NAPIER.

Auckland Star, Volume VI, Issue 1668, 23 June 1875, Page 3

NAPIER.

[Per Press Telegram Agency.]

This day.

Drowning Case. A man named Barnfield, employed rafting timber, is supposed to have been drowned while crossing Petane River, on Saturday, He is about 22 years of age, and a native of Brißtol ;he has friends a6 the Thames. The rivers are rapidly subsiding. The Financial Statement. The Council met this afternoon, when the Superintendent made his financial statement. There is an increase in small items of ordinary revenue ; but there is a decrease on territorial receipts, under the head of ordinary and miscellaneous, £56,527 in place of £41,262, as estimated. There is a marked increase of pilot, harbour, and wharf dues, which while estimated to realise £1350, have yielded £2495; receipts Under head of territorial revenue estimated *t £34,650, have only amounted to £22,041. Total expenditure for financial year ending June 30, £(£,^4. Population is increasing ; revenue i^EVjjR ««iing. The revenue from all : tturces i^^ige, as against £85,419 last j year. The'eetiniated expenditure for providing for ordinary services of the Provincial

P™Jpurveys, lighthouses, &c„ is £12 337 13,000. eXpeDtWe for ' public 8 works,'

MR. W. L. BEES ON^MATEBIALISM."

™ «U" J* RE/r S gave his Promised lecture on "Modern Materialism" last evening before the members of the Beresford-street Young Men s Mutual Improvement Society. The Key. Warlow Davies, M.A., occupied the chair The proceedings opened with Bernard Barton's beautiful hymn, "Lamp of Our Feet," after which the Chairman, in \l ? ClDg Mr- Rees to the audience, said that the subject about to be discussed was one of deep interest, as it was calculated to shake man's faith in* the teachings of Christianity and Christians had been assailed tromthe camp of modern materialism more than from any other source. He felt persuaded, however, that there was no fear that materialism would ever destroy the religious instinct in man, and it invariably happened that such attacks were productive of good results to the Christian Church. Mr. Rees commenced his eloquent lecture by saying that the question of all ages was ' What is truth?" The truths of science and history were valuable, but the truths which affect the eternal future of mankind are of the highest importance. There was a Divine harmony in connection with all truth and which illustrated each other. Mr. Rees then referred to geology, which was believed to be antagonistic to the truth of scripture in relation thereto. The most learned geologists, however, enlightened the old story by proving that there was no real difference between the cosmogony of geological data, and that declared in Genesis. It was the same in histoty, astronomy, and in every department of science. No great astronomer, said the lecturer, could long remain an infidel. The story of astronomy had done more than any other science to elevate the thoughts and raise the mind to a devout contemplation of the wisdom and power of the Creator. Science, according to Bacon> tended to clear the judgment and disperse the clouds of scepticism. The lecturer then referred to the teachings of the Greek philosophers who lived and taught before the dawn of Christianity, and shewed that our modern materialistic thinkers drew chiefly from the pages of the ancients, and clothed the old ideas without some of their noblest views, such as love and immortality, in the cold dress of modern materialism, Mr Rees then proceeded to review the particular tenets of the four modern materialistic writers, viz., Dr Darwin, Professor Huxley, Mr Herbert Spencer, and Professor Tyndall, and summarised their system or theory in the following order : (1) The power and potentiality of all things in the wwrld were originally contained in a nebulous patch of lijht. (2) The present state of things was brought about by the natural action and interaction of atomic forces. (3) That throughout nature there are no certain tokens of design. (4) If there be an intelligent author of nature, of supreme absolute power, we cannot know him." These theories formed the subject of the lecture, which were severally explained and exposed by Mr Rees in a masterly and satisfactory manner ; and after an able defence of Christianity, he concluded with two eloquent passages from Bern sen's celebrated work, entitled " God in History." On the motion of Mr Ralph Stewart, seconded by Mr Edwin Wood, a vote of thanks was passed by acclamation to the talented lecturer for his full and very instiuctive lecturer for his full and very insfc ructive lecture.