| Notes |
On Thursday 28th July, 1892, Herbert M. Cotterill delivered the folowi
g address to a convention of members of the Independent Order of Goo
d Templars, Snowdrop Lodge No. 91, on the occasion of the 14th anniver
say of the Lodge: To the Officers and Members of Snowdrop Lodge, No
. 91 Brothers and Sisters, - In submitting to you my report of the tr
ansactions of Snowdrop Lodge, No. 91, I.O.G.T., for the fourteenth yea
of its existence, I wish to say that since it is impossible to creat
e something out of nothing, my task looked rather formidable. I woul
d have liked to present to you such an array of figures as to cheer yo
u in your work, and to show our friends by the overwhelming testimon
y of numbers, that our motives and methods of working are sound ; bu
t I must only state facts, in order that you may judge whether you hav
e done your duty in the past year, and also to show the number of work
ers we can put in the field against our common enemy for the next. A
t the beginning of this 14th year of our exist- ence, our roll showe
d a membership of 22 sisters and 24 brothers. During the year we hav
e received by initation 16, by clearance card 4, by reinstatement 3, m
aking a total membership for the year of 69. Of these 22 have been sus
pended for non-payment of dues, and death has taken from us one good b
other, leaving a balance of 46 or exactly the number we had on our bo
oks at the beginning of the year. In justice to those suspended for ar
ears however, it should be stated that in only one or two instances h
ave they violated their pledge, so far as the use of alcoholic liquor
s is concerned, while on the other hand we cannot hold them blameles
s for neglecting what is equally as important, viz., that part of thei
obligation in which we promise to be present at our lodge meetings
, and that we will do all in our power to advance the cause of tempera
ce. Of the 46 members now on the books, it may be said that they ar
e pledged not only by their obligation, but by their sterling work i
the past to do their utmost to prevent the spread of intemperance, e
ven if they cannot lessen it. It may not be out of place to give her
e one or two so-called reasons assigned for non-attendance. The chie
f one is, "I have no time," which may mean - and probably does - in mo
st cases, "I have no inclination." Others say, "Why don'tyou provide b
etter entertainment?" and others again are offended at some casual rem
ark used in a general way, but which their consciences tell them fit t
hem exactly. To those who have "no time," we say, "make time." God'
s work as illustrated by the life and death of Christ, calls for repea
ted self- denial - personal sacrifice is the fundamental element of su
ccess in this as in every other department of Christian work. If the w
ork is worth doing, and we have only to look at the beneficial result
s of Snowdrop Lodge in the past to know that it is, then it is worth m
aking some little sacrifice for. With regard to the complaint that the
e is not sufficient entertainment, I would remind you that to provid
e entertainment is not our object. Our ritual says "we are here to wor
k," and if the work is done and our membership increased thereby, ente
tainment will follow as a matter of course, and will be more thorough
ly enjoyed from the knowledge that we have worked to produce it. It ma
y be said of members who are continually crying out for better enterta
inment that they seldom contribute to the harmony of the meetings them
selves, but expect others to do this part of our work while they thin
k they are conscientiously fulfilling the terms of their obligation i
f tbey attend the meetings for the sole purpose of enjoying the result
s of the labour of their energetic fellow members. One good feature o
f our Lodge is that it "owes no man anything," though its sole sourc
e of income is the quarterly or initiation fees of its members. Our or
ganisation is not for the purpose of accumulating money, the funds bei
g judiciously expended in carrying out the good work, and we are gla
d to find that at each quarter's end we have a balance, though a smal
l one, on the right side. With the hall I have nothing to do, as it i
s vested in the trustees ; yet it may not be out of place to say tha
t the hall in itself should indicate most emphatically that Snowdrop L
odge is established on a firm basis. In one department of our work th
e lodge may justly be accused of being lax, viz., that of visiting sis
ter lodges ; but this fault may well be overlooked, considering the un
certain state of the weather during the past year. There is no juveni
le temple in connection with the lodge, as we decided, in response t
o a circular from the G. S. I. T., that the temperance wants of the ri
sing generation were being well attended to at the hands of the E. M
. Wesleyan Band of Hope. In conclusion, I would like to ask our frien
ds who, if they are not against us, are not of us, and who in some cas
es censure us for not making more headway, are they, as well as we, no
t responsible in this matter. If we have failed to achieve any appreci
able success is the fault ours, who show our responsibility and do ou
best, or theirs, who will not deny themselves a trifle for the sak
e of their firmer brethren. Had the work been taken up by the so-call
ed "upper classes" we would have the people tumbling over one anothe
to join our lodge. But our mission is to the poor, and more especial
ly if they are poor through the drink curse, and we are honoured to th
ink that no great reform ever yet organised took it origin but from th
e poor, who feel the need of reform. Of this matter I may say that w
e are content to be humble, as Christ was, the friends of sinners an
d publicans (of a different class to those mentioned in Scripture), si
mply for the sake of doing them good-to stoop, as did Christ, from Hi
s throne above, even to the very gutter, if need be, to lift the drunk
ard (whom we pity more than blame) in all his rags and distorted manho
od, to a place where he may have a chance of "laying hold on eternal l
ife," a privilege that is denied to him while in the toils of strong d
ink ; to rather be of the few who do right than of the multitude wh
o do wrong, or if they do not do wrong themselves, are too selfish t
o try to prevent others from doing it. As the representative of the G
. C. T. in your lodge, I charge you, my brothers and sisters to be o
f good cheer, your labours are blessed of God and man, to remember you
obligation, to fight for the right, even though the result of your l
abours may be hidden, being assured that the good seed sown by you i
faith is blessed of God, according to His promise ; and that it wil
l in His good time bring forth an abundant harvest. Yours in faith, h
ope, and charity, Herbert M. Cotterill, Sec. and L.D. (Sigd.) James L
amont, Chairman. Source: THE MAITLAND MERCURY. (1892, July 30). The M
aitland Mercury & Hunter River General Advertiser (NSW : 1843-1893), p
. 4. Retrieved December 19, 2010, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-arti
cle19012885
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