughter.) lie might speak of the time whop Druidism prevailed in Ireland, and the early introduction of Christianity, and he miirht deal with Ireland and politics. for she was no cypher in the political world. Elections had been fought over her, and eho had proved the desnair of both political parties. He might also deal vyith Ireland from a biographical standpoint, speaking of her great orators, poets, soldiers, statesmen, and divines. She produced the greatest financier of Ids time in Sir Robert Hart. England had to send to her for a great diplomat, 'who never took a- false step. It was Sir Geo. White who kept the flag Hying at Ladysmith, and Lord Roberts who ended the long drawn out war in South Africa, and last but not least Ireland claimed Lieut. ShuckleUm. who had done such good work in the South Polar regions. His lecture, however, dealt with no controversial uucstion. but merely with the magnificent scenery of the country, and the many interesting and historical things to l>e seen in it. Ho started with Kingstown and Dublin, and took his audience with him in a jaunting ear thromdi Wicklow. Kilkenny. Tipperary, Limerick, Cork, the Lakes of Killarney. and up the west coast through Limerick. Clare, Galway. Sligo. Done<>al. the Giant’s Causeway, and eomoleled the circuit at Belfast, where its immense shipping 1 works were shown. The limelit&t views were* exceptionally clear, and the lecture was liighly appreciated by all present. At intervals •sonirs wen- given by Mr Owen “The Will o'" the Wisp” ; Miss ’Todd, "Baraev. take me home” ; and Miss Knowles "Killarnev.” 'The Rev. A. B. .Todd proposed a heart-- vote of (hanks to the lecturer and the lanternist. which was seconded v Mr ,\. Mel/can.