DOWIEISM

Evening Star, Issue 12523, 6 June 1905, Page 7

DOWIEISM

EXTRAORDINARY ADDRESS AT AUCKLAND. v * The feeling which the Rev. J. S. M'Cul•lagh, member of the Christian Catholic Apostolic Church of Zion, is creating in Auckland by his sweeping denunciations of almost every association and organisation excepting the Church of Zion was shown at the federal Hall yesterday aften?oon (savs the ' New Zealand Herald'" of the 29th ult), when the " elder in charge of New Zealand " gave another of his addreses, as he calls them. Long before the " service" commenced the hall was crowded to'the doors —not by sympathisers, but" by an audience who evidently went there for the "fun of the thing." There were, however, a number who went to listen, and listened, and with righteous indignation. Attired in lib robes, the elder commenced by reading a chapter from the Bible. Without signifying that he had finished it, he commenced a crusade against tho ministers of the Gospel,, who, he said, were steeped in their own sins. Next, he attacked the medical profession, who came in for a remarkably bad time of it, the lecturer declaring thai while not two doctors were of the same mind in performing operations and administering medicine, which were but "games of chance," "Are all had a right to die without the doctors kicking" us out.". "No doctor," he said, "had ever healed a wound; there is only one who can do that, and that is God." The medical profession according to him, was the most diabolical! evil, and devilish profession upon the face of the earth. The medical students were also attacked,- but escaped with being called " a lot of incarnate young devils;" The Press next got-a turn. " This vicious villainous Press," he declared, "was really the enemy 'of the people. It could not be otherwise." If a man wanted to find God and truth he never went to a newspaper office. At last he confided to tie audience which by this time was in a state of roarioug laughter, that there were one editors ef the newspaper Press in London who ought to be .beheaded. Having dismissed these subjects, Mr M'Cullagh broke out in a fresh place. Ifc was then that he ruffled the audience, who started a running fire of interjections, and began to get excited. In .the midst of the uproar the elder made some remark which jarred on the feelings of a .matronly,-old dame, who rose to jure venfe to her opu>

' ions on the speaker. The speaker, however, continued, and the audience, seeing that the lady champion was not going to I get a hearing, demanded that she should be : allowed to speak. : ■,_" No," declared the speaker, "I won't give \her a hearing, because when a woman gets up to say one thing she will s-ay twenty."-' "Give her a hearing," cried the audience. "Let her be heard." "No," retorted'the speaker. "No, I won't. I know that whereas Mary Magdalene, of the olden days, was possessed of seven devils, the women of the present dayare possessed of forty," " Shame, shame!'' cried some of the audience, while others hooted and groaned at the Bpeaker, and others cheered the lady, who stuck gamely to her guns. The liali at this stage was a perfect pandemonium. > After the speaker had continued his address for a little longer, further interjections occurred, and he bad to request the audience not to make asses. of themselves, as this was not a political meeting. "It is not a religious meeting, either," : yelled somebody.. " Give us the Gospel," cried someone else. "Yes," echoed another; "why don't you try to convert someone instead \s>i ranting on like this!" To the last speaker Mr M'Cullagh replied : ." It's about time you got converted yourself, or else you will go to hell." Finding that his remarks were not welcomed, Mr M'Cullagh passed on to Freemasonry, in which he started to make h ; s so-called "revelations," but- was greeted with such epithets as "You're a liar." At last the preacher, who was unable to get a hearing, ordered someone out. "I see him," he yelled; "ifs that min there," All eyes were at once diverted in the direction of the ushers, who pounced upon the alleged offender. " That's right," cried the audience, " pick upon the smallest man." The alleged offender was not ejected, and tbe_ elder then issued a challenge to Masons, saying he would be willing to allow any Mason who liked to back up his Order upon the same platform as him for two hours. " Then I will speak," he said. "Is that not fair?" "No," was the response. "What you want to do is to learn to suck out his brains," ' The preacher here threatened that he would prosecute anyone who interjected again, and the meeting, quietening down, dispersed soon afterwards. The only people who seemed to take the speaker seriously were a faithful few in front.