A LIVELY MEETING.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1241, 25 September 1911, Page 6

A LIVELY MEETING.

-~ SPIRITUALIST HECKLED. ."TEOUBLE COMMENCES AT EIGHT." "Trouble commences at 8," was the concluding sentence in an announcement staging that a debate- concerning Spiritualism - would bo held at His Majesty's Theatro on. Sunday evening. Mr. W. Ford, tho notice said, was to conduct tho case ..for . Spiritualism. The hall was fairly full when proceedings began. Mr. J, Dowdall toolc the chair, and Mr. Ford addressed the audience,, putting, the case for Spiritualism. Mr. Ford was heckled a good ileal, and tfiyV'chairinan. presently roso to claim "a faii' hearing" for him. TfK"! lecturer expressed his opinion of his..inv'erruptera by saying: "If the demo- ' erncy New Zealand cannot produce pnythinft' better than this, it is time tho Eugenics Socioty got to work and-pre-cluded son, a men." Tho ehaii'man: I am not a Spiritualist ' nor an atheist, nor a freethinker. I tun a. Christian and, a Socialist." He proceeded*to ft 1!" that it had been shown that' sled'ht-ot -hand could accomplish what was claims. - d for Spiritualism. A;-'voice: "Briu v T in tho dogs, Jack!" ; The chairman \'vas proceeding,, but a chorus of interruptions was made. He then' said that if I'-nvone had anything to say. they had bette.'. , , sot up on tho platform- and say it. I woulcl hke tho lecturer," lie continual.' to answer me, honestly, this: Is it o'f benefit to this community to discuss this when tho bread -and butter subj\2ct is still unsolved?" „,_. , , One of tho-audience: ".What do you think.of Sir Joseph Ward getting a ■baronetcy?" "You come up here." n "IKs no use; you have no \argument. "There is plenty of food for .argument, iTyou have the brains to. "receive it. More interruptions then occurred. Mr.- Ford: "I must admit that wo have «omp; larrikins in Australia, but 1. do not think wo have anything like this. A voice: "I must say yonj < aw ■ very insulting." (Cheers.) Mr.'Ford: "Yon." come up here. 1 cannot hear you from there." Tho voice: "I say you are very mA section of the crowd (to Mr. Ford): "One, two, three, four, five, six, SQven, eight, nine, ont—you'ie out!" Mr. Dowdallthori left tho platform, and Mr.' -Townes mounted it to speak. He stated he was going to givo an idea of tho philosophy of spiritualism. The interruptions, however,' continued. Mr. Townes-.Tomarked that if those ■who were, interjecting had any manhood they ought to be showing it once they nad passed the ago of sixteen. An interrupter: I think tho last .speaker (meaning Mr. Ford) . at his age-three Bcore years and .ten—should have enough manhood not ; .to'call the boys larrikins. Mr. Townesi'.Lwant a little sympathy. The interrupters (sympathetically): Ah, ah! ", ;: ' Mr. Ford rose, to speak again. Ladies and gentlemen," he said, "I was never moro pained in* my life than to-night. I never meant to hurt anyone's feelings. I had formed favourable impressions of New Zealanders, but there are exceptions." This drew forth moro interruptions. Mr. Ford: "Well, now, let's reason together." Calls: Pretty.cocky! Mr. Ford: I only ask you to in the future show others a little more feeling than you:' have Shown mo. ... I havo no doubt that a largo number of the young moil will presently be sorry for their conduct to-night. I advertised "Trouble commences at 8," but I did not mean this kind of trouble. As our chairman, who has retired, says, "What is tho uso of talking about this?" Our friend is a Socialist, and sees nothing else. • A -voice:. You'tee the opposite. The speaker •/No I don't. Mr. Ford then announced that if any. one : wonld like to ask any civil question he would be only too pleased to oblige by answering. Ho shortly afterwards went on to tell a story of how -he had been induced to write to a brother, wheso address he did not know, and from whom ho got a reply, giving him news which included the informationv that ono of'his sisters was married. He then wrote home and found that the' statement was correct. Someone whistled. ' ' Mr. Ford: Is it not possible to be serious for one. moment? A voice: We want the dojs, Another whistle followed. Mr.- Ford: What a pity we haven't a cage, i A policeman bent over somo youth's ■shoulder. "Leave him alone, eight bob a day," shouted one in the gallery. • An apparently feminine voice in a deferential tone: .Mr. Speaker Mr. Ford: Yes, madam? (Loud laughtor.) ; Mr.: Ford: Lot tho lady speak. (More laughter.) Mr. Ford (seeing the ruse which someone in the audience hud practised): I thought it was a lady. I am'afraid it "is on imbecile. . ■ ■ . . Mr. Ford went for a while uninterrupted. 'This is the.; outcome of freedom," he said. "If. this had. happened in a chinch wo wonld not have had this. . I love- freedom, and that is why I hato- to sse it abused.' . . . With this I think wo had bettor conclude the meeting, and eay the boys had: the be?t of it." A ■voice, dryly: Good-nig-ht! '