DUNEDIN CATHOLIC LITERARY SOCIETY.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XIX, Issue 33, 22 May 1891, Page 20

DUNEDIN CATHOLIC LITERARY SOCIETY.

The usual weekly meeting of the Dunedin Catholic Literary Society was held on Wednesday last, wben tbe chair was occupied by the rev. president. Messrs Woods, J. Buckley, and T. Buckley, who were nominated at the previous meeting, were unanimously elected members. A paper by Mr. J. Eager was the first business of tbe eveningIt consisted of an account of an imaginary voyage he made to San Domingo as cabin boy on a Teesel, and of how, when ashore there, he rescued a lovely damsel in dibtress and was loaded with gifts and honours by her father, who was English Consul of the place, and, of how at length, getting tired of ploughing the billows, be took to ploughing the land. The paper contained a strain of humour throughoat which caused much amusement. Mr. T Lynch followed with a very able rendering of •"' Fontenoy/ in which he gave evidence of being a very taleuted reciter, and, so to ■peak, fairly brought down the bouse. The critics, who were Messrs. Falkner, Drumm, and Hally, commented favourably on both the items. The continuation of the debate was then taken up by MrHaughton, who brought forward some strong arguments against prohibition. He said that the prohibitionists had no moral right to take away the living from those who kept hotels. There certainly were some hotels that should be cloted, but the majority were kept by respectable men, and it would be an iDjusUce to do so. Messrs. D.W. Woods, J. Cantwell, W. Pearson, and M. Euglish also took part in the diecusaion. The chairman, in putting the iesolution before the meeting, «»id that he favouied neither side. The scheme proposed by the prohibitionists sounded very well in theory he thought, but he did not think it could be pot into practice successfully. He was of opinion that if the present laws were properly enforced and no liquor Bold during prohibited hours, under the penalty ot having the license taken away from the house, and an inspector appointed to s^e that the drink sold was good, it would remedy the existing evils to a grea extent. On being put to the meeting, the resolution was negatived by a majority of four. A vote of thanks to the chair then terminated the meeting.