The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-06-03
FaAHKL1n AusT1Ns CRIED.
An Interesting Address at murphy
Hall Meeting.

The regular Saturday evening en-
tertainment at Francis Murphy Hall
was well attended, as usual. The au-
dience was so well entertained that all
remained through the exercises from
$50 until IL o'clock. !.
Mr.. Dougherty's tenor solos - and
John Pivers' comical sketches were the
features of the evening, and both tre-
sponded gracefully to repeated encoIes.
Mr.. Kaai gave two numbers on the
| banjo, which were we'll received. and
Mrs. Maud Bouchere and e. s. Taylor
discoursed entertainingly upon the pi-l
ano and received well merited ap-
plause.
During the evening President Austin
called upon Edwin Booth and Mr..
| Christianson, both sailors and recent
| pledge signers, to state to their fellow
craftsmen the value of the Murphy
pledge to them. They both made plain,
practical talks, which had a powerful
effect upon their auditors, who were
!, largely of their class and other work
ing men.
Franklin Austin made the address of
the evening, and caused some surprise
by announcing as his subject the
Reality of the Holy Spirit" Mr.. Aus
tin said: 1T is not the object Of these
Saturday evening entertainments to
take up subjects of a religious nature.
The meetings are designed to be purely
for secular entertainment Religious
subjects will be left to the churches
and Salvation Army, or will be taken
up in this hall on Sundays, but 1 ask
that I be permitted to make an fnno-
, walton this evening and speak to you
in more personal manner.
There seems to be some misappre-
hension on the part of many of my
friends, who. I am thankfuI to say,
take a great interest in my spiritual
welfare, that in taking up the work
of Francis Murphy here that 1 have
not accepted the whole doctrine of
Gospel temperance-that l do not ac-
cept the Gospel part of it, and that il I
have, that I should be willing to con-
fess Christ before men by joining the
church. think / have proved that I
am not a moral coward, and I hoped
that my life since signing the pledge
would be sufficient evidence that was
attempting to follow in the footsteps
of the Master, whose sublime charac
ter has stood as the model OF all that
is Godlike in humanity.
Il belive that the presence Of Jesus
Christ is as potent today as 1t was
two thousand years ago. and that there
is an occult influence that is a reality.
which, from the metaphysical training
of my mind 1 should prefer to give
some other definition, but that there
shall be no mistaking my meaning, I
shall call the Holy Spirit. I declare
! upon conviction that I believe in the
reality of the Holy Spirit as an occult
power that influences men to live bet
ter and Godlike lives. When I became
err1ancipated from slavery to drink by
the act of signing the pledge, the sub
lime side of my nature became domi-
nant, and there can be no sublimity
in life except through the influence of
the power Of Christ upon ones per-
sonality through the agency Of the
Holy Spirit. Since signing the Murphy
pledge this truth daily grows upon me-
and it will upon you If you will take
the step L have.
Il am not one to wear my heart up
on my sleeve, nor can 1 see, at present
that I should connect myself with any
church organization to carry on the
temperance work have dedicated my
self to, and the place to make the con-
fession of my faith before the world is
from this rostrum."
Mr.. Austin then spoke at length and
feelingly upon the subject The evan
ing resulted in six new pledge singners,
which now makes thirty-five In all
who ngdate. their resolution to reform
from Murphy Hall in the few short
weeks that the place has been open.