THE COSMOPOLITAN CLUB.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2191, 15 May 1908, Page 2

THE COSMOPOLITAN CLUB.

Tho members oi the Cosmopolitan Club may be warmly congratulated not only upon their accvtssfon to very handsome premises, but also upon the signal success of the opening ceremony. If last night’s proceedings can bo accepted as indicative of the healthy tono and the good fellowship animating tlio club, then its future may bo looked forward to with the utmost confidence. Amongst, tho many excellent speeches that were mado tho remarks which fell from Mr A. L. D. Fraser, M.P., oil tho general subject of clubs, were particularly appropriate and voiced sentiments that could with advantage be assimilated by clubs throughout the Dominion. Man is essentially an animal of social instincts, which, in some form or another will find expression. If suitable opportunities, such as are provided in a well-ordered club, aro given, the social intercourse thus brought about will result for the individual and general benefit of all concerned and iii this respect cl nibs' can and do fill a necessary place in any civilised and cultured community. If, however, these institutions are to take the place in the life of tho people that they should, then tho ideals of tho management must never bo lowered, and the fact should over be borne in mind that true friendship and comradeship as between man and man can only have a permanent existence when based on the exercise of tho highest qualities in each. Upon this aspect Mr Fraser’s reminder that the Cosmopolitan Club is only at the commencement of its career and that tlio present members are entrusted with the responsibility of shaping the policy of an institution whicli will have a wide influence upon the town and district were timely and to the point. It was pleasing, moreover, to note the disposition on tho part of members to recognise that in social matters tlicro is something approaching injustice in keeping the fair sex entirely outside the four walls of a club room. It is, of course, somewhat difficult t-o devise a scheme which will permit the admission of ladies to clubs .-without destroying the spirit of unrestrained freedom and unconventionality which to many constitute one of the chief charms of club life. (However, if the Cosmopolitan Club can solve this problem it will have deserved well of the community in having removed one of the grievances of femininity. The club has a large membership, led by a very capable executive, and with the advantage of premises that will compare favorably with any similar establishment in the Dominion, there is every reason to predict for it a prosperous future.