Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1893-1895, 1894-09-11

stance, man gave a slave q 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 the knife for that
purpose was butchercd. That whimsical
ity of Tapu has left its victims all up
and down New Zealand. The fact is
that barbarisms are so repulsive in ev-
cry form that there is nothing admira-
bic about them, and the only thing TO
do Is by the influence of Christian civil
lization to extirpate them, and they are
going, and FOR the most part have al
ready gone. Cannibalism in New Zea-
land is dead The funeral pyres in In
Gia have been extinguished. The Jug
Gernaut has been put aside as curios-
ity for travellers to look at. Instead of
tho cruelties that once cursed these
lands / find our glorious Christianity
doninant-all over New Zealand the
highest culture, tho grandest churches,
the best schools and a citizenship than
which the world holds nothing nobler.
l hereby report to the Amcrican lee
tlrors that New Zealand IL u grand
place for their useful work. Only two
or three English and one American lee
turer have ever trod these platforms.
But the opportunity hero is iliimitahle.
Not in all the round earth are there
more alert, responsive or electric au-
diences. They are quicker than Ameri-
can or European assemblagcs to take
everything said ON platform or III pull
pit. They call out all thero is in
speaker of instruction or en;t rtainment.
And the church and the world have yet
to find ont that audiences fr tue most
part decide whether sermons ur 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
a Boston book store and he as chiding
me for not appearing at Ann Arbor,
Mich, from which place he had just re-
turned, and where | had tried to get
few days before, but was hindered by
snowbanks, and my offer Of $3.50 for the
use of a locomotive had been declined
Mr.. Phillips said that the audience i'll
one of the eastern states nearly killed
him. He said: 81 stood for nearly an
hour without seeing or hearing anything
by which l could judge of the effect Of
what had said. If they had only Missed
or applauded, do not care which,
could have gone on with some comfort. p"
Mr.. Phillips surprised me by this state
ment as to the effect wrought upon him
by a phlegmatic assemblage.
The audiences decide the fate of ser
mons or lectures. A half dozen men
might, if they wished to engage IN SO
mean a business, take a contract to
break down any speaker, if they wonld
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, stand
ing before me in former pulpit, de-
livered the first half of his sermon with
great power, and his words had wings,
and his countenance was afiame with
holy enthusiasm, when suddenly his
wings of thought and utterance drop
ped, and he stammered on his way and !
got entangled in 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 |
were singing the last hymn
he said: "Who is that distinguished !
looking gentleman right in front of the
pulpit? The sight of his somnolenoy and |
lack of interest completely upset me. "
GGOI. Sc kl,a NJ |
So-and-so one Of the ablest men of the
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 uninteresting appearance OF
the auditor had overthrown master |
of assem- blies."
say to the men who preach and lee
ture, come to New Zealand But should
ministers ever lecture? Ought they not
always preach? My answer is that the
lecture hall is half way to
the church, and / 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
better are the pulpit, printing press and
platform. Side by side may they always
stand in the battle for righteousness.
But for them the Indians warwhoop
would yet be sounding in America and
)n the Atlantic coast, the morning meal
IF human flesh would still be going on
N New Zealand, and the Ganges would
still be horrible with infanticide Let
All the nations reconstruct their notions
If New Zealand. write this at Dune
lin, imposing in its architecture, pictur-
in its surroundings, unbounded in
is hospitality and another Edinburgh,
after which, understand, it is named
DUN. Edin being the Gaelic for the
lorthern capital of intelligence.
The Scotch founded il, aud what the
Scotch do they do we'll They believe in
something, and It is almost always some
hing good that they believe in. High