News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1894-09-13

One OF the most terrible things in AL
the country &C the Maoris is their law
of Tapu. If any one breaks that. he must
die When a thing is said 10 be Tapu,
no one must use or employ it. For in
stance, man gave a slave a knife
Forthwith that knife became Tapu, vet
some one dared with that knife to cut
the bread for the chiefs mother, and
the man who used tho knife for that
purpose was butchorCd. That whimsical
/ ity of Tapu has left its victims all up
and down New Zealand The fact i
that barbarisms are so reprbsive in CIV
/ cry form that there is nothing admire
BILE about them, and the only thing 10
do is by tic influence of Christian civil
lization To CXtirp3to them, and they a..
| going, and for the most part have al
ready gone. CanuibIlism in New Zea-
land is dead The funeral pyrcs in In
dia have been oStinguishcl. The jug
gernaut has been put aside as a curlos-
ity for travellers to lock at Instead Of
/ tho Cruoltios that once cursed these
lands | find our glorious Christianity
dominant-all over New Zealand the
highest culture, the grandest churches,
the best schools and a citizenship than
which tho world holds nothing nobler.
hereby report to tho American lee
turers that New Zealand is a grand
/ place for their useful work. Only two
or three English and ono American lee.
turer have ever trod these platforms
But the opportunity hero is illimitahlc
| Not in all the round earth are there
more alert, responsive or electric al
diences. They are quicker than Ameri-
can or European assemblages to take
everything said on platform or in pull
| pit. They call out all there is in
speaker of instruction or entertainment
| And the church and the world have yet
to find out that audiences for the most
! part decide whether sermons or lectures
shall be good or poor Stolid and unre-
sponsive audiences make stolid and
stupid speakers. Wendell Phillips, one
of the monarchs of the platform, told
me something very remarkable concern
ing himself while we were standing in
Boston book store and he was Gliding
me for not appearing at Ann Arbor,
Mich, from which place he had just re-
turned, and where | had tried to get q
few days before, but was hindered by
snowbanks, and my offer Of $3.50 for the
use of locomotive had been declined.
Mr.. Phillips said that the audience in
one of the eastern states nearly killed
him. He said: 81 stood for nearly an
hour without seeing or hearing anything
by which | could judge of the effect Of
what l had said. If they had only Kissed
or applauded, do not care which,
could have gone on with some comfort. y
Mr.. Phillips surprised me by this state
ment as to tie effect wrought upon him
by phlegmatic assemblage.
The audiences decide the fate Of ser
mons or lectures. A half dozen men
might, if they wished to engage in so
break down any speaker, if they would
sit right before him, cape, take out their
watches and cough with mouth wide
open and then suddenly go sound asleep.
An eloquent American preacher, sand
ing before ne i'll former pulpit, de-
livCred the first half of his sermon with
great power, and his words had wings,
and his countenance was af1ame with
holy enthusiasm, when suddenly his
wings of thought and utteranCe drop
ped, and he stammered on his way and
got entangled i'll metaphor and lost his
thread Of discourse and failed to prove
that which he said at the start he would
prove and then sat down. While the
congregation were singing the last hymn
he said: "Who is that distinguished
looking gentleman right in front Of the
pulpit? The sight of his somnolenCy and
lack Of interest completely upset me. "
ooh, ;" said, THAT is the Hon. Mr.
So-and-so, one Of the ablest men of tho
nation, and he was deeply interested in
all you said He is not asleep, but is
suffering from weak eyes and is COM
PEELED to keep them shut while listen
ing" The uniDteresting appearance Of
the auditor had ovorthrown master
of assem- bliCs. -
| say to the men who preach and lee
ture, come to New Zealand. But should
ministers ever lecture? Ought they rot
always preach? My answer is that the
intelligent lecture hall is half way to
the church, and l notice that men who
have been hating the church and all sa-
cred things, if they come and hear one
lecture, are sure to come and hear him
preach Besides that there are important
things to be said, and things that must
be said, which are more appropriate to
lecture hall than to pulpit. The three
mightiest agencies for making the world