RANDOM SHOTS.

Auckland Star, Volume XIX, Issue 100, 28 April 1888, Page 2 (Supplement)

RANDOM SHOTS.

[By Zamiel.]

=!ome write, a neighbour's name to lash; *omeurite'-vam thought?-for noodtul cash; Some wriie to please the country clash, And raise a, din. For me, an aim I never lash— 1 write for fun.

Who says that the ago of faith is dead, and that nothing but hard common-sense now rules in Auckland? Whoever maintains those proportions is grievously mistaken, fo r there arc still men who can go forth without purse ov »or?-. for their journey, and live by faith. I know the sceptic will bay it is faith in the gullibility of nunun nature, and not in any higher power, that these peripatetic apostles rely Upon ; but that is an unworthy sneer, it is not, however, the ancient kind of faith, which could "move mountains," that is met with now-a-days, and it is no longer true that "all tilings" are possible to them that believe. The most araent believer of the present day hunts very materially the spheie of faibh, and no one dares to affirm in bhese enlightened times thattorayer can accomplish miracles, or even procure a fuliilmcnt of all human desires. Bat there is still a sharp line of demarcation drawn between the infidel and the man of faith—still a great gulf unbridgod between tho natural and the supernatural — a wide distinction between things seen and things believed. We have at the present time in Auckland throe prominent believers in the elliecacy of prayer ; let us see what their opinions and experiences are.

Rev. Mr Robjobna, tho delegate of th British Foreign and Bible Society is reported to have declared at Mount Eden the other night that prayer is " all powerful;" bub this" he qualified with a very potent «' if "—the proviso being that prayer, to bo effectual, must be in accordance with the divine will. In other words, the only effectual prayer is «'Thy will bo done." 1 quite agree with him, and it would be well if parsons in general would accept that view of tly jubject and spare their hearers the infliction of useless, blasphemous, and ridiculous prayers —prayers which, an tho Rev. C. H. Spurgeon pay*, "go no higher than the ceiling." Bub we have the Faith Healer also In our midst declaring that the prayer of faith is able to achieve the healing of all moral, mental, and physical disease. This is much the sumo limitation as that imposed by Mr Robjohns, for no one doubts that it is the will of the All-Benoncent to cure all sin, insanity and disease. But to assert that prayer and faith alone will secure the ends aimed at clashes with tho dictates of reason, and Mr Dowie and the common-sense school of healers are as wide as the poles asunder. The aphorism that "faith without works is dead," holds true in the domain of healing more than any other, and in that sphere it is also true that " God helps those that help themselves."

The third, and most remarkable exponent of the power of prayer now in our midst, is the Venerable Pastor Mullor, and as he is not a hare-brained fanatic, and shows no sign of being a self-deluded fool, his utterances on the subject command respect. This gentleman has, for 62 years conducted large orphanages which have depended for support upon prayer supplemented by the active letter-writing of himself and numerous assistants ! ilp multiplies the conditions neceseury to success, alleging that in order to obtain an answer to prayer we must (1) a-k for thingsaooording to tho divine will (2j in the name of Christ (3) without, doubting (4) that we muatbefreefroms«it),.'iiid(s)\vait patiently for the answer. Now, t.ucsc comiiti msare either impossible or very tiinicuk.nl fulfilment, especially Nos. 1, 4 and 5. i\'i< cue can make a specific request and bu sure that it is in accordance with l.lie divine will;_ no one can be free from .sin in this life; and very few cm wail, like l'astor Muller, for 44 years and keep on praying all the time. Any one of these conditions being proved impossible, Pju.Lw* Muller s dogma of the unfailing f:Sicacy of preyor will fall to the ground, and I humbly submit that the objection to No. 1 is fatal, since no one can tell whether his petition is an acceptable one or not. The old straightforwatd teaching was—" Whatsoever things ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive " : no limitations or impossible conditions there. As for the Pastor's 50,000 alleged "answers to prayer," ho has, in my opinion, been subject to exactly 50,000 extraordinary hallucinations. People who don't pray get their daily bread and their letters by post just the same as those who vex the ear of Infinity hourly with their vain requests ; the sole difference lies^ in the ascription of the credit of bringing about the result. Methinks it would be a good thing if prayer had still its old power, for New Zealand would very soon be free of the depression, and "booming" along on the high read to prosperity.

The morality, or immorality, of church bazaars was discussed the other day at the Sydney Anglican Synod on the motion of two earnest clergymen, to the following effect :— " That in tho opinion of this Synod, the practice of raising money for church purposes by means of bazaars, exhibitions, theatrical entertainments, flower-shows, and the like, is wrong in principle — unworthy of professing Christians—a disgrace to members of the Church of England—deserves the severest censure, and oughb to bo suppressed." Thab was plain speaking—much too plain for some of the members, who denounced ib as libellous and insulting to the Synod and to many church members. An attempt was made to obtain a modified expression of disapprobation by striking out all the words alter " wrong in principle," but the Synod would none of it, and by rejecting the motion affirmed the lightness of the Church going into the show business, following huckstering pursuits, and running games of chance. There was a Roformer of old who used oven plainer language than that of the resolution I have quoted, when he drove the dove-sellers and moneychangers from the temple. I have no doubt the high priests of His day were " insulted " and "libelled " by being told that they had turned the house of prayer into a den of thieves; bub the funny thing is that the Sydney Synod professes to follow the precepts of that ancient Reformer, while at tho same time it encourages practices far worse than those which He so strongly condemned.

* * * The members of the so-called "liberal professions " are frequently cited—and with too much justice—as giving examples »f extreme illiberally and narrow-minded-{»oss. The lawyer does his utmost to keep Isis calling a select " preserve " ; iho doctor with a degree has a profound contempt for Ibomoeopabhists, hydropathists and others Whom in his heart he considers " quacks ; " jjttd tho average clergyman sends to Coventry all his brethren who are " hotoro " inBtead of '' ortho." .In these circumstances it is pleasing to have to record an instance of true liberal feeling on the part of a local clergyman. Ib was ab a recent Gospel Temperance meebing, and the Rev. J. Chew was moving a resolution nominating bhe council for bhe currenb year. He had gob through bhe list of •' reverends," and when among the common " Misters" he came across the name of George Aldridge. He at once stopped short, and said, "Why, ibs the Rev. George Aldridge you mean." Some one said ""Ses" •' Why did you not say so. then f' asked Mr Chew. "Mr Aldridgo is as much a aainigtor as I am, I give him a hearty

welcome, and I give the same to Pastor Daniells." Mr Chew is quite right, bub other clergymen who have not had his democratic experience require to learn the lesson. In New Zealand law, Mr Aldridge is as much a clergyman as Bishop Cowie, or Archbishop Redwood ; when shall we have similar liberality with regard to doctors and lawyers ?

The illiberal prejudice which is characteristic of doctors, lawyers, and clergymen is nowhere better exhibited than in their determined opposition to the admittance of females to their ranks. As Mr Chew knovys from his American experience, there are in the great Republic many lady doctors, preachers, and lawyers; Australia can boast of at least one lady editor; but Church and forum and the practice of medicine are closed to the female sex as rigidly here as in Conservative England. Rev. Dr. Jefferis, of Sydney, in the course of a recent lecture on the higher education of women, was fain to admit this, though he put it in tho mildest way possible. He said :—" A cultured woman can adopt almost any one of the professions. Literature is. open to you. Art invites you. Medicine requires you at least in some of its departments. Scicnco rejoices at numbering you amongst her votaries and teachers. Theology does not reject you, although affording but scant encouragement. As for law, tho gates of it are as yet barred agaii.st your entrance, and I fear it will long bo so. Lawyers are wedded to old time formulas and ancient precedents. Woman's wit, clear and luminous, with its intuitive perception of worth and justice, would revolutionise law and the interpretation of ib. But even that may come." To this let all the peoplo say Amen !

* # i' " Zamiel" appears to be looked uponns a kind of walking or sitting encyclopedia, and a correspondent writes asking thnt I will kindly illuminate his darkened understanding on tho following points :—" in last Saturday's Star was a drawing and description of Mr Firth's eight hours roller mills. Having seen the mills in active operation, J have no hesitation in stating that they arc a credit to tho enterprising proprietor, as well as to Auckland and the colony. Mr Firth states thnt these mills are 'producing the, lUwabJlonrx over inado in this country.' Now, gold is of a yellow colour, men dig it out of the earth in varying degrees of' finenos.*, purity, or quality, bub it always retains its natno in tho singular, as we never see nor write such a word as gold*. Heretofore I have always looked upon Hour as similar to gold, so far as the singular or the plural in concerned, but Mr Firthmakosft singular discovery, and invents the word l flours.' Is this fresh departure right or wrong? He also says ' Roller Flour, Auckland, New Zealand, Patent.1 Now where does the ' patent' conns in '! is it for the invention of the word 'Hours' or tho roller mills, or the flour produced by these mills, or for ' Auckland. Now Zealand ?' Do. please, Mr 'Zamiel,1 enlighten my darkened understanding on these points, as the more I think of them, tho more completely do my brains (or rather tho want of them) gee enveloped in a fog, worse than the Egyptian darkness. However, when Mr Firth states that ' the brands are as follows,' tho fog clears, for although I cannot grasp tho idea about tho ' Hours,' 1 know that one brand follows, but two brands follow. Tn this instance Mr Firth appears to be in as great a fog as I am about the ' (lours.'"

In this correspondent I recognise an old acquaintance who has always shown himself a stickler for the " (lowers " and graces of composition. Another peculiarity of his is that, like tho lady referred to in tho song of Doborah, ho is fond of putting questions to which no answer is required. (It will be remembered that the lady in question " returnod answer unto herself " —a very satisfactory process, since one is always suro of getting the desired reply.) If my queer querist insists upon mo giving an ex cathedra utterance upon the grammatical question which he has raised, I would say that Mr Firth's uso of the word " flours "is quite correct. In tho same way, people speak of " wools," "wines," "coals," etc. The object of tho plural form is to include different brands or qualities of the same article. Strictly speaking,these are not true plurals, but are facom de parley- — elisionnl expressions— ••wools" meaning "different classes of wool," and so on. I hope I have been able to hammer the idea into my correspondent's brain —or rather "brains," for ho appears to have an indefinite number of thoso organs ! Perhaps ho will kindly say how many brains (if any) he has got?

I am told thab " tea-meetings " are depressed in consequence of the bad times. Now, who'd havo thought ib ? The other evening I ventured inside of n Sunday school when one of these exhilarating social gathering*l was in progress. There were the same heavily - laden tables, and the steaming tea urns and the Bmiling lady teachers presiding over the good things — jusb as of yore (I was fond of buns myself once); but; true enough, the " patronage" was rather limited. In the good old times there used to be two and even three " sittings " at the tables, but on this occasion there were actually whole tables without an occupant. I hunted up the superintendent and in quired tho whytore of this thusnoss (as somebody has very aptly put the observation before), and my suspicions were confirmed. " Yes, it's a faob," said he, " thab there are very few people to tea, but just como round to tho after meeting, and yoa'll see it crowded to tho doors," and so it was. "It's free," he laconically observed, and then he added, "Although we only charge one shilling for the tea (a reduction of sixpence, owing to the depressed times), we cannot even treb the people to come at that figure. The fact is, the people cannot afford it, and this is quite as remarkable an evidence of hard times as any I have come across." That is true, and good bakers' bread at the cutting price of 2kl per loaf goes considerably further than a shilling's worth of buns.

1 see that the sneak thief has gob at Sir George Grey's literary treasures in tho Free Library. Just like him, and no doubb some reader will say," What's the use of a detective office if thefts like these can be committed with impunity ?" That is generally the way these bhings are looked ab, ju^b as if it were bhe easiest thing possible to detect the thief and "run him in." Bub such is not the case. Sometimes when the detective officer fin:ls the thief, his social status is such that no further steps a*-e taken in the matter. The stolen—l beg pardon—l mean bhe borrowed article is returned mysteriously, and the fact is rammed down the detective's throat that the whole affair was a mistake. Detectives generally are reckoned to know a thing or two, and although they may not believe that they have made a mistake in their mnn, still they have enough "savvy" to understand thab bhey would commit a greab mistake if bhey went furbher with the mabber.