A SAD BUSINESS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2255, 17 October 1889, Page 2

A SAD BUSINESS.

« Writing the other day on the subject of ' a statement which had appeared m a Southern contemporary from the pen of a Christ church correspondent with reference to the alleged disgraceful conduct of the man Sullivan alias Glampett, 1 who was represented as having foisted | himself upon the religious world by an , unparalleled and abominable hyprocrisy, i we said that if the statements made i were untrue the author of them should - be punished for libel, but that if they were true all right-thinking persons ' must at once withdraw their countenance [ from so stupendous a fraud. Wo are , sorry to find that the second of these is 1 now the only possible alternative, and s it becomes a duty that everyone who han - the cause of righteousness at heart * should take care to let the story of the ' Sullivan imposture be known as widely ° as possible, so as to prevent, if it can be done, his having the opportunity of o renewing his career of duplicity m the t fresh fields and pastures new to which hhe has betaken himself. When last 0 referring to this arch-impostor we left B him at Rangiora, where, immediately c after his escapade at Christchuroh on h the night of the valediotory supper and c presentation, he had the audacity to n again pose as an evangelist. He had '» been announced to officiate there on the |» Sunday, but had not got over his * 'spree" Jr m Christchurch, during which, says the ie correspondent of the "Dunedin Star,' j, his conduct "was as bad as it was i, possible to be. In hotels and othei 9- places he was repeatedly identified ac 1 ( Sullivan, the Evangelist/ and told thai S J he was a very pretty fellow to be intc ?* such work. His reply was that it had ,f nothing to do with him. He boastec is what a fine game the preaching gam< \- was, and said that he had got his bes >d adjective dividend from St. Paul's Pres 10 byterian Church, and remarked that hi r " was the biggest gun m New Zealand and that he had made £1000 m nin< ie months." He turned up at R&ng'ion , 0 on the Monday. '' He was then undo ie the influence of drink. His enquir ie room was mobbed, and a wiudow am I some furniture broken. He then con i tinued on ♦ the spree ' about the town || ship. One hotel refused to supply hint ,y with drink, and be complained to tin police. For the most part of the timi he was at Rangiora he was the guest oi i IN lady of great wealth, but his conduc was so bad that she turned him out o ur her house. For two or throe days hi mi n continued on the spree about the town on ship. Of the religious people m Christ [y church who supported him he spoke ii iir ~. ■" "** — o J —~ . ... . * __ . e d that he had no regard for the foolisl lie women whose money he had got, am y> upon whom he had imposed. Thi parsons of Christchuroh, he said, migh 1( j ' have ' scores of people so long as hi id had the money. He also said that then 'st was not ono oaan m a million who coult °J have carried out the business as ho hac done m the face of the opposition h< irt had received. The only persons o je whom ho had a good word to sa] j| were those belonging to the " Tele * graph " newspaper and those who say i t through him from the commencement I, That he has inflicted a great moral at wrong on the community there is nc a doubt. Oftentime had he an audience ol d 3000 persons, the ordinary churches 0 being left almost en masse to hoar him, .s In the streets of Rangiora he stopped a * well-known Christchurch Wesleyan i f minister, and said : « Did 1 not do yon k ministers brown m Christchuroh ' Not- | a withstanding his spree on Friday night ' there are still many persons so infatuated s with him that they proposed to take the r Tuara street Hall once more for him, let him make a full confession, and go on J again. This would have been done only B for his spree at Rangiora. H was felt , that this could not be overlooked. The J most intelligent of his friends could supJ port him no longer, so it wag arranged [ that he Bhould depart yesterday by the 1 Mararoa for Wellington. He did not f venture to get into the train at Christ- ' church railway station, but did so lower , down the line. £c jeft for the North with Mr Macgregor, a young man from Wanganui who has stuck to him m all his fortunes. Sullivan's name does not appear m the passenger list, except as 'Mr Macgregor and friend.' 8o Christ church has seen the last of him. The churches to which he had access were a small dissenting church presided over by the Rev Mr Potter, St. Paul's Presbyterian Church (Rev Mr Elmslie), Ferry road Presbyterian Church (Rev Hugh Irwin), and St. Alban's Wesleyan Church (Rev Mr Lewis). He had four or five other churches on his list and his services were eagerly sought for, when the papers challenged him, and the Ministers' Association shut their pulpits against him. That, however, did not dismay him, for he took the Tuam street Hall, where he drew immense audiences till his farewell supper and fall." The co-respondent from whose letter we quote the foregoing adds : " His (Sullivan's) career here has caused intense bitterness as well as a terrible scandal to the causo of religion." And well indeed it may havo done, but, like all such painful episodes, it has its lesson, and it is that to which we desire to draw attention. Let it be remembered that there are enemies of religion who are only too glad ' to have the opportunity of pointing to

one such fraud as Sullivan, aud at onco to goncraliso m condemnation of all who mistakenly countenance such impostors ; preaching their o\?n oynical sermon from the text ex uno disce omnes ; and that being so it is clearly the duty of ministers and others who are tho leaders of the people m matters sp}ritu.a} to he well assured of tho hona fides of those who come forward as self-nominated or selfdenominated "evangelists." Infinite mischipf mpt result to the flock if the shepherds allow their charge to be handed over to possible thieves and robbers, and if; ought never to be forgotten that the same Authority which enjoins the haroalesspess of doves m the same breath inoulcates the duty of emutoting tbe ifiiiom of the serpent, .