A CHALLENGE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 16115, 2 May 1923, Page 6

A CHALLENGE.

(To tti* Editor of the Herald.)

Sir, —Like many others in this town, 1 have been considerably interested in the phenomena presented by tiie advent of Dr. Oliver. 11 appears to me that bo is (probably unconsciously) a psychologist, and as it happens that I am a modest student of psychology, it lias occurred to mo that 1 might formulate a challenge to him which would be instructive to bis audiences and your readers, while affording an opportunity for research to myself. His lectures appear tier bo mainly a series of anecdotes, which appear toi have mainly emanated 1 from his own- fertile brain, but. in his address om “Sudden Death” he rises these anecdotes to advance the suggestion of “Fear,” working upon his audiences so that they are reallyimbued 1 with the fear that, as lie states, “the funeral train invariably follows the revival train.” He illuminates this suggestion with a number of anecdotes, such as that of the commercial traveller who rejected Dr. Oliver and speedily succumbed under an operation, the threeclergymen in Auckland who were visited by the wrath of God for a similar reason, and' the brilliant lawyer who at-, tended his meeting and blasphemously rejected! the appeal of Dr. Oliver, and consequently dropped dead shortly afterwards.

I propose' as a challenge to this gentleman, that we shall meet before a committee, half of whom shall be selected by him and! half hv myself, and' that I will test his powers of suggestion and theories, by “cursing” and anathematising him to any extent he may diesire, or I think necessary, and while he exercises whatever powers' of suggestion ho may have, I will exercise my power's of suggestion also. If thereafter he .suffers such physical ailments or inconvenience, that he is incapable of conducting any of bis subsequent meetings, or that I do not meet with sudden death within, say, one week, he will acknowledge his failure and shall agree, toi refund' the money collected by him, to the contributors, and leave the town. In the meantime, until he accepts my challenge, I will adopt, one of the expressions, so familiar to his lips, as a nom-do-pluine and subscribe nrvself. l —Yours, “ONE OF THE ADULTEROUS BRUTES.”