INVERCARGILL CATHOLIC LITERARY SOCIETY.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XII, Issue 29, 7 November 1884, Page 7

INVERCARGILL CATHOLIC LITERARY SOCIETY.

The usual weekly meeting of the above Society was held in the Boys' School, Liddell street, on Thursday, the 23rd ult. The chair was occupied by the president, Mr P. Reid. There was a fair attendance. Mr. R. Cowley and Mr. 0. Decy were unanimously elected members, and the last named gentleman was initiated. After some routine business had been dealt with.

The programme intended for the evening was to be a Gourt Case, but owing to the plaintiff (Mr. Lawlor) not being present, the case could not be proceeded with. Nevertheless that being a failure, the programme that was got up and given during the evening was not a failure ;fbut was, perhaps, one of the most enjoyable entertainments given at the meeting for some time previous. The first part consisted of an essay on "Good Reading," which was given by Mr. Gilfedder in a very able manner.

Mr. Gilfedder said : You are all aware, no doubt, that reading is a subject of very much importance, as it is the great medium through which we hold communication with the outer world, and the means by which we obtain an acquaintance with matters which lie out of the sphere of our own direct observation. How unhappy must be the state and how superficial the knowledge of the man who cannot read, for his ideas must be limited to what little he can obtain from oral instruction, and from personal experience and observation ; but happy is the lot of the man who can read all literature open to him — in fact, he has the key of all human knowledge in his possession. He can make himself acquainted with the researches of tbe historian the imaginations of tbe past, and the investigations and discoveries of the philosopher. It is undoubtedly a great acquisition to tbe mental faculties to be able to read, yet a grander gift to intellectual refinement is the ability to read well ; and as society regards bad reading as a sign of inferior education, we should persistently endeavour to improve in this simple mechanical art. The chief characteristics of good reading are fluency, intelligence, and expressiveness. Fluency depends upon accuracy ease and distinctness combined ; Intelligence upon a clear insight into the subject read ; and expressiveness upon fluency and intelligence as well as upon intellectual refinement and sympathy with, the author ; and in order to secure these results we must read with due deliberation, with unaffected and natural tone and with distinct and forcible enunc'ation. Ifc is a great folly indeed to endeavour to read too rapidly, as many people are inclined to do. A distinguished educationist says " Learn to read slow ; all other graces will duly follow in their proper places." A good reader will regard the sense of what he is reading and pause and emphasize accordingly ; "by reading deliberately and pausing judiciously he is enabled to read fora longer time without fatigue, to give each word its proper pronunciati m, and to keep sufficient breath in store for the empathic words and aspirates when they occur ; he is also able to let his eye run in advance of hi 9 voice, and thus be can better comprehend the meaning of what he is reading and be better prepared to grapple with difficult and jaw-breaking words when they appear. But he who reads too rapidly deprives himself of all these ad van ages. However, on he glides, regardless of laws, clause or pause until some polysyllab'c teaser abruptly checks his headlong career, destroys the equilibrium of his equanimity, and blasts all bis hopes of a reputation as a good reader. He quoted several iustances in which most ludicrous blunders have been made on account of indistinct reading, and concluded by stating that whenever we hear a person read deliberately giving each word a distinct and correct pronunciation, with inellectual refinement, expressing sympathy with theautnoi, with animated spirit and moderated voice, observing all the emphatic words and pausing judiciously at all the stops, and, finally, reading on with the same fluncy and facility through difficult sentences as through the easy one°, we may fairly and rationally conclude that that person is a good reader. Mr. Marlow in complimenting Mr. Gilfedder on the style of his paper, would concur with all the assertions contained in it, and thought that the members would be very much benefited by the essay. Mr. Cusack also congratulated thejwriter of tbe paper. In hi 9 opinion there was nothing: contained in it that could be criticised ; it was simply up to the standard of perfection. Mr, Gilfedder received a hearty vote of thanks for his able composition. f The next part of the programme consisted of a debate. — " Is the Pledge necessary to the Cause of Temperance," was opened in the affirmative by Mr. Marlow, who gave a grand and fluent address in

its favour. He gave several instances of men who before taking the pledge had miserable homes, and whose children, he had seen to hia own knowledge, to be shoeless, hatless, ragged, and neglected, and who were also strangers to the school, and by means of the pledge they had freehold sections now, and their children were' respectable. He briefly referred to the benefits derived through the Rev. Father Hennebery during bis mission throughout the Colony in that cause. He also spoke of the many attempts some men had made not to drink and failed, yet when these men took the pledge and bad it to fall back on, they could keep sober, and strongly insisted that moderate drinkers should take the pledge to help on their weaker brethren. He (Mr. Mario w) was supported by Messrs W. J. McMillan, M. Gavia, B. Bradley, and M. O'Brien, while the negative side was supported by Mr. D. Brady, who gave a lengthy and earnest address, which perhaps could not be more elaborate bad the subject been premeditated and which gained the appreciation of the majority of the members on being put by one vote and was supported by M. P. Mulligan, N. Gilfedder, J Ccsack, and J. McTntyre. several of the members who voted for the negative, did not vote conscientiously, but owing to the arguments brought forward in favour of its negation, being stronger than those produced by the affirmative, consequently they voted for the negative side. • As these two foregoing subjects did not fully occupy the time of the meeting, Mr. Gilfedder contributed a recitation, " Bingen on the Rhine," and considering this was his first attempt at the meeting he was very successful. He was followed by Mr. Cusack ,who gave a reading from Irish History in his usual excellent style. Mr. Marlow rendered, " Somebody's Mother," and though a little nervous, owing to its being his first attempt, he succeeded in giving the recitation a fair interpretation ; he moderates his voice to perfection almost. Mr. P. Reid gave the last item, a recitation, the " Power of the Sword by T. D. Sullivan. It is not necessary for me to comment on that gentleman's abilities as an elocutionist, as he is an experienced elocutionist. He will not feel flattered by my notice of the fact, that he is quite a treat at the meetings of the Society, and no matter what the recitation may be that he Undertakes to render, he is quite a master of it.

The programme for the next meeting will be a debate on "are Chinese detrimental to the prosperity of the Colony." Mr. Mario w and Mr. J. Crpwley will support the negative side, while Mr. Cusack and Mr. O'Brien will support the affirmative side. The meeting was closed in the usual form.