The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1875-01-09 00:00:00

THE USE AND ABUSE OF EMOTION.

(Frem Monday's Daily News.)

The series of lectures, interspersed with music,
known by the name of "Sunday Evenings for the
People," was commenced on Sunday night at South
Place Chapel. Finsbury, London. The lecturer was
the Rev. H. H. Haweis, of St. James's, Marylebone,
and his address was on the "Use and Abuse of
Emotion." This was the first appearance on the plat-
form of the National Sunday League of a clergyman
of the Established Church, and some correspondence
on the subject has taken place between that gentleman
and the Bishop of London. At first his lordship ex-
pressed a wish that Mr. Haweis would not appear, on
the ground that the chapel was used by a Unitarian
minister—viz., the Rev. M. D. Conway. Even-
tually, however, the request was withdrawn.
The Bishop's letter was not made public, nor
was the matter referred to by the lecturer,
who plinged into the subject of his address
without any preface whatever. After remarking that
nothing but good ce.uld come from meetings of that
kind, he said that although he had to deliver an address
on the "Use and Abuse of Emotion," they must
pardon him if he left the quality of abuse very much
to their own imaginations. The lecturer then glanced
briefly at the sense of "feeling," and pointed out the
difference between that of the brute beast and the
human being. The great secret of true life was to have
our emotions well in hand, in order that they might
accomplish honourable work. The result of a loss of this
command over the emotions would inevitably lead to
degrading work being done. Enthusiasm was necessary
to nerve men for good work, but enthusiasm and emotion
had got a bad name for many reasons. Feeling was only
respectable when it nerved us for action. It might be
carried to excess, and was often very silly. Some people
—net perhaps of the made sex—(laughter)—werealways
in floods of tears. It might be very well at first, but
it generally failed when tries too often. And further,
there were a great many maundering people going
about the world displaying feelings which never came
to anything. We despised it also when it came before
us in the Yecksniffian form —that of a man who had
great duties to perform, and never did one of them.
Dickens said those people were like sign-posts that
pointed the way they never went. The world, which
had much work to do, had no time to look after these
vapouring silly fools. Emotien admitted the union of
both mind and heart, and Tennyson said, "Mind and
heart according wholly." After further remarks on
this subject the lecturer said they might give the most
sublime speech to a man who has no emotion in his
mind, and it would fall fiat. At this point the
lecturer recited a verse from Longfellow twice, by
way of contrast. The first recitation was given with
suitable emphasis and inflections of the voice; while
the second was delivered in an-inexpressive manner.
In continuing his address the speaker remarked that
America would never have been discovered but
for emotion; and asked them to think of Columbus
not being able to make himself understood ; to
think of him being repulsed by his fellow-men, and at
last going out in his little boat on his voyage of dis-
covery. He called upon them again to conjure up the
image of Wilberforce warring against the great forces
of our country to put down the slave trade. He
did not say that it was not owing a little to a sense
of duty • but through that emotion communicated
to a whole country, many were ready to give up
their incomes in order to join in the good work.
They would remember how Mr. Gladstone had led a
distinguished life by this great faculty, because he was
assisted by the-feeling of right and justice. We owed
to emotion every important measure that had been
passed, and we expected a great many more before
Mr. Gladstone retired from public life. (Applause.)
In Bishop Colenso— (applause)—they had seen a man,
suffering under the social ban, coming over ready to
throw away in a moment the little amount of social
ease he enjoyed in his diocese. The lecturer-then
related several anecdotes of Livingstone, and spoke
of the indomitable pluck which enabled him to work
on to the last, the reference to the great explorer being
intended to show thatenthusiasm—a form of emotion—
need not be noisy to prove its depth. This branch of
the address was further developed by several anecdotes
of Garibaldi, after which the lecturer closed his address
with a brief reference to music. Music was after all,
he said, a thing of emotion, and wherever there was
good music they would find the people flocked. A
musical faculty did really teach the mind to balance
the emotions and bring them under control. The con-
chiding words of the lecturer were followed by general
tipplause. A selection from Mendelsm)hn's Eliya was
then given by a band, chortle, and soloists under the
direction of Mr. De Vere.