"THE SCHOOL OF SCANDAL."

Auckland Star, Volume XXV, Issue 151, 26 June 1894, Page 2

"THE SCHOOL OF SCANDAL."

DR. TALMAGE'S LECTURE.

The Opera House was paoked lasb nighb in all parts to hear the Rev. T. de Wibb Talmage's lecture "The School of Scandal." The rev. gentleman handled his subject in a way that carried the audience with him. He said there are many echpola, bub the largest is the school of scandal. Some are fresh men in it, some seniors and some have graduated long ago with a black diploma sealed of the devil. The doctor told his audience how many classes were affected by scandals and said ib included even the newspapers. He hastened to correcb an impression thab he was dißgusted with this world. He had only one faulb to find with ib, and that was it treated him too well. He bhen told his hearers how they should treab this tax upon oharacter, and remarked, thab in every 2,000 years God turned a leaf and the world wae fibbed for human residence, then in 2,000 years the deluge, 2,000 years more the nativity, 2,000 years more and he believed thab God would turn another leaf, and ib would be to right all wrongs and the evangelisation of all nations. The practical question was what shall we do with this tax upon moral character? Hii answer would be, Don't believe until gnilb ia proven, and bo declare that he would believe nothing against any person unless there were two persons to prove ib. The rev. gentleman spoke of the value of a character, and said thab greab factories of falsehood are burning out lies day and night. He described the characteristics of a lje, and said that "anatomical justice had never been done to a lie. Agassiz found ib in Brazil, Dr. Kane on an. iceberg, but it preferred the zone. It lived on alcohol of tea. Ib grew wibh the boy, and would have destroyed the father of his country had he nob met it boldly with his little hatchet. Ib was the healfchieab of all monsters. Its tooth knocked out the tooth of time. Its powers of locomotion were greab, travelling wibh the mail trains, and carrying a bag of reputations made up into cold hash, &o that ib had nob bo stop for victuals. Ib smelt scandal miles away. Ib had greab genius of olfactory. The reverend gentleman wenb on to say thab masculine tattlers are worse than feminine tattlers, and ib was tattling that often ruined a man in business. " Cursed be gossip" said the preacher. You are aggravated to the point of profanity, and then expected to sing Psalm 2. He called gossips " pedlars of nux vomica," and said if it is an outrageous thing to spoil a man's character, how much more so ie ib to destroy a woman's reputation. Some people said there was no hell. If there was no hell for the despoiler of woman's character, it was time for some philanthropist to build one. To go and ask about a scandal was like taking a email - pox patient' from among the people to show that thero was small-pox. " Don'b retail scandal," said the doctor,' " don't be a supervisor of carbuncles; don'b be an inspector of streeb gutters." The doctor wenb on to say thab he knew a man who studied economy unbil he used the warb on the back of his neck for a collar-button. (Roars of laughter.) You've gob to be lenient bo a man like that. Referring to equality, he said : "We are told in the constitution thab all men are born equal. There never was a greater misrepresentation than this put into one sentence. Are horses all born equal ? If so, why is one worth $200 and another $10,000?" To the quostion of who Bhould have the highest thrones in heaven nexb to God the answer was : " It seems to me that the nexb highest throne to the Deity will be that occupied by the man or woman who waa born wrong, whose nerve and muscle and love and energy of body and soul were poisoned by heredity and environment, bub who moisted his tendencies thab came down through the years, and by the grace of God conquered." Dr. Talmage stated thab " Schools of Scandal" should become schools of morcy, and wound up with a vivid description of bhe Battle of Waterloo, and said the difference of victory or defeat {6 in the difference of reinforcements. TO-NIGHT'S LECTURE. To-night Dr. Talmage will deliver his farewell lecture, entitled " Happy Homes."