ROWDY RELIGIOUS MEETING.

Auckland Star, Volume XLII, Issue 162, 10 July 1911, Page 5

ROWDY RELIGIOUS MEETING.

DISTURBANCE AT KING'S THEATRE. CHRISTIANITY V. RATIONALISM. POLICE SENT FOR. Disturbances in connection with religious meetings are fortunately of rare occurrence in Auckland, but yesterday afternoon the King's Theatre, during the course of a meeting held under the auspices of the Ministers' Association, ■was the scene of much unseemly behaviout, the gathering ultimately breaking up in while the police had to be sent for. To explain the position fully, it is necessaTy to relate the circumstances leading' up to the inauguration of these meetings. For some time past the Socialist party in Auckland has been holding regular Sunday night meetings in the Opera House, fet which Mr. Scott Bennett, a speaker of considerable ability, discourses upon Revolutionary Socialism and rationalism, a counter-move, the Auckland Ministers' Association recently inaugurated a series of mass Sunday afternoon meetings at the King's Theatre, in the interests of Social Christianity, the meetings being advertised as "an antidote for AntiChristian Socialism." There has also been some feeling between the Labour party and the Socialists, and possibly the fact that the President of the Auckland Branch of the party (Mr. J. Gilbert), occupied the chair at yesterday's meeting at the King's Theatre, had something to do with the disturbance which followed. As the meeting progressed it was evident that <a section of the audience had gone along with the determination to foment trouble, and by the time the question period arrived this hostile element had worked itself into such a form that any attempt to speak was the signal for 'a howling uproar. After vainly appealing for a fair hearing from these seli-styled champions of liberty, equality and fraternity, the chairman had per- j force to send for the police, but before the guardians of law and order could reach the scene the opposition had contrived to break up the meeting, which terminated in a babel of shouts and general confusion. In his opening remarks, Mr. Gilbert expressed his pleasure at occupying tht chair, and said that he wished to say publdcly that the Labour party in Auckland had no sympathy whatever with the social revolutionists of the Opera House. He and his party were in sympathy and wanted to work in co-opera-tion with all those who were striving for the social betterment of the people, and welcomed the assistance which the Auckland Ministers' Association was giving to that end. ■ The Rev. J. Cocker, in the course of a stirring 3peech on labour and Christianity, pointed out that the labouring men to-day owed all their advantages to the influences which had emanated from Christianity, and fr.om the progress which went hand in hand with the advance of Christianity. He instanced the prominent leaders of the labour movement in England, and detailed how they were for the most part men associated with the Christian churches. Ihiring the address numerous interjections were made by members of the Socialistic party and many of the speaker's remarks were challenged or loudly refuted. .•

The Rev. D. D. Scott spoke on the attack of the revolutionary socialists upon Christian belief, and referred to the attacks which had been made in'the Opera House, in whrch he pointed out what he declared to be the incompetence manifested in dealing with questions affecting the Christian religion. He quoted largely in support of his statements from some of the recognised authorities, and affirmed that the 'best scholastic opinion held by these Christian doctrinee of the incarnation and the resurrection, and that no theologian or scientist of real eminence to-day made any attack upon those doctrines.

Each address had a more or less stormy recegtion, but when the time came for asking questions, the meeting got right out of hand. It was twenty minutes past four o'clock when the Rev. Scott finished his remarks, and the chairman announced that only ten minutes remained in which questions could be asked and answered. Twenty or thirty written queries were handed up, and the chairman announced that some would be thrown out, inquiries about the Hew Zealand Dreadnought and what the Ministers' Association thought about the Ward baronetcy not being germane te the matter at issue. One question also was regarded by the chairman as not being within the bounds of decency. First of all there were just two or three men in the body of the hall demanding that their questions should be answered. "Sit down," ordered tne chairman. "We won't sit down; answer our questions," came the heated response. Then the congregation generally took a hand. "Sit down," they cried. "We won't," yelled the disturbing element, which grew rapidly, and at last the chairman's voice was absolutely drowned in the uproar. Now and then the speakers on the stage managed to get a word in, but the cry that certain questions should , be answered continued, and from 4.30 till nearly 5 o'clock tne disturbance continued. The chairman threatened to send for the police, and finally the Newton Police Station was called up, and a posse of police sent along. In the meantime, however, the chairman had invited those present to stand and sing the Doxology. A countercry was raised for cheers for Revolutionary Socialism, with the result that the singing and cheering, both carried through with,much vigour by the opposing pvuiies, .brought the meeting to a close in great disorder. The police ar< rived as the crowd was dispersing.

At the conclusion of his lecture in the Opera House yesterday evening, Mr. Scott Bennett said that it had been reported to him that some Socialists had caused a disturbance in the King's Theatre that aiternoon. He was very eorry if it had really been the case that some -Socialists had taken it on themselves to create a disturbance. He knew that it was vexatious to sit and hear Socialism subjected to sarcastic reference, tout the other side had 1 a perfect right to their opinions, and if Socialists could not sit still and "hear those opinions they should stay away from the theatre altogether. Free speech was a jewel, and the Socialist should he the last man to object to it.