ESSAY AND DISCUSSION CLASS, Y.M.C.A.

New Zealand Herald, Volume VII, Issue 2103, 21 October 1870, Page 2

ESSAY AND DISCUSSION CLASS, Y.M.C.A.

Tiie Essay and Discussion Class, Y.M.C.A., 1 met at the Booms, Wellesley-street, last cven- | ; n rr—Mr. Gr. M. Main in the chair—when a j paper was read by Mr. F. G-. Ewinglon, on • " Uemono'ogy." The essayist laid down three j propositio«s —(1.) That demons were the spirits of deceased wicked men ; (2) that clemonaical possession arose from such spirits re- : visiting the earth, and becoming embodied iu ! living men ; (3) that having fulfilled the pur- j \ pose intended —the exhibition of the Incarj natc's power, and the divinity of His teaching, iin the early days of Christianity—they are now j j located in ethereal space, immediately adjoining the earth's atmosphere. The above : somewhat, startling propositions Mr. Ewiugton elaborated in an interesting and ingenious paper, bristling with authorities, in the shape of extracts from Scripture, the Fathers, and from the works of modern divines. Judging from the discussion which ensued, the essayist, was accredited with greater ability in " raising" ghosts than in " laying" them ; and the accuracy of his third proposition was unquestionable, as under the ordeal of trenchant criticism the improvised ''demons" faded into " thin air." After all said and done, there can be no doubt that the conviction in the heart of man, that there are unseen spiritual agencies ever around him, influencing his weal or woe, is as old as the race itself. In our mental and spiritual nature there are depths not yet soutidc I, mysteries not yet explained ; and in the relation" of cause and effect evolved from the " tangled skein" of human life, there is much which bears out the theory of tho great dramatist, " There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of iu our philosophy." The attendance was large, indeed the whole sitting accommodation of the class-roo r. was absorbed on the occasion. The criticism on the paper was well sustained until an advanced hour, a number o" the visitors, by suspension of rules, being permitted to take part in the debute. '