ATTACK ON MISSION

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 264, 7 November 1932, Page 9

ATTACK ON MISSION

TOWN HALL MEETING.

"PROPORTION OF CURES, 2 1 PER CENT." MR. MELVIN'S ALLEGATIONS. "Had Mr. Dallimore come to this city as a hypnotist, he would never have heard a word about it from us. I trust tout •will; get this poiivt clearly," said Mr. K. H. Melvin in the course of another' of his addre'sses against the faith-healing : practices of Mr. A. H. Dallimore, in the Town Hall.yesterday afternoon. The hall was packed to overflowing. The Rev. Joseph Kemp,, of the Baptist Tabernacle, was chairman,'and on the platform with him and Mr. Mel.vin were Pastor W. Campbell, of the Church of Chriet, West Street, and the Rev. W. Gilmouiv of the Sandringham Presbyterian Church. . 'Mr. Meivin began" his address by replvirigto a number of letters that had appeared in the Press , criticising his views, or asking for an explanation of them. 11l the course of his explanation he said that there was a difference be- > tween faith healing, and religious services, and that was why he had been allowed the use of the Town Hall and Mr. Dallimore refused. He added that he objected to Mr. Dallimore James v. as the basis of his ceremonies, because they had no relation to thai particular portion of that particular Gospel.

Mr;- Melvin said lie himself had received much correspondence; and one letter from a woman . contained the earnest prayer that all his children would be born imbeciles. "■.-.,

He passed on to an analysis of Mr. Dallimore's "cures." He claimed' that many of' them were utterly false, and he "ave instances. "Do. not misunderstand me/though," he added. "I do not say that there have been no cores'— perhaps 2A'percent, the same proportion as professional hypnotists. The cures ot Christ are 100 per cent. When Mr. Dallimore claims nothing for himself, he : is merely trying to shuffle out of what he has claimed." The Vancouver Mission. 4.11 investigation of his "cures" had been forbidden by Mr. Dallimore, added Mr. Melvin. If his work was Divine, the more light that could be thrown on his work the better. His ban on investigations was significant. "You have not' been treated to my personal views, but I have given you facts," concluded Air. Melvin. It remains for the people of Auckland not to let the "burden of our work.remain on the shoulders of a ■' handful. ,, . - Further information about the campaign of the Rev. C. Bl Price, in Vancouver in 1923, was given by the Rev. Mr. Gilmour. He said that out of 300 cases investigated by the committee in that i city, 215 had shown no improvement, 17 were worse, 39 had died, and 9 were insane. Thai had happened in a six weeks' campaign. Mr. Gilmour said that according to calculations made by himself, Mr. Price had taken from the city of Vancouver during his mission there some £9800. "That ie what you get when you have hypnotism and a little religious emotion. For Price or for Dallimore it is a matter of £ s. d. (Applause.) It is blasphemy to use the name of Christ in these campaigns." He had seen in Vancouver little children called up for healing. Not one had been helped. He had seen mothers at.special request bring little imbeciles. He had seen them prayed over, and had seen the faces of the mothers when not one of their poor little children had been helped. "The whole thing is revolting in the extreme," he said, revolting." ' The chairman announced that a collection w'ould be taken up, adding that when Mr. Melvin's series of addresses were concluded, a proper balance-sheet would be prepared.