MELBOURNE.

Freethought Review, Volume II, Issue 21, 1 June 1885, Page 4

MELBOURNE.

We have to thank Mr. David A. Andrade, our Melbourne correspondent, for the following report: The bigots of this city are very impatient to see the Freethinkers crushed by the strong arm of the law. They arc not content to wait the decision of the lull Court in the cases now pending against Mr. Robertson and Mr. Symes ; for they have quietly incited the authorities to take immediate action against us should we again charge for admission to the Sunday evening lectures. The Chief Secretary accordingly directed the Chief Commissioner of Police to attend the lecture on the 2/thult., and commence fresh proceedings if the charges were still demanded for admission. As might have been expected, this brought together a very large audience, who paid their entrance fees, received the lecturer’s remarks' with enthusiasm, and at its close passed the following resolution unanimously “ That this meeting takes this opportunity to assure you that it sympathises with you in your present struggle with the Government (urged on, as we believe it to be, by an interested priesthood), to keep intact the Liberty of the Press, the Rights of Private Judgment and Freedom of Speech ; and we promise you our moral support, as well as monetary, until you obtain equal rights, civil and political, with every other citizen,” Mr, Symes continues his successful course of lectures each Sunday evening, some idea of which you can form from their titles. The last four were ; —“ The Fable of the Resurrection of Jesus ” • “The Judge, the Bishop, and Christianity ; or. The Current Theological Duel” ; “ The World Overdone with Saviours ” ; and “ A Distinct Challenge to all Gods and Goddesses.” Previous to these, Mr. Symes had delivered lectures on the Royal Family and the English aristocracy, to the great satisfaction of his hearers. Readers of the ‘Liberator’ have lately been treated to an interesting discussion between Mr. Symes and Mr. James Donovan on the question of State Education, Mr. Symes favouring State interference or assistance, and Mr. Donovan opposing it. Mr. Symes holds that as education is a good thing, and yet not within the reach of all, it is necessary to take steps for educating every individual ; that the State agency, though an imperfect one° is the best one known, and that it will, he hoped, improve as the individual improves ; and that it should be supported on the principle that the State has the right to execute the will of tho majority. Mr. Donovan, on the other hand, maintains that to advocate State education is “to admit the root of all the evil and to open the way to endless agitation and discontent; that experience has shown us the danger of multiplying State functions, and the advantage of limiting the State power as much as possible He instances the Roman Catholics, who are as much wronged by being compelled to contribute taxes towards the support of Secular education as a Secularist would be in being compelled to support a Catholic system of education. “ When a Catholic, he says, “or any other man has been forced by the State to respect the equal freedom of all other men in the conditions for securing happiness viz., immunity from life - destroying agencies, and security of benefits accruing from labour, money forcibly taken from him to advance other schemes, whether for an egotistic or altruistic purpose without his consent, is simply robbery. . . Instead of taking the money out of the pockets of the community and returning it to them through State Lands, less all that is lost in the transit, why not leave it with the people to manage their education in their own fashion, with more justice and less expense ?” To be brief, Mr. Donovan took up the position held by Herbert Spencer, and to which you also appear to be tending judging by a recent editorial in the Freethought Review. lam informed that a set debate on the subject is to take place shortly between these two able representatives, when an interesting and highly instructive discussion may be expected. 1 Speaking of Debates, reminds me that the Wednesday evening debates have been resumed in connection with the A.S.A. The opening debate took place on April 15, when Mr. Symes spoke in

favour of “ Land Nationalisation.” The two following Wednesdays, the respective lecturers have been ; Mr. .Tames Donovan on “ The Extent of Free-will in Man ” ; and Mr Montague Miller on “The Duties of Secularists.” These have so far proved very successful. The Secular Sunday School has had the good fortune of securing a piano for the use of the school. This has been wanted a long time, and should now prove a great help to the popularising of this useful institution. The Eclectic Association of Victoria has just completed the 18th year of its existence, and, judging from the Secretary’s Annual Report, it is in a flourishing condition. Two fine book-cases and a number of valuable books have been added to its already excellent library. On April 9. after the preliminary business had been disposed of, Mr Rusden read an interesting and carefully .written paper on the perplexing question, “Is Might Right ?” A fair discussion followed; but owing to the rapid utterance of the speaker, and the depth of the subject, it was not quite so brisk a discussion as the paper merited. Judge Williams’s remarkable book has just been re-issued at a shilling, and is having an enormous sale, thanks partly to a hostile clergy and an equally hostile Press, who have favoured it with a cheap and widespread advertisement such as the Freethought Review might well envy. • In this cheap and enlarged edition, the Judge states that he will probably publish an exhaustive treatise on the same subject in a few years’ time. In the meantime he is going to let his critics alone for a while, so that they may continue their misrepresentations uninterruptedly till they “run down.” He may well leave them to themselves, when they stoop to such mean actions as that of the religious paper ‘ The Daily Telegraph.’ in its dealings with his Honor. The Judge’s letter to the ‘ Argus ’ and ‘Age’ of the 11th ult., is a merciless exposure of the underhand tricks to which these religiou-perpetuation-at-any-pricc gentry will resort when they wish to “ raise the wind.” Some of the clergy, as you know, cannot find enough Freethinkers to quarrel with, so they occasionally fall out with members of their own Church-hold. The Scotch theologians have long been noted for this kind of thing, and they evidently desire to retain this unenviable notoriety. The Scots’ Church (Melbourne) congregation were astonished one Sunday in last month by finding in their pews a number of circulars, which had been placed there at the instigation of the Presbytery, and which notified the horrified readers that they were wanted to sign a paper acknowledging their allegiance to the constitutional authority of the Church and the Presbytery, of course, in particular. A meeting of the congregation was held, when, after some discussion, they decided to take no notice of the insolent order. On Sunday last the congregation were formally instructed to place their replies in the box then and there. Another instance of theological tyranny has just been afforded by that other bright body, the Weslcyans. The Rev. J. N. Earle, upon leaving St. Kilda, announced a farewell lecture on “Mesmerism.” A large audience assembled. The lecturer appeared. To the astonishment of those assembled he apologised for not being able to fulfil his engagement, as the ruling authorities in the Wesleyan denomination had informed him that they objected to his frequent lecturing, and he must "either give up lecturing, or resign his position in the ministry. fie, therefore, bid them farewell, and left without delivering his lecture. There was some little confusion, and one gentleman proposed that “those present should express their sympathy with Mr. Harle, whom he regarded as a victim of religious intolerance and narrow-minded bigotry.” Eventually another gentleman lectured instead upon the same subject. The Rev. J. A. Dowie, of the Free Christian Tabernacle, has been getting himself into trouble by persistently parading the streets with his lunatic followers. lie acted in a most ridiculous manner to the constable who interfered, threatening him with prosecution, and telling him that under Part I, Section 82, sub-section 5, of the Criminal Law and Practice Statute, he was liable to two years’ imprisonment for obstructing a clergyman on his way to conduct “divine service.” This is Dowie’s third offence, and his congregation will be spared the infliction of his tomfoolery for one month, at the end of which time he will bo released from custody. As to his disciples, the Bench, wishing to act leniently, asked them if they intended to offend again. They readily stated that they would at the first opportunity. They were each fined £5 with costs. In Ballarat, matters arc progressing very satisfactorily, a regular course of lectures being kept up. In Tasmania, Miss Ada Campbell has been lecturing with marked success. This talented lady also challenged the Rev. W. 11. Bowe to public debate ; but he declined on the cowardly pleas that he had never challenged Mr. Symcs to debate, that it might become interminable, and that no good ever comes of such debates. Another gentleman, Mr. George Peacock, took up the gauntlet, and succeeded in making a very poor stand and allowing Miss Campbell an easy victory. In Sydney (N.S.W.), the A.S.A, is doing well. A mutual improvement class has been started, and at the half-yearly meeting which was held last mouth, the Association was shown to bo in a flourishing condition, The bigots there are active, however. They have expelled the ‘ Liberator ’ from the School of Arts, though not without a petition from 60 members calling a meeting to re-consider its exclusion. They have prosecuted Mr. Walker for publicly lecturing on “ Malthusianism,” and illustrating the lecture with diagrams copied from standard works on Surgery and Physiology, more especially those relating to the generative system. Holy hypocrisy’s horrified as a matter of course ; and Mr. Walker has consequently been prosecuted for “exhibiting obscene diagrams,” He was fined £lO and £4 9s. Gd. costs, with, I believe, the option of imprisonment. You will sec from the foregoing notes, that as soon as peace promises from the great powers we have no common enemy to make faces at; so we immediately set to quarclling amongst

ourselves, and this is a Christian land ! “ Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.” South Yarra, May 6th, 1885.