The Chronicles of Early Melbourne/Volume 2/Chapter 39
CHAPTER XXXIX. T E M P E R A N C E A N D TEETOTAL SOCIETIES.
SYNOPSIS.—Inauguration of the Port Phillip Temperance Society.—Formation of the Total Abstinence Society.— Teetotalism Explained.—Mrs. Dalgarno Lectures Against Intemperance. —The Temperance Hall—Bishop Perry not a Teetotaller.—Formation of the Philanthropic Total Abstinence Society and the Salford Unity. —The Victorian Father Matthew Society.—" Emerald Hill"—The Origin of its Name.— Total Abstinence Convention. —The Founding and Opening of the Father Matthew Hall.—Its Final Dissolution—Formation of a Rechabite Lodge.
- N 1837 Melbourne was visited by James Backhouse and George Washington Walker, members of the
Society of Friends from Hobart Town, and this brace of worthy Quakers were the pioneers of the many praiseworthy efforts made in the colony to stay the progress of intemperance. Even at that early date, '^k and amongst a population numerically small, the evils arising from an excessive indulgence in intoxicating liquor began their baneful effects, and the two individuals named decided upon an attempt to arrest the spread of a plague which, like Milton's Moloch, might be truthfully depicted as, -"besmeared with blood," Of human sacrifice, and parents' tears.
On the 15th November they inaugurated THE PORT PHILLIP TEMPERANCE SOCIETY.
Being warmly supported by the Superintendent (Mr. Latrobe), the Rev. James Forbes, and others. They made a gallant beginning, and the Society pushed on its good work under many difficulties. Very little is known of its infantine proceedings, and thefirstprinted notice I have been able to find on the subject is a brief record of a meeting held on the 29th October, 1838, at the Scots' School, Eastern Hill. This was the first anniversary celebration, and addresses were delivered by the Revs. James Forbes, and William Waterfield, thefirstPresbyterian and Independent Ministers. T h e Annual Report was submitted, and the prospect was the reverse of encouraging. In seven months there had been imported into Melbourne upwards of 2000 gallons of rum and 1500 gallons of brandy and gin (not so bad for a population of 3000 persons), on which the duty alone amounted to £(ao. T h e document concluded with the prophetic enunciation, "That the meeting was assembled at a place likely, at no distant day, to become the Capital of an important Dependency of the British Crown, which m a y eventually become an influential Province of a mighty Empire." Another meeting was held in the same place on the 26th March, 1839, the Rev. W . Waterfield presiding. O n the motion of the Rev. J. C. Grylls, thefirstEpiscopalian Minister, seconded by Mr. Robert Deane, Solicitor, a resolution was passed, " Declaring the use of ardent spirits for any other than medicinal purposes as altogether unnecessary, and injurious in many respects ; and it would be highly beneficial in every society were it discontinued." It would be well for the same Mr. Deane if, in after years, he had adhered to the spirit of this dictum; but so far from doing so, he recognized the use of ardent spirits to such an extent that it ruined him professionally, and subjected him. to the animadversions of Judge Willis in open Court. O n this occasion Messrs. Waterfield and Forbes delivered very effective addresses. Archdeacon Jeffries, of Bombay, w h o was on a brief visit to Melbourne, lectured on the "Evils of Intemperance" to a crowded audience in the Scots' School, on the 18th December. In 1840, the Society assumed larger proportions, and it was thus influentially officered •— Patron—His Honor C. J. Latrobe. Secretary and Treasurer—Rev. James Forbes, M.A. Committee—Rev. W . Waterfield, Messrs. Robert Reeves, John Gardiner, Robert Campbell, W m . Robertson, W m . Kerr, T h o m a s Jennings, Henry Kettle, Geo. Lilly, E. M . Sayers, John Thomas Smith, and Robt. Wilson. O f this dozen m e n some of them afterwards turned out the opposite of total abstainers, and one of them at least did well in pushing the sale of ardent spirits for other than medicinal purposes. In 1841 the Committee of Management was reduced to ten, viz.:—The Revs. A. C. Thomson, W . Waterfield and Samuel Wilkinson; Messrs. William Kerr, J. A. Marsden, Thomas Napier, Robert Reeves, Abel Thorpe, R. Wilson, and W . B. Wilmot, M . D . Of these two teams only one is (in 1888) alive, viz., Mr. J. A. Marsden. T h e Society passed into a state of coma, and the cause slept for a couple of years, when it was woke up on the evening of the 22nd October, 1842, by a public meeting in the Scots' School, the outcome of which was the establishment of a TOTAL ABSTINENCE SOCIETY,
On the motion of Mr. Robert Knox, seconded by Mr. John Wade, the following working staff were elected :— President—Mr. R. Knox. Secretary and Treasurer—Mr. Wade. Committee—Messrs. Webster, Allan, R. Heales, Senr., and R. Heales, Junr., Stewart, Hendforth, Chambers, Mason, M'Lennan, Dunn, Willoughby, Dredge, Hinton, Wilkinson, Gallagher, Watson, and Kesterson. O n the 12th April, 1843, the members did not exceed thirty. T h e Society, however, continued to meet at the Scots' School, and to gradually increase its numbers, until the secession of the Rev. J. Forbes from the Scots' Church rendered it necessary to look out for some other place of Assembly. This originated the idea of purchasing a site, and erecting a Temperance Hall. A n active movement was initiated to collect the necessary funds, which eventuated in the buying of an allotment in Russell Street and building a Hall thereon. S o m e vitality was infused into the Society during the year 1843, frequent meetings were held, and adherents flocked in numbers to the banner of Temperance or Teetotalism; and here it may not be out of place to refer etymologically to the meaning of Teetotalism, of which several derivations are given. Some trace it to the transition from alcohol to tea-drinking, through which total abstainers pass, and that therefore it is a compression of lea-totaism. Others refer its origin to the slang phrase "to suit to a T " (fit to a nicety), an old idea borrowed from the T-square by which a carpenter tests the accuracy of his work; and thus " tee-total " would imply a thorough and precise totality or completeness of abstinence; but the commonly accepted definition is that there was an ardent Total Abstinence spouter in America, who, from the pressure of the tongue against the root of the upper teeth, the process by which a T is pronounced, was unable from a natural stammer to apply a sufficient break-power to prevent a duplication of the T, and as he could never master the word "total," he jerked away with his T — t — t until delivered of his T — t — t — o t a l — s o "teetotal" it became, and as it happened to hit the public taste it so remained, and is now regularly enrolled as a duly naturalized denizen of the grand old English tongue. MRS. DALGARNO.
An unexpected fillip was given to the Temperance agitation the following year by the advent of a lecturess of considerable energy and no inconsiderable talent. She was a Mrs. Dalgarno, the wife of a sea captain of that name, the master of the barque "Arab," which brought a cargo from England to Melbourne. By a strange incongruity, though the lady was an abhorrer of grog in every shape and form, her husband's ship was well freighted with the "fire-water,"and when it was announced that Mrs. Dalgarno meditated an onslaught upon the practice of brandy-drinking, and all its aiders and abettors, the Melbourne publicans waxed furious, and some of the newspapers inveighed bitterly. At length, on the evening of 1
KK
2 the 25th June, 1844, Mrs. Dalgarno held forth in the Scots' School, at a special meeting of the Melbourne Total Abstinence Society, on the demoralizing and woeful effects of indulging in intoxicating liquors. S o m e of the Licensed Victuallers vowed they would " m a k e it hot" for her, and took the necessary measures for doing so. T h e m o m e n t the lecturess entered, the place was rushed by a band of rowdies led by Mr. Phillip Anderson, landlord of the Commercial Inn, which stood on the site of Rocke's Furnishing Warehouse in Collins Street East. Anderson was a stout-built, broad-shouldered Scotchman, with a face ablaze with what some would designate "grog-blossoms," and fists that would not discredit a pugilist. H e and a few select followers hit out right and left at the " water-demons," and on the following day Anderson was s u m m o n e d to the Police Court to answer for his misconduct. T h e presiding Magistrates were Messrs William Hull and James Smith, and on behalf of the defendant half-a-dozen technical objections were offered. Mr. Hull, one of the Justices, was a wholesale wine and spirit merchant, and, as such, was supposed to entertain (involuntarily no doubt), strong sympathies with the retailers. H e was also given at times to the expression of somewhat peculiar opinions from the Bench, and on this occasion indulged in the weakness. H e began by doubting the legality of such a meeting as the one held, in a Corporate town, without the sanction of the Mayor, which had not been obtained, and then proceeded to censure Mrs. Dalgarno for presuming to appear on a public platform. H e pronounced it as against Scriptural teaching, and at variance with the N e w Testament, in which St. Paul forbids it. It was stated there that "It is a shame for a w o m a n to speak in public;" and further that " A w o m a n should never speak before meii^' Hull's colleague, though highly conscientious, was easily " bossed " by a stronger mind, and the result was that the Bench held that no malice had been proved, and dismissed the charge ; but rather illogically intimated that the Temperance Society should be protected, and no further molestations of the meetings would be permitted. A few days after, a Mr. James Buchanan, the keeper of the Scottish Hotel, situated where the Gaiety Theatre, in Bourke Street East, stood, casually meeting Mr. Henry Frencham, the then President of the Society, and T o w n Auctioneer, called him to account for the circulation of calumnious reports about the reputation of his establishment, and Frencham's rejoinder not being considered satisfactory, the publican administered a dose of horsewhip which it took the teetotaller some time to forget. This necessitated another appeal for redress, and before the same Magistrates, w h o only fined theflagellator2s. 6d., though cautioning the complainant that as he was a public official, it behove him to keep a civil tongue in his head. Mrs. Dalgarno, during more than one visit to Melbourne, delivered some very effective discourses. A perfect mistress of the subject, she did good service in a cause in which she took a deep interest. Towards the end of the year 1844 a Total Abstinence Band was established. It formed an agreeable attraction at the meetings of the Society and in occasional public processions. Soon after there sprang into existence an "Australia Felix Total Abstinence Society," which acted as a valuable auxiliary to the other. THE TEMPERANCE HALL,
In Russell Street, was the result of continuous exertions prosecuted under formidable difficulties, which reflects undying credit upon the zeal and energy of the early teetotallers. I regret it is not in m y power to supply as fully as I could wish any detailed particulars of the foundation of the building. T h e sources of reference to which I had access are silent on the subject, and a courteous application addressed by m e to the Secretary at the Hall was not deemed worthy even of an acknowledgment—a marked exception to the manner in which I have been generally treated in hunting up information for m y sketches of Old Melbourne* I am, however, under obligation to Mr. E d m u n d Ashley, whose services in promoting the spread of total abstinence in Melbourne have been extremely valuable. I must, therefore, be content with stating that, in the month of December, 1846, the foundation-stone of the Hall was laid by the Right Worshipful Master of the Australasian Kilwinning Lodge of Freemasons, with the Masters of the other Masonic Lodges in Melbourne. The building was completed in September, 1847.
It only right to note that the Secretary subsequently explained that the author's communication did not reach hin
ED. BISHOP NOT A TEETOTALLER.
Shortly after the arrival of the Right Rev. Dr. Perry in the colony in February, 1848, the Total Abstinence Society of Australia Felix resolved upon having a grand field-day (or rather evening) in the Temperance Hall, and they booked the new bishop as a certainty to support them. A n invitation was consequently forwarded, asking the pleasure of his Lordship's company to preside on the occasion ; but, m u c h to the disappointment of all, the ready response expected did not arrive. His Lordship favoured them with a lengthy epistle strongly sympathizing with any movement directed against intemperance generally, but declining to accede to the particular request m a d e upon him to occupy the Chair. H e took this course, he wrote, " as he was not (nor did he intend to become) a m e m b e r of any Total Abstinence Society. H e considered wine and beer, equally with bread and meat, the gifts of a Gracious G o d for the use of His creatures, and believed it to be contrary both to reason and the Scriptures to denounce, as many advocates for total abstinence have done in England, the moderate enjoyment of them as sinful." H e did not disapprove, however, of the existence of Total Abstinence Societies, and without being a m e m b e r was ready to promote the objects of the Society in any manner he could. In this latter respect his Lordship afterwards amply kept his word. As a curious statistical remanet connected with the subject of this chapter, I present the following copy of a scrap discovered in an old Melbourne newspaper:— Return of the number of persons (male and female) apprehended, fined and discharged for drunkenness, befoie the Melbourne Police Court during the years from 1841 to 1847 :— Females Discharged.
Year.
Males Fined.
Males Discharged.
Females Fined.
1841 1842 1843 1844 i84S 1846 1847
1603 1357
59 134 46 41 33 68 70
11
412 299 240 37o 345
86 no 29 9 14 9 9
Totals 4626
266
45i
55
18 5 9 0
3 3
It is a singular fact that, of the above period of seven years, the years 1842 and 1843 w e r e o n e s of s u c h extreme depression that the Province was on the verge of general insolvency; property had become almost unsaleable at any price for cash, and cash was a very scarce article indeed. Relatively, 1845 might be considered a period of revived prosperity as compared with the others. In 1849 two other non-drinking Fraternities were established, viz., T h e Philanthropic Total Abstinence Society, and the Salford Unity. O n the 3rd June there was a grand Teetotal Festival in the Temperance Hall, at which the Resident Judge (A'Beckett) presided, and extremely eloquent addresses were delivered by him and Bishop Perry. Amongst the other speakers were the Rev. Jas. Forbes, Messrs. R. Heales and Henry Langlands. O n the 21st May, 1850, the Salford Unity members strode in procession through the streets to St. Peter's Church, where there was a special service, and the evening wound up with an extensive tea party at the Protestant Hall. In the course of this year Mr. Richard Heales, junr., an ardent teetotaller, as a member of the City Council, protested against the pernicious practice of conducting the Municipal elections in public-houses, and proposed as a substitute places apart from licensed taverns, or booths erected for the purpose. T h e principle laid down by Cr. Heales was not denied, but m u c h diversity of opinion existed as to the proper remedy to be adopted. T h e question was referred for consideration to the Public Works Committee, a body not m u c h disposed to do other than shelve it, and so nothing came of the point gained. T h e truth was "the Mayor, Aldermen, and Councillors" of the time were to a large extent pecuniarily interested in wholesale and retail spiritselling and those who were not in the trade were so partial to systematic " nobblenngs," as it was termed, as to be only too willing to throw cold water upon any project such as Heales was Quixotic enough to believe he could carry under the Civic conditions then existing. O n the 2nd November, 1850, was issued No. 1 of the Total Abstinence Advocate and Temperance Journal. It was a small, neatly-got-up four paged weekly publication—3d. per copy—its main object being the advocacy of the distinguishing principles of the Temperance Movement. In March, 1851, the Resident Judge (A'Beckett) made a valuable presentation of books to the Melbourne Total Abstinence Society, as an expression of his good wishes. O n the 17th March a tea-meeting was held by the members of the Salford Unity in honour of Mrs. Dalgarno. After tea the company was resolved into a public meeting, presided over by M r . Edward Bastings. Several appropriate speeches were delivered, and an Address was presented to the lady. THE VICTORIA TOTAL ABSTINENCE CONVENTION
Was initiated 25th March, 1851, by a Soiree and Temperance Meeting at the Temperance Hall. The Resident Judge presided, over 300 persons were present, and there was the greatest enthusiasm. The Chairman delivered a very eloquent and scholarly address, and was followed by Messrs. R. Heales, Reid, Bastings, and others. Geelong was visited by a deputation from the Convention on the 21st May, when a numerously attended meeting was held in the theatre, Malop Street. Mr. R. Heales officiated as the Chairman of the evening, and a resolution was passed by which the Geelong Total Abstinence Society was pledged " to public identification with the objects of the Convention, and co-operation with it in order to the advancement of its interest." Dr. Mingay Syder, from the University of Giessen, arrived in Melbourne in June, and delivered at the Temperance Hall three interesting lectures on (a) " T h e Voice of Science," (b) " T h e Nature and Properties of Alcoholic Fluids," and (c) "Their Action on the H u m a n Frame in Health and Disease." He' was followed in September by Mr. Justice A'Beckett in an elegant and masterly Essay on " Temperance and Moral Obligations of Sobriety and Industry in the Pursuits of Life." This was printed in pamphlet form, and well merits re-publication. Amongst the m e n who gallantly strove in the olden times to oppose the progress of the " Juggernaut of drunkenness"—a monster which has destroyed innumerably more worshippers than the Hindostanee idol so called—a few names stand forth in bright relief, and no sketch of the early struggles against intemperance would be complete that did not mark them for honourable mention. They are the two Richard Heales (father and son), William Wade, Robert Knox, T h o m a s Watson, William Nish, and William Webster, all of w h o m I think are now dead.
THE FATHER MATTHEW SOCIETY.
An institution though not necessarily restricted in its membership to the Roman Catholic persuasion was mainly composed of such, and indirectly controlled by the R o m a n Catholic Clergy. It was fenced by a certain exclusiveness (implied though not expressed), and, therefore, though engaged in the promotion of a c o m m o n purpose, acted so far apart from kindred bodies, as to render a separate notice of it desirable. Though as moderate a drinker as Bishop Perry, Father Geoghegan, thefirstR o m a n Catholic pastor, so highly appraised the beneficial effects of total abstinence, that in his efforts to propagate them, he drew no fine distinctions between Temperance and Abstinence, and at an early date initiated a St. Francis Total Abstinence Society. Under the already described Bounty system of emigration, there was a large influx of the Irish element to Port Phillip during 1839 ar>d the two succeeding years. M a n y of these Southern Celts had, before leaving the Green Isle, " taken the pledge " as it was termed, personally from Father Matthew, the Hibernian " Apostle of Temperance," and they brought with them their pledge-cards, which each regarded as little short of a consecrated amulet, that would act as a spell in influencing for the better his future career. Several of them afterwards lived for thirty, even forty years in the colony, bearing their pledges unbroken to the grave, and a few of those strong, unflinching teetotallers still survive in Victoria. Such were the materials whereon the untiring priest relied for co-operation, and not in vain. In 1844 the movement acquired considerable numerical importance, and the meetings were held in a schoolroom erected rearward of the St. Francis' Presbytery in Lonsdale Street. Probably in consonance with the light-hearted elasticity of the Irish temperament, the Father Matthewites went in strongly for outside spectacular display —such as processions, picnics, and excursions. A band was formed, which acquired more celebrity than that of the Society before referred to. The functions of this musical combination were somewhat mixed, being partly lay and partly ecclesiastical, for on special occasions it used to assist at the church services. The first bandsmen were Mr. John Cosgrave, (late City Treasurer), then (in 1844) a smartly-made well-shaped, good-looking juvenile, who performed on the clarionet; Mr. John Mansfield, now a seriousfaced, white-haired " Geelongoose," proprietor of one of the best-established bakeries in " T h e Pivot," who worked a trombone; four strapping youngsters known as Phelan, Egan, Connor, and Conlon, (a compositor), operating on various instruments, the whole concluding with Mr. J. P. ("Jerry") Dalton, who thundered away on a big drum. The Society'sfirststreet demonstration was on the 22nd January, 1845, when 150 of them marched forth with band and banners, wended their way to the then grassy and well-wooded Richmond Paddock (now the cut up and disfigured Yarra Bank), where they bivouaced on the fragrant bank of the river, drank " billied " tea brewed in big pots, and crammed themselves with sandwiches, cakes, and ginger beer, returning in the evening, blowing and half-bursting specimens of total abstinence. O n Easter Monday (24th March) there was a grand "Father Matthew" procession through the principal highways of Melbourne, and after "doing the town" the members adjourned for refreshments to the St. Francis' school-room,finishingwith a dance in a tent pitched on the Church reserve; and amongst a number of admiring outsiders were the then Resident Judge, the Honorable Roger Therry, and his better half. The Society has now so far succeeded as to number 600 members, and the funds looked so promising that there was some notion of building a " Father Matthew " Hall. EMERALD HILL.
Towards the close of the year 1845 it was determined to have a "Father Matthewite" picnic on a then beautiful, houseless, grassy and accaciaed emience at the sonthern side of the river, and this event derives some importance from its having led to the naming of the place as Emerald Hill. This nomenclature, though of no more account than the naming of any other locality in the colony, has led to some controversy in consequence of the appearance of two or three claimants for the honour of bestowing the designation, which was then as appropriate a one as could be devised. The following in brief is a true and correct history of the incident. Mr. W . C. Conroy, now of Lygon Street, Carlton, called at the Port Phillip Herald office to procure the insertion of an advertisement in that paper. Mr. E. Finn, one of the literary staff was there up to his eyes in "proofs," and as he was a tolerably ready penman, he was asked to write the notice, and at once complied. While so engaged, looking up he queried, "Where's this picnic to be held?" and Conroy replied, " O n the hill over the river." " But," rejoined Finn, " W e can't well put that in an advertisement, we must give the place some name." "Then," laconically struck in Conroy, " Y o u may just call it what you like," and Finn, after musing for a few moments exclaimed, "Well then if I may do so, I will, and here goes, as it is a beautiful green hill it shall be named 'Emerald Hill.'" The suggestion met with general approbation, the designation was adopted and embodied in the advertisement which duly appeared ; the green name stuck to the green place, and no other name was at that time more appropriate. The Hill was covered with a rich sward, green as the freshest shamrock ; no houses in sight except those of the then small Melbourne; trees scattered about, and the whole eminence encircled by shining lagoons, the sparkling sea, and growths of scrub and ti-tree along the Sandridge road-side, and away to Fishermen's Bend. The Emerald Hill of 1845, aboriginally a kangaroo ground, and afterwards a sheep-walk, has grown into an incorporated city, displaying substantial evidences of the astounding progress of Victoria. The time has arrived when the propriety of changing its name has been considered by its Municipal authorities, and much difference of opinion prevails as to what should be the new designation. Several have been suggested, all of them inappropriate, and the least suitable is the one likely to be chosen. It is seriously proposed to call it South Melbourne, and if this notion be carried out, a flagrant mistake will have been made for two reasons, viz., that it is simply conferring on a special portion of a district a nomenclature by which the whole district is already officially known, for the primary appellation of all the area between the Yarra and the Bay was South Melbourne. Again, if it be so-called, it will be nominally reducing it to a part and parcel of Melbourne, a subordinate adjunct of the principal city. T o m y mind, there are t w o — and only t w o - n a m e s by which the new city should be known. If styled " Emeralda " the break in the two words of the primary n a m e would be removed, and its traditional affinity preserved; or what could be more becoming than to affix to it a meet companion n a m e for Melbourne, by calling it Grey, as a posthumous compliment to the statesman w h o administered the Colonial Empire of Great Britain, at the time that Port Phillip was transmuted into the independent colony of Victoria? T h efirstmentioned would be unquestionably the better; but most assuredly, if any regard exists as to the proprieties of the case the "South Melbourne" idea will be sunk in the Albert Park lake. It is noteworthy that three-fourths of the Australian metropolitan cities have been nominated after historical British personages.* MISSION TO GEELONG.
A branch Society had been formed in Geelong, and it was arranged that on the 17th March, 1846, the Melbourne Fraternity should proceed there to assist at a joint demonstration. T h e "Aphrasia " steamer was chartered, and on a fine Saturday forenoon the streets of Melbourne were again tramped by several hundred members with music and banners, scarves, rosettes, and medals (a new decoration). T h e " Geelongers" were in blue paraphernalia, and after a landing was effected, the allied armies executed a combined inarch through the streets, the blowing and clashing of two loud bands banishing for the time all drowsiness from a quarter never subject tofitsof insomnia. They rendezvoused at Raleigh's store, and Messrs. Daniel Rooney, Robert Hayes, James Wallace, Patrick M c D o n o u g h and others spoke, or rather "spouted," like so many vociferating whales. T h e strangers experienced m u c h hospitality during their stay, and on the Sunday visited the Barwon, winding up the evening with an encore of the previous night's performance, and on M o n d a y returned to Melbourne. O n the 19th August, 1846, the foundation stone of the first R o m a n Catholic Church at Geelong, was laid, and the Melbourne " Father Matthew " Society was invited to co-operate. O f course there was a willing compliance, and some of the incidents are subjoined. Another great day was when the Society, with its brass band, chartered a steamer to Geelong to assist at laying the foundation of St. Mary's Church, Father Walshe being resident priest. Old Corio was taken by storm, and the band playing through the streets caused aflutterin the Wesleyan dovecot, it being Sunday. In the evening the scarcity of provisions became a palpable fact, our visit being unexpected, except by a few, to w h o m it did not occur, I suppose, that teetotallers had any inside m a n to provide for. A large unoccupied store, with a few bundles of straw, served for bedroom for a good many, while they had to go only about twenty feet to perform their ablutions in the silvery waters of Corio Bay. The teetotallers fared less plenteously upon this than on the occasion of their previous visit. Probably the church authorities, w h o certainly ought to have m a d e some commissariat arrangementsforthe visitors, concluded that as there was a "spiritual abundance" there should be no "temporal vacuum." THE " FATHER MATTHEW " HALL.
As the year further advanced there was sufficient cash in hand to commence the erection of a building for the use of the Society, minus the land ; and as there was no chance of obtaining a site from the Government, Dr. Geoghegan, the Society's Patron, gave a slice of the St. Francis' reserveforthe purpose, and here the initial ceremony was performed with all the honours in the beginning of October. At an early hour a procession started from the R o m a n Catholic schoolroom, and after perambulating the streets, returned to the site, when the customary forms were observed, Dr. Geoghegan being the principal officiator. In the cavity was placed a bottle containing one of the Society's medals, and a scroll of parchment thus inscribed :— Emerald Hill is now fi888) officially known as South Melbourne, thus completing the four cardinal divisions of the Victorian Capital.- E D . THE FOUNDATION STONE Of FATHER MATTHEW'S BRANCH OF THE PORT PHILLIP
TOTAL ABSTINENCE SOCIETY'S HALL W a s laid at Melbourne on this fifth day of October, A.D. 1846, By the V E R Y R E V E R E N D PATRICK B O N A V E N T U R E G E O H G E G A N , In the Tenth Year of the Reign of Her Most Gracious Majesty, Q U E E N VICTORIA. G O V E R N O R OF N E W S O U T H W A L E S ,
SIR C H A R L E S A. FITZROY. S U P E R I N T E N D E N T OF P O R T PHILLIP : His H O N O R C. J. L A T R O B E , ESQUIRE.
PRESIDENT : M R . DANIEL ROONEY. SECRETARY : M R . JOSEPH PELLEY. TREASURER: M R . H U G H CAIN.
The Rev. Mr. Cotham, a Van Diemonian visitor, delivered a suitable address, and, after a collection of ,£20 towards the Building Fund, the assemblage dispersed until evening, when there was a Society's Ball, at a new store in Queen Street, belonging to Messrs. Turnbtill, Orr and Co., and four hundred " ladies and gentlemen " enjoyed themselves until long after the cocks commenced crowing. Through great difficulties, and with a praiseworthy persistence, the erection of the Hall was proceeded with, and by various devices, justifiable under the circumstances, it wasfinished,though not until nearly twoand-a-half years had elapsed. At length, on the 12th March, 1849, it was opened by a public meeting, the chief feature of which was a truly excellent exhortation from the Rev. Dean Coffey, one of the staunchest friends it could possibly have. O n the succeeding St. Patrick's D a y the members marched in procession through the streets with band and banners. A n immense crowd accompanied, and Judge A'Beckett received the compliment of a serenade. A n d so the "Father Matthew" Society went its way, attracting by its good example many adherents to its ranks, and favourably regarded by the community as a moral agency through which m u c h good was effected. O n e of its last appearances in public was at the laying of the foundation stone of the R o m a n Catholic Church of St. Patrick, in April, 1850, where it formed the chief scenic attraction ; but decadence soon commenced, and its end was annihilation. Prior to the commencement of their building, the "Father Matthewites" were advised by prudent friends not to build their Hall on church land, to which it would not be possible to give them a legal tenure. T h e reserve was specially granted for the erection thereon of a place of worship, a minister's residence, and a school-house. N o one knew this better than Father Geoghegan, and it is difficult to imagine how a m a n of his sagacity and conscientiousness could have so far acted ultra vires as to permit any portion of the granted land to be devoted to the purpose of a temperance edifice. N o one who knew him would for a m o m e n t attribute any motive but the most thorough bond fides ; but there was an absence of prevision in his mind when he consented to the expenditure of funds raised for a special purpose. Certainly the foundation stone was laid before the appointment of a R o m a n Catholic Bishop, when Father Geoghegan was exercising the functions of Vicar-General, but this in reality could not materially affect the question. O n the assumption of his high office by Bishop Goold, the administration of the Diocese passed away from D r Geoghegan, and he consequently must be held blameless for what followed—that is, if any person were in reality blameworthy. N o full public explanation of what happened was, so far as I know, ever given, and, therefore there m a y have been circumstances in existence which, if known, might not only clear away doubts but completely exonerate those who were instrumental in transferring the "Father Matthew' Hall to a purpose for which, as was publicly believed, specifically it was not intended. All that was generally known was that when the place was required for a R o m a n Catholic School-house, its n a m e of " Father Matthew " was changed to that of St. Francis, and the Society had to turn out, like A d a m after his fall, " T h e world before it were to choose Its place of rest, and Providence its guide." But it was an evil day for the Society when this happened, for Providence seemed to have deserted it. The displacement caused a scattering of its members, and the social changes wrought by the gold discoveries in 1851-2 completed its disruption. Some of its most indefatigable disciples passed over to the enemy, embarked in the business of Licensed Victuallers, and made large fortunes by vending the spirituous and fermented abominations they had previously denounced. Others tottered into drunkards' graves, or died paupers in the Benevolent Asylum; whilst a few treasured in their hearts' core their pledges inviolate, and an organization founded under the almost canonized name of Theobald Matthew, the illustrious Cork Friar, has long since dwindled into a small dim memory, doubtless to be soon not only forgotten, but absolutely unknown, in the colony, except for its present resuscitation.
THE RECHABITES
Made their first appearance in an Association formed at Geelong in June, 1847, when a Mr- John M'Minns succeeded in establishing a Lodge or Tent at a Temperance Coffee-house there. Three months after, Mr. George Wright was appointed to the office of Chief Ranger, and Mr. J. M'Clure, Secretary. Rechabitism does not appear to have taken much root in the Province until after some years of the golden era, but that it has since thriven is evidenced by the fact that, according to the Registrar's Statistics of Friendly Societies, on the last day of 1880, the Independent Order of Rechabites numbered some 155 branches and 5161 members in Victoria. POSTSCRIPT.
It is a source of much gratification to me to reflect that the various communications I have received confirm the general accuracy of m y sketches, and testify to the impartial spirit in which they are written. I a m in receipt of one from an old colonist of much intelligence, who, by enterprise and industry, has attained an assured position of wealth and respectability, and from it I a m induced to make the following extract: — " I have carefully read all your articles, and, as one of the early residents, feel much interested in your C H R O N I C L E S . I have not missed one of them from thefirst,and would suggest, when you have done writing such interesting accounts of Old Melbourne, you should publish them in book form, and I a m certain they would have a large circulation. I would look upon such a book as containing the most complete information of this, the great, good, and prosperous colony of our adoption. Respecting the Temperance Hall in Russell Street, of which you have treated, there are a few facts, not obtainable from any printed reports, deserving of publicity. Towards the end of 1852, the late well-known popular Richard Heales purposed proceeding, with his wife and family, to England, and, as he felt a deep interest in the Hall, he left satisfied that a liability owing to a Building Society would be paid during his absence by certain individuals charged with the duty of seeing after it. The payments were not kept up as they ought to have been, and Heales' return was so timed that he arrived just as the Building Society was about to sell the property to satisfy the mortgage held over it. Heales at once came to the rescue, and, with the assistance of Mr. William Forsyth, the encumbrance was removed, and the Temperance Society secured in a property now ranking amongst some of thefirstin Melbourne. The Saturday night entertainments were initiated by Richard Heales and a few friends, to attract young m e n from the pernicious allurements of the public-houses. Concerts in a small way were given, in which amateurs assisted. They gradually grew into popularity, and in course of time thoroughly established themselves in public favour, and acquired the dimensions they nowpresent. The original building was too small for the rapid progress witnessed, and hence its replacement by the spacious edifice now so extensively patronised, and which works so much good in its own way. Richard Heales has gone the path of allflesh,leaving after him few so gifted with the qualities essential in a good man and true citizen." APPENDIX.
In 1839 there arrived in the Province an enterprising immigrant, the head of a family of youngsters, who in after years were amongst the most industrious and deserving members of the community. O n e of the juniors was a wee recently-trousered imp of a boy only a few years old, though he is now a sedately good-humoured and well-to-do citizen, of the modern Antipodean Babylon, known as Melbourne, the centre-piece of a wide circle of friends and more profitable cordon of customers. H e drives a brisk and lucrative business in one of the busiest city thoroughfares, and of all the old colonists with w h o m I have conversed anent the by-gone incidents of lang syne, he is gifted with the most precise and tenacious of memories, giving, without reference to journal or diary, the date, day, hour, names and minute particulars of the most trifling occurrences of long ago. T o him I a m indebted for some amusing refreshers of ancient reminiscences—waifs, either forgotten or not known to m e , and of which no mention was to be found in the files of musty newspapers and manuscripts amongst which I have been wading for the past two or three years. Having consulted him on the subject of the foregone chapter, I was favoured with a written tract, which on perusal is so brimful of interesting trifles that I a m induced to append it, with an expression of regret that m y informant's inherent modesty is so strong that I a m prohibited by special request from disclosing his name.
" TEMPERANCE SOCIETIES."
" Associations for the promotion of Temperance were early formed in Melbourne. So early as the year 1842 meetings for this object were held in the Scots' Schoolroom, Collins Street East, at which Messrs. P. Heales, J.Wilson, and others were the speakers. T h e cause advanced, and eventually land was purchased in Russell Street (where one of the most commodious buildings in town n o w stands), and a comfortable Hall erected, in which weekly meetings were held. A s it was found to be advisable to provide attractions for the meetings, a band of music was formed in 1847, which numbered over twenty performers, and gave great satisfaction on itsfirstpublic appearance. O n each Tuesday evening, when the public meeting took place, the band paraded the streets for upwards of an hour, and attracted an audience which more than filled the hall. A m o n g the many speakers w h o took part in the meetings was a lady, Mrs. Dalgarno, wife of the captain of the ship " Lochnagar," who, when her husband was in port, invariably attended, and did all in her power to advance the cause of temperance. T h e "Lochnagar" was sailed as a temperance ship, and afforded m u c h gratification to passengers and crew. Mrs. Dalgarno is dead, but her husband, Captain Dalgarno, is (I believe) still (1888) living at Williamstown. "Richard Heales was a consistent advocate of temperance, and to him chiefly is the colony indebted. Another popular speaker was known as ' Teetotal Bill,' w h o had been a prize-fighter and navvy in England. His descriptions of his former life were most graphic. H e spoke in the Yorkshire vernacular, and his appearance at the meetings invariably drew a large attendance. T h e members of the band were unselfish, and gave the proceeds of their services to the Society for the purchase of new instruments and towards defraying the debt on the Hall. After a time, as Bandmaster Tickle became unsteady, an old Peninsular veteran named M ' K e e supplied his place until 1849, when the Messrs. Hore arrived in the colony. They were thefirstto introduce saxe-horns here. They formed a quartette, consisting of P. Hore, first horn; J. Hore, second; S. Hore, tenor; and R. Hore, Senr., bass. T h e Melbourne Total Abstinence Society was not the only one existing in Melbourne in the early time, for many of our Irish colonists had had vivid remembrances of the great Apostle of Temperance in the green Isle and formed a Fraternity Society bearing his name. S o m e will still remember the genial Dean Coffey, w h o often endeavoured to gain the adhesion of his fellow countrymen to the good cause. H e was of fine stalwart proportions, being a head and shoulders above the ordinary people (as Saul was among the Hebrews), and had a splendid voice. It was no ordinary treat to hear him sing, ' It was a Friar of Orders Gray.' It has often been remarked that a great feeling of kindliness as a rule prevailed in the olden times among the people of Melbourne, but which quite passed away after the gold discovery, when there was such an influx of strangers from all parts of the world that the old element was quite swamped. In 1840 the sole representatives of the three leading denominations (Rev. A. C. Thomson, Episcopalian Church; Rev. P. B. Geoghegan, R o m a n Catholic ; and Rev. Jas. Forbes, Presbyterian) might have been frequently seen arm in arm perambulating Collins Street, and they cordially united in all good works."