THE "CHRISTIAN PROFESSOR" IN AUSTRALIA.

Otago Witness, Issue 1994, 12 May 1892, Page 16

THE "CHRISTIAN PROFESSOR" IN AUSTRALIA.

The |Rev. A. C. Berry, of Wolverhampton, has resumed his ministry (writes the London' correspondent of tho Argus) on his return from an extended tour in Australasia and America. It was matter for congratulation among his congregation that the pastor appeared to have completely recovered from his long prostration. He had, ho said, been received by the brethren in Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand with a confidence and an affection which had made him their debtor for life ; tho strangeness of new lands was conquered by the brotherhood of the common faith. He had found in the "outregions of unecclesiastical life" a passionate interest for theology — that was in those great problems which constituted the essonce of theology. He had found also, he declared, "the deepest abhorrence of those scholastic and mediaeval systems of theology which, whatever their service to a bygone generation, seemed only to these men to be huge extinguishers for putting out the light. Not theology, but the theologies constituted the great hindrance." But what struck the rev. traveller more, and even abashed him, were "the terms of contempt heaped upon the common type of Christian professor." Everywhere he was rejoiced to find how sincere and reverend was the attitude towards Jesus Christ, but his misguided companions appeared to have met tho Christian professor '• either as a fanatic or milksop, as unctuous hypocrite or impracticable crotcheteer, and they declined to sit in fellowship with him." The Christian professor, moreover, appeared to have been " insufferably dull, used a language and spoken in an accent quite foreign to daily life, seemed to know nothing about the world he was living in, and to communicate only the most irrelevant information about the world to come, put on airs not grateful to the self-respect of men who had to meet him, and was, in fact, an anachronism, a bore, an impossibility. Once more tho church itself was not attractive." All this the preacher had met with, and had r he thought, combated successfully. In entertaining him they had often entertained an angel unawares, for the last thing which occurred to them was that his avocation was to preach. Had some of them suspected the truth they might have erected a barrier of prejudice against him, but he got behind them and he found the soil only too willing to drink in the water of life. For himself, he had learned one lesson, and it . was this— that the preacher must be less of an official, nothing of a priest, every inch of him a » man. And, God helping him, he was resolved to live a simpler life, to talk a simpler language, to enter with greater fervour into, the life of men for Christ's sake. At the evening service there were over 1800 people present.

The Wellington Acclimatisation Society'; revenue for tie year was - L 767, and the expenditure L 653. The report was adopted at the annual meeting on the . sth, Amongst other things deplored was the havoc made among pigeons and kakas by the great destruction of bush. The export of frozen ducks is discouraged on the ground that there is not sufficient in the colony to supply such a trade. The council elected was asked to endeavour to procure some Tasmanian opos r sums either from Tasmania or from Southland, where they are reported to be doing well. The motion of Dr Cahill to procure some new sorts of game was deferred.