A DENIAL.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 10138, 26 August 1904, Page 2

A DENIAL.

Sir,— Will you kindly permit me, through the medium of your paper, to give a flat and unqualified denial to a statement that has been- going about town, that I apologised to Mr Bushby for the public statements I had made lately about spiritualism from the pulpit. Had I not been told that the spiritualists of this town were trying to make capital out *of it I should have treated the rumor with contempt. Will you allow me to explain m as few words as possible how perhaps tliii srumor has originated. Mr Bushby wrole a letter to me of the most amicable description, saying tliat he had heard I intended giving another lecture on spiritualism, and so he sent me a number of pamphlets to read. On Tuesday morning I met him on the street and thanked him for the m kind of letter lie had written and for the literature sent. "I did not expect anything of the kind from you," was wkit I . said. Tlten we talked for a moment or two (the whole conversation did not, I think, last more tlian five minutes) about , our different platforms of working. I told Mr Bushby "tliat many years ago I was set free from condemnation by the power of the living Christ; tliat he had transformed my life, and/ made me what I am to-day, and it made me indignant to hear anyone depreciate Him." Then Mr Bushby said that he "preached as strongly against necromancy"— i.e., consulting with the spirits of the departed— "a s I did," "and that he had been, and was still, a member of the, Church of. England." To that I replied, "Oh, indeed I I did not know thai !" Now, suppose I were put m the witness box, and on my oath, tluit was all I said to warrant Mr Bushby m stating to his disciples that I had apologised or practically" apologised, saying tliat if I had known before what I know now I would never have spoken, as I did. Let it be clearly understood to all that are interested that I never withdraw from a single statement I umdb, that I never dreamed of apologising, and don'fc. do so now; and tliat I am prepared to '• hold to what I said m the pulpit lately on this question, believing as I do that what I said was God's truth. Of course. Tani aware^Mr Editor, tliat people will have to choose between, my word and Mr Bushby's, but as I have been known to the community here for years T confidently commit my case to them, and believe that they 'will judge aright.— l am, etc., JAMES G. PATERSON.