6qi 



Progress of the Over Seas Club. 



THE ORGANISERS' TOUR. 



After visiting Melbouriie Mr. and Miss 

 WrencJi left by the " Rotomahana " for 

 Hobart — not, they say, one of their happiest 

 experiences. Tasmania accorde<l them a 

 hearty welcome. They stayed at Government 

 House with His Excellency Sir William 

 Macartney, an old personal friend, who 

 presided over the large meeting which 

 welcomed them. The Governor was sup- 

 ported by the Mayor and Mavoress, the 

 I'remier and Mrs. Solomon. Bishop Mercer, 

 and many other prominent men. In an 

 eloquent address the Governor said he 

 was sure that during his 48,000 miles 

 trip Mr. Wrench had met no other chair- 

 man who had known him personally for 25 

 .years. The Club's branches could congra+u- 

 late themselves most heartilv on havino- 

 someone like Mr. Wrench to "place his ser"^ 

 vices at their disposal. He knew the work 

 Mr. Wrench was now carrying out was a 

 labour of love. In order"^ to do it Mr. 

 Wrench had given up much that men valued, 

 much that men strove for, and much that 

 men coveted. The fact that he had done this 

 -would not lessen their gratitude to him, or 

 diminish the warmth of their welcome. 



Bishop Mercer, who is the president of the 

 Peace Society, said that he had carefully con- 

 sidered the constitution of the Over Seas'Club, 

 and had made up his mind to join it forth- 

 with. He believed that the Over Seas Club had 

 a great future before it in its ideal of moral 

 union. In poLtic^ let them not put their morals 

 in one compartment and their politics in 

 another. Unless we had ideals of right(>ous- 

 ness and brotiierhood underlying our politics, 

 we could not be true patriots. That policy 

 would save from innumerable dangers. There 

 was selfish, cruel competition that had for so 

 long kept down great ma.sses of the people 

 who were now, thank God, raising their 

 heads, and seeking to come into the sun- 

 shine of Empire with the rest of us. If 

 we could get rid of the degrading worship of 

 wealth, and the barbaric delight which char- 

 acterised some nations for war and procur- 

 ing new territories, keeping righteousness 

 and brotherhood the foundation of all that 

 we said and did, a great change would 

 be effected. We could rally whole-heartodly 

 round our flag as a symbol of high and noblo 

 ideas, and we could rally round our work in 

 the spirit of true patriotism in making our 

 Empire not only a glory, but a blessing to 

 nations yet to be. 



The organisers really found everything or- 

 ganised at Hobart. and they had little of 

 that work to do there. They visited otliei' 

 branches in Tasmania, and returned to Mel- 

 bourne, expres-sing themselves delighted with 

 the flourishinii condition of the Club in the 

 Island State. ^ 



The Club Rooms in Melbourne. 

 During their absence from Victoria the 

 energetic committee, which had been formed 

 under the chairmanship of Mr. Alfred Peters, 

 had worked wonders. When Mr. Wrench left 

 for Tasmania there was practically no Club. 

 When he came back, ten days later, he 

 walked into the fine Club premises in Im- 

 perial Arcade, and was defeated — by his 

 sister — on the Club billiard table ! As he said 

 at the farewell given him in the Club rooms, 

 he never in all his wide experience had met 

 so energetic a committee, and he would hold 

 the Melbourne branch up as a model of or- 

 ganisation. The members already number 

 300, and it is confidently expected that by 

 Christmas there will be' a thousand. The 

 launching of a very ambitious programme 

 only awaits more members. The subscription 

 has been fixed at 5s. 



The Melbourne Meeting. 



The Lord Mayor presided at a large and 

 representative gathering to welcome Mr. and 

 Miss Wrench. He was supported b.y His Ex- 

 cellency Sir John Fuller, Mr. Fisher, Sir 

 John Forrest, and other notable men. The 

 speech of the evening was undoubtedly that 

 of the Governor, but all were on a high plane 

 of Imperial thought. Dr. Barrett threw out 

 the wise suggestion chat the Victorian 

 League, the Royal Colonial Institute, the 

 Over Seas Club, and similar organisations 

 working for much the same objects, each in 

 its own way, should keep each other informed 

 as to what the.v were doing. Mr. Wrench 

 spoke well, and his sister afforded, by her elo- 

 quent address, a good example of the value 

 of a woman's counsel in the organisation of 

 an Empire Club of this nature. The Lord 

 Ma.vor stated that he intended to take a 

 deep personal interest in the future of the 

 Over Seas branch in Melbourne. 



Adelaiui:, Peutu .\nd South Africa. 



Mr. and Miss Wrench then went on to 

 Adelaide, where they were the guests of 

 Governor Bosanquet. They had a very busy 

 time in South Australia before departing to 

 Perth CH route for Natal. They intend re- 

 maining in South Africa for 'some three 

 months. A glance at the strenuous pro- 

 gramme arranged for them raises doubts of 

 their physical ability to carry it through. 

 Still, there is little doubt that when they 

 leave the Over Seas Club will be stronger in 

 South Africa than in any other Dominion. 

 It has an over-p resent object there, the crea- 

 tion of friendship and union between the two 

 white races, wlio, after their great struggle, 

 are iiivw hotli loyal niemlicrs of the Empire. 



