The Star. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13. 1902.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7506, 13 September 1902, Page 4

The Star. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13. 1902.

THE REVIVALISTS.. The enormous attendances which have) been f blessing " the Torrey-Alexander mission at the Canterbury Hail, during the lastweek do not, we are g/raid, prove that there is any "abundant spiritual moving of the wommunity for good. We have had so many Md, sue* bi^tet- experience of the Tagaries of reii^ipu's' fanaticism iii Ohristchurch that our city hasNjjecpipp a byword in the colony as a sahctuajy.for any and every, apostle \th;<* may have a new cry to Wtter in the .. -wilder jiess. the point tof view of attendance tfee success of th€| anissidn was ftsfcyrred before the missioners' arrived, and, eyeh had their conduct -of it been more objectippable than it has been, ■die same -c'rp-grii .^uld' have been fp-imdi. nightly dfinking at the' somewhat muddy fountain which has flowed for t^em. -It is a-ptire craving for the theatrical pmotipn■lism'.of Aiijejica^ methods -yphdc^. V has drawp. five-ei^^'oi fir f krey's congregitiens tohis feet. But while we must ac-<. cept ihe efidenpe that -both he^ amd 9iis ewidjator are engaged in a work Tfhich they believe tp be ani hpa«st attempt at. saul»aving, and that their mission.' is- not the comniercial enteiyrise which its enemies have jedieged, we ca,jiii.Qt ste that the crepd "Vh»cb..iß being SO e^npstjy . preached can. be helpful to the people, or thaty the methods employed, to bring hysterical -peppfc.-tp cepye?sofL gitphi.qan be^otherwlse thai> l^^pl/ fhere is ampl e iVidsnce that religious excitement is psyChoJogicaliy hur*M and re-acts even physically in most undesirable directions, and when) that eicitemeht'has to l^! » fiiSnsppus .pre o£ papsic and " <J r »WM* c mi juration before iWis dhached.by thread md deniittpjations it: Wcomes Really a-fo«fc or_ypinQt'ic.sp : gg|#fin w^jchit is paiftM to wijtn»B," Tfe re^giop which malces > epectacle of its converts and a Bom^n holiday of its propagation as at ence dtgradipgi and unbeautiftil. Thpre was a tjine -whea tie i behignity and •the .cheery al^fuj^m -..0f the.pld-timet*py.&-feastivaa s& helpful in ': its waUji of life a%the quiet imptettive ritual of the diurch t^day, and even the elemental savagery of conviction of the street corner gathering can be conceived to have its use*, but the strenupus mission, .#itli its doctrine of daninaiipn, is far removed frpinany of these; It is, indeed, mpre suggestjy? pi the' parable bf the Fharieee and tfae- publir tan than a Stirling df the pool of Bethesie. The addresses themselves have been siagu- \ larly unstimttlating and angularly unhelp- = _ul, §nd n>ore -particul#ly has exception = been taken to ' the dpctrin^ of eternal : punishment as "enunciated by Dr Torrey at his We^a^y.,i^gfe| ?p?etin£ 1%: : dis^ j cu*sion of the subject is. perhaps a trifle -out | of place in. a. secujar nfewspapftr, but the eyttArdinary epectacle of a m?n. m thg enlightened age .dfel^er-atc^ preaching the existence of a.a^^^.jwtt i? sp'iftonstrpitis I a phase of drear fatalism as to really justify <he uncompli'inenta^y criticism to which its exponent has been.jsubjected. To those who , &»¥/"> siren any thwgbt. to the matter, it [ must be apparent "that ihe religion,, which is ; forced jn a hot-house or rushed at the point ; of "the" feayPnet, ciiit Pnly be «* the most ephemeral character, and vrhat excitement h4* been raised spiritually by the Torrey -jijj-gioji will prpba.hiy eyapprate quite as" quickly as it was generated. In the. meantime, to a large section pf the comanunity, the hystOTcai intemperance of the missioners is* distaisteful.' If Vth-ese are pethpds, the sake pf the . dignity and beauty pf pur dear, pld religious associations, we s£eyld like tp see them in future confined to America. .