The Municipal Hall was crowded on Wednesday night on the occasion of the opening of the Society's session for 1898-9. The proceedings took the form of a musical evening, and the result which was completely satisfactory to all concerned may yes warded as the usher, to what, judging from the Syllabus, should be one of the most. successful seasons in the history of the Club. The President, Mr. Byron Brenan, C.M.G., occupied the chair and in the course of a brief address extended on behalf of the Committee of the Society a hearty welcome to all resent remarking that it was very gratifying to see such a distinguished and he trusted appreciative audience, It was customary on such occasions for the president to offer a few remarks and his first duty would be to thank them most sincerely for the honour they had done him in electing him president, and if the chief duty of the president was to sit in the chair he had no doubt that
satisfaction (laughter). Their Society was he would nea it_himself to their complete now about twenty years old and with such experience it ought not to be a very difficult matter to arrange for a most successful session. If it was their chief concern to attract and amuse those who came to listen, there would not be any great difficulty in preparing a good Syllabus, Hut what the Committee had chiefly to think of was not the predilections of those who came there to be entertained, but their chief thought was on what material they had to work and on what assistance they could rely.. In fact they had to cut their coat according to their cloth. Now amongst the virtues which the Literary and Debating Society had to encourage were modesty and self-denial, and although when it came to a question as to what subject they should arrange for a certain night there were many suggestions, indeed there was always a profusion of subjects for debate, yet when it came to practical business it was interesting to note how perfectly willing and anxious one was to resign his claim to somebody else, and to make out how everybody else was more qualified for the task. He had just spoken about attracting and amusing an audience but let him tell them in a confidential whisper that they aimed at higher things than that. It was not only attracting and amusing but they sought to educate, and instruct and elevate. Let him assure them that the work of preparing a paper and getting the material together for an ordinary debate implied a debater, but before he left the room it was rear deal of labour on the part of the
safe to state that he himself had acquired additional knowledge and to a considerable degree. One of the most valuable advantages which a Society such as theirs
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.