The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-10-27

New Zealand, a month ago, there were
people of fair Intelligence who were puz-
lied TO know whether he was black, red
or white man, though the coDcensus OF
unsettled thought was in favor Of the lat
ter belief
We knew that DR.. Talmage speaks Eng
lish, for his sermons have been for many
years feature of our rural weeklies.
Mr. r. s. Smythe of Melbourne, colony
of Victoria, who is the great lecture man.
eger for all the English speaking lands
south of the equator, made the people OF
Sydney very familiar with Dr. Talmases
portrait weeks before he left the land OF
the Maori.
We know much more about your great
men than you do about ours How many
Americans can name prominent Austria
lasian? Yet in sydney great Centennial
park we have heroic marble statues OF
Lincoln. Washington, Grant and Garfield,
with many of the Rogers groups, Illus
trating your civil war, OF life size.
But the doctor has como and gone, we
are free from the spell OF his strong per-
sonality and rid of the fervor wrought up
by skillful advertising, ana so are able 10
give a dispassionate opinion of this per
haps the most remarkable if not the most
sensational pulpit orator OF his day.
1t is the belief that the Australian opin-
ion of your star preacher viii interest
you that induces me to send this letter.
Our leading daily papers, like The Her
aid, Telegraph and The News, have given
full reports of the Doctors lectures and
the sermon he delivered here-the latter
in ai6 of our poor-and the editorial com
ments have been favorable without being
H..T- 70 u
nalistic chorus Of approval has been the
Sydney Bulletin. This paper is avowedly
skeptical in religion. \ preacher infiames
it as red rag docs wild bull, but it
would have ignored DR.. Talmage had he
not unwisely, as our educated people think,
delivered a lecture against science, which
he was pleased 10 call Evolution. The
other lectures wera in the best of taste and
delighted every one. but educated men
who have no sympathy with TIE Bulletin,
and who deplore its vile caricatures of DR..
Talmage, feel that it is not entirely I'M
just when it says:
1.-The Yankee divine without doubt
knows a great deal about the Bible as
seen through Presbyterian spectacles. 1t
is safe to say he can subscribe to the
shorter catechism and the Westminster
confession of faith, and that he knows the
same by heart, but when he attempts TO
oppose scientific truth by mere assertions
of faith he proves the wisdom of the
adage, Fools rush in where angels fear to
tread So long as he roared and got off
his flights of stock eloquence and his oft
repeated anecdotes, only few of which
were new TO US, we felt we were getting
our moneys worth, but when he attempt
ed to belle the multiplication table and
to set at defiance the aXiomS of Euclid
then we felt that we were being imposed
on and that Mr.. r. :. Smythe got our
money under false pretenSeS. The Yam
KEGS are shrewd people, but if we hear
that they like DR. Talmage's lecture on
Evolution then our respect for them
will be forced down to zero"
But while DR.. Talmage delighted all
who heard him on the platform, the Evo-
luton talk excepted, he was found to be
charming by those who had the good for
tune to meet him in private. Thanks TO a
thoughtful American friend, who sent me
letter OF introduction, l was able to call
with some friends at the Australia and
was received with heartiness and sim
plicity of manner on the doctors part that
put us at an ease and won us to him at
once.
The great pride of Sydney is its beauti-
full and magnificent harbor, and as Amer
leans are said to ask visitors on the day of
their arrival from Europe, We'll, what
do you think OF our country" so we are
inclined to ask, Have you seen our har-
bor:" and we measure the intellect of the
visitor by the degree of rapture with which
he describes Port Jackson, rs our bay is
called. But DR.. Talmage did not wait for
the inevitable question He anticipated
it, and az once poured out such poetic
panegyric of the harbor the city and all
thereunto belonging as won US to him at
once. Nay, more He actually regarded
our ladies with the eye of an artist. and he
told us-I hope the American girls will
not he jealous-that he had never before
seen SO many beautiful ladies on the streets
as in sydney
The doctor is a keen observer. Why, he
told us of things Australian that we did
not know ourselves, and he showed that
lie had read up on these colonies before
coming TO them by telling us all about our
resources. like the last annual report.
Although loyal subjects of her majesty
the queen of England and the empress OF
India. myself and the friends calling on
DR. Talmage. Ike all the younger colo
nists are inclined to be democratic. On
the question of politics / tried TO draw the
doctor out: but, TO my surprise, he avoided
my questions or drew into his shell like a
turtle. At length he said, with some force,
''Weil, l have an idea that the governments
of every people are just the kind of gov
ernments best suited 10 them.
But doctor" protested, you might
say the same a. to the religion of a people
/ Then what would become Of our mission
ariess'
The doctor. however. was far too shIewd
To be caught by this With a smile and a
drawl. he replied
Religion. a. l understand 1t, IS di-
vine institution; government, a. the world
understands ii. Is human institution.
\ on might a. well try TO compare the
movement Of a star with that Of a railroad
train. Bus 20 come back 70 your harbor-
II viii live forever in my memory a. tha
most magnificent bay | ever saw 4 nd
then he went on 10 praise US and gave
up my attempt TO get comparison be
tween your state governments and those
of our seven Australasian colonies
We have had here American actors. sing
ers. circuses and pugilists, and need not
add that We have had quite oUr share Of
American s1Sindlers and adventU9ers-
some OF the latter remain With u unlor-
unately-but can say with al truth that
never before has an American visitor Great
4 d so great q sensation or left 20 favorable
an impression as DR.. Talmage.
=. Il. HUGHES
Miss Katfz- instructor in the cooking
school Of ne Kansas State Agricultural
Z college witt Dr. Erices B4klug