AN INTERESTING DEBATE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XIII, Issue 4714, 19 October 1886, Page 3

AN INTERESTING DEBATE.

A VEItY interesting debate— " Has man naturally an immortal entity '{"— was commenced at the Wesleyan Mutual Iniprnvemenfc Society last night, between the Rev. A. H. Wallace and Mr ti. A. Slack. There were thirty-live members of the Society present (the llev. T. J. Wills in the chair), and the Church building was also woil filled with visitors. The debate is to be divided into three evenings. Messrs Wallace and Slack led off with half hour turns and then followed up with twenty minutes each ; next Monday night the Rev. Mr Wills and Mr W. Morgan lead off, and members have the opportunity of taking up sides ; and on the third evening Messrs Wallace and Slack reply in fifteen °minute turns. Mr Wallace took the orthodox view of the question, that the body and soul had separate existence and educed evidence from science and Scripture, which he considered conclusively proved the soundness of his views. Mr Slack cantended that his opponent's ••facts" were mainly drawn from inference, and maintained that though no direct evidence could be adduced from Scripture to support the theory of the immortality of the soul, on the other hand direct evidence could be given (and he quoted from Scripture to bear out his points) t« show that the body and aoul wore an unity. The question was very ably combatted on beth sides, the debaters evidently firmly believing in the respective lines they have taken up. Several points were admittedly reserved to enable the leaders to sum up with greater force at the conclusion of the debate.