THE TORREY-ALEXANDER MISSION.

Evening Star, Issue 11694, 27 September 1902, Page 4

THE TORREY-ALEXANDER MISSION.

The women's mission last evening was largely attended. Some, in order to make sure of obtaining a seat, brought their tea with them about five o'clock, and took up a position in, the gallery. The choir of over 400 voices sang the 'Glory song' and 'Loyalty to Christ.' The Rev. W. A. Sinclair, in reply to a question in the Press if the collections of the meetings would be devoted to charity, said that they would all be absorbed in hall expenses, printing, etc., and would thus go back into the pockets of Dunedm people., Dr Torrey said that he had been asked by a young lady present to give his opinion on dancing, and m reply he said: In dancing, as conducted in modern society, familiarity between men and women is allowed that is nowhere else allowed in decent society, and I oanitot say that dancing makes it any better. A man is allowed to take a position as regards a woman in the most respectable dances in private homes that, no decent man takes towards any decent woman but his wife. Now, I cannot see why hugging to music is any better than hugging without mosic.—(Laughter.) If we were not blinded by custom, modem dances would not be tolerated anywhere but where they came from—and that is the brothel. Everybody knows that the waltz originated with abandoned women in France. It was at first ostracised from English society, but little by little it crept in. If any respectable modest woman knew about dances what I know, she would never dance again. Couldn't! Now, that hurts some of your feelings, but it's a fact. While I am on dances I might as well speak about cards, too. . . . Cards are the, gamblers' favorite tools. Almost every gambler on earth to-day learned to play cards at the family card party. The family card party of the respectable home is the Kindergarten for the gambling hell. If there is any country on earth that needs to repudiate anything that comes within 400 miles of gambling, it's New Zealand, which is cursed from top to bottom by this cursed practice. I never knew a converted gambler in my life that did not learn at the family card party Now, I was taught to play cards at home' on the theory* that my parents held with perfect honesty that it was better for tLe boys to play cards \t home than to go out and play them. The theory worked all right so long as we stayed at home. We did not care to go out, anywhere. . . . We were three brothers, but one of us did not learn to play, because he did not care about cards. When we left home we two boys who had learned to play cards became gamblers. If you women want to train your boys for gamblers, just go on with the family card party. Woman, you will live to regret it if you do not give up cards utterly. I know what lam talking about. I know this world from top to bottom. ... I may as well speak about the theatre while I am on the subject. Everybody that is posted knows what the effect of the theatre is upon the women who play on the stage. I am not saying that every woman on the stage is immoral—God forbid that I should do so—but Ido know that the stage takes away that fine womanly modesty from women. Not lon» ago the Melbourne 'Argus,' whom nobody will accuse of being a religious paper, wrote on the deteriorating effects of the stage upon actresses. In the next week the same paper pitched into me for pitching into the theatre. . . . Now, friends, does any Christian woman want to patronise an institution that has a tendency snch as that? Women, don't you ever go to such a place again as long as you live.—(Faint applause.) Dances are unclean, cards are unclean, and the theatre is unclean. If yon want the Holy Ghost, let these things alone. At' the conclusion a large number of women stood up to signify their conversion.

Crowds also attended the men's meeting. The Rev. W. A. Sinclair expressed the thanks of the Committee of Workers to. the officials of First Church for their kindness in throwing open First Church and the anterooms each evening during the mission. Dr Torrey said that he had received a lot of questions which he was asked to answer, but they were mostly " fool" questions, and there was not time to deal with them. The biggest "fool" question was one which stated that a story had been circulated through town that he had said his grandmother was in hell, and asking him if it was tree? One thing that struck Em about Ne* Zealand liara was their want of originality. This story had followed them from America to Melbourne, Hobart, Launceston, and ether places, and had now turned up in Dunedm

At the close a number of men stood up to a response to his invitation to accept Christ. A service was held in First Church immediately after the women's meeting, and was largely attended. The converts were taken into the inquiry rooms and dealt with in the usual way.