STREET PREACHING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXI, Issue XXI, 2 April 1884, Page 3

STREET PREACHING.

10 THE EDITOE.

Sib, —The thanks of every well-wisher of the community is due to you for your anbleader of a faw issues baok re street preach, ing, and I much toust the question will hot be allowed to drop until good has resulted from itß discussion. One or two .have already rushed into print, and made* it apparent that they know nothing of the subject — among them " Audi Alteram Partem." .Fear of encroaching on your space prevents' me giving extracts from his - letters, but .-is they are entirely the reverse of truth, 3E will content myself with saying that they mnst have been written in abject ignorance of facts. I write frohr my own knowledge, and with feelings of pain and humiliation of my own Church. For over , a year and a quarter, and I know not how much longer,, a large - number -of families have made-repeated applications for sittings in one. of our leading city chuiohea, and have as- often been refused. Daring this time many have contented themselves to remain at home, and others have joined ttie ■ denominations who have had the sense to erect : places of worship to keep pace with the growth of the district. The rnle has been, v ahd'is' still,'if any lady or gentleman not renting seats present themselves at the . church . door, no i matter whether 'they are known members of the church or strangers, they are -requested to wait at the church door, or to come 'ih after the bell has ceased to ring ; and as the service commences immediately the bell stops, you are expected at the request of the Church to ciommit a breaoh of church etiquette and to make a fool of yourself, by■ entering-the church after service has .commenced, s and disturbing the congregation. After suph treatment I have repeatedly seen ladies turn 1 from 'the doors in disgust, knowing that they j would be politely received and seated, at any other, place of worship in. the neighbour- | hood. The" seats are bo jammed together that a person of fair proportion can hardly enter them, and being seated can only rise with difficulty. Not long since I heard with pleasure Bishop Cowie.onthe antiquity of the Ghurch, 1 and he urged us-to impresa-hiaie-marks upon our sons. His.wpjrdsfeUuiwnmy earsjlike idle mockery;- Seated-ina Beat ;on sufferance, with someone's ticket ou-the bookboard before me, I asked myself this question, who but ( the speaker Should see that our church doors are not-closed to our youth, and ' whjr ask- me to do a- duty.-that- 4hey should do themselves ' because I knew well at that moment numbers of young men of the district had gone to . one of ,our.public halls, where "they would not be requested to hang about the door, but where in place of our beautiful service they would hear somei thing much less worthy. I have-always understood it to be the duty of a Church to "be careful to entertain' and have seen many good members added to it by observing 'this Btmple rule. I have travelled far and wide, have had intercourse with many denominations, and worshipped ih~ all"" kinds of places—from-the-greas-St. Paul's to the ..wjharekarakip of.thp Maori—. but for half-hearted filothfulnesa,-' have seen nothing to come - lip to the Church of Eng.land in this city.—l am, &c., : - •• March 31. • AmpebaPabs. ;