CONDENSED CORRESPONDENCE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 664, 15 November 1909, Page 8

CONDENSED CORRESPONDENCE.

Owing to pressure, on our. space, a'number of letters nave of late been crowded out.- Others' are. given in abbreviated' form -'below:—'. n" L J. m i?t" wri , tea criticising a recent address by Ur. bibb on the qucstion-of the decreasing; birthrate, and asks that the reverend gentleman should tell mothers what' was a duo number of chrldrcn tor a woman whose'husband earned, say, £3 per weoli. .The writer considered that m the interests of the- Dominion's future a decent Btandard of living-must be maintained, and thl| could not bo done, with largo families. rcs Pcct to the correspondence between .The Captain" and i'Old Volunteer" rogardini tho playing of' the:' "National Anthem" at the conclusion of parades; the latter correspondent' again writes enclosing a-clipping from a Christchurph paper, which states that the Garrison Band played "God Save the King* after the volunteers had returned to the King Edward Barracks .at the conclusion of a military funeral. It was not on Dominion Day, as "The Captain" stated. The writer also adds that by this report.it was evidently the practice: to play the National Anthem" at.the dismissal. A correspondent, writing from Carterton, complains of lack of consideration at the railway station there. One particular case of alleged scant courtesy is cited; where a local resident drove to the train his mother and .sister, the latter with her husband and three'small children. They wore certainly a litUe late in arming. The elder woman got on board with two children. In the, meantime, none of the officials made, any attempt to put their luggage, and a dog, into the van. After some delay tho tickets were-secured: by the husband, but the train was dispatched, before tho husband and wife could board it while in motion.-

0. 0. Bagnall writes from Peilding supporting t™ viewß of a previous correspondent-"Bcots Wha Hoe —regarding the common error of de ; signaling Britain as England, "Becipicnt" writes referring to the Wellington Pony and Galloway Racing Club's recenOecision to increase ithe stakes. To make up for the rise in question, however, it had increased'the nomination' and acceptance fee to a sum which the writer contended ,was equal to, any £200 or JE3CO handicap.at a country meeting. ■ ,- I ? r tlle J !o , u , r l e of a reply, at very great length, tp Mr. W. M'Lean's letter-on./' Spiritualism," Mr. David Neud, pastor of the of .God, writes :-"I thank him (Mr.. M'Lean) for the flattering prominence given to me, as the pastor of the Church of God, and.here:l would remind him and others that It'is the only real Bible name for the, Church, and that Wellington has the advantage of being the only/place in the Dominion that contains a church, entitled to such' .» Scriptural name. Mr. ..M'Lean is about cor-, rect when ha says that I believe, in the hell of the Bcriptures. But, I do,,not believe in the hell of theology, •or orthodoxy. .For• his information, I may say that there are four hells referred to in the Bible. But the hell that Mr. M'Lean. seems to object' to- is not yet in existence."' After quoting the Scriptures to provo that Mr. M'Lean had confused the writings of John and . Paul, Mr. Neild continued:—"Mr. M'Lean may be said truly to admit that he did not prove his statement, 1 that Spiritualism', is commanded by God, for he now, gives what,he thinks are proof .texts, which are/ 1 not to bo found. in, his published' iectures., Jl' Cor.i - xii:' 1-6. Another 1 text' is given ffori'the prophecy of' Joel, ii:, 25,-and as,quoted by Peter, Acts>iii-17. Mr.. M'Lean -gives it: .'lt .Bh»U:come to. Kiss in those dayß, : ;Baith, therHoly One, that li' Shall, pour out my Spirit upon' all flesh,' etc. 'But the text reads this way* 'It shall come to pass in "the' last days, saith God, I-will .pour<out-.-My Spirit upon all flesh.' We cannot allow 'Mr. M'Lean' to destroy the personality of'''God,'and 1 , make the text read some 'Holy One.'. It is Godj who pours out His Spirit, which are His angels", elect and holy. Heb, i: 4. .But these texts do not,clearly prove ■ that Spiritualism is ' commanded by God. But I will give him a better one: 'Bo filled with the Spirit.'—Eph. v: 18. Nobody has Any authority to apply these texts to Spiritualism. I believe in the Spirit that God pOurs out, 'but not in Spiritualism'or Spiritism. ; r ..It was not the Holy Spirit of God that controlled -Bailey, but said to be the spirits of Dr. Kewcomb and Prof, Denton. They .were certainly familiar spirits, fori have a book written by W. D. 0., Dehovan six yoars ago, and the same spirits were attending Bailey then, and producing, the same kind ot apports. To apply the work of Spiritualism as generally understood to be tie Bame as the possession of the Holy Spirit is nothing less than blasphemy..'. . . The next point brought forth is the' popularity and the number of Spiritualists. This is against him. It,was. the multitude that were drowned in the' days of Noah, and the minority saved, 'It is'the whole world that lieth under the evil one.'—l John v: 19. . . . Mr. Mliean believes; as well-as-other Spiritists, who.use that of .the witch of Endor to. prove the possibility:-,,? 'communicating with the deacL Wo can go further back, even to Egypt, and cite | Jannes and Jambres, who- withstood Moses asporsons controlled by; Satan. Then my critic closes by-Baying, Saul, did-not die because of the seance, but bcoause, he sinned against .God.' The fact is recorded by the Holy Spirit nearly 3000 years n«o.' 'So' Saul died, for the transgression which ho committed against the Lord, even against the word, of the Lord','"which he kept not, and also for asking, counsel of. one that had a familiar spirit, to-inquire of it.'—l. Chron., 10: 1!,*14. . ..I close with. One'.'text': 'When' they shall say unto you,-Seek unto them that have familiar spirits,: and nirto. wiiafds that ,peep and that, mutter;.should not a people seek-unto their God? For the living to the"dead?Vlsa.,, viU: 19, 20. Is it-not utter-absurdity to go to the dead instead-of to the-living iGod?, In, that text we see that Spiritualism and attending seances is condemned by <3od, and not: commanded by God.", ; . : v