"THE CREATION"

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2261, 22 September 1914, Page 8

"THE CREATION"

BIBLE LECTURES AND PICTURES. Surely there never have been before such religious meetings as those now being held every afternoon and: evening in the Town Hall. ;In these meetings no men/appear on the platform, but instead there is a very fine.phonograph, which' delivers. lectures.&aiKlileadajftt™ people in singing hymris'y and is overhung!with a screen on which.aro displayed -stationary arid moving; pictures. No charge is made for admission and - : no collection. is -. taken up. Tho meetings or. lectures are conducted on behalf-of the International. Bible Students') 'Association'; Jan.- .organisation with headquarters in,.the United States,, the. head of. the society being "Pastor: Russell, of Brooklyn Tabernacle. For these meetings it is claimed that they are part of a widespread campaign to awaken the interest of-an apathetic world ill .religion. ; 'The picture programme of the "services" is.made up of .moving arid still pictures, all working iri unison with the phonograph deliverance of lectures or preachers, chief among whom is Pastor Russell himself, who relate and expound the Bible stories symbolised,in the pictures. The title of the film to which the still pictures are used as ; adjuncts is "The Creation," but .the subject matter of the' film is not limited to the incidents related in the first chapter of Genesis.' All the picture has not been shown here yet,- for the film is two miles in length, and a film of this length could not be run through a machine in one night, if any timo were allowed for the interspersion of still views and occasional singing. Consequently the propoganda programme has been divided into four sections. Iho meetings in Wellington- are to be : held during twelve days, and the first part, shown yesterday, will bo shown afternoon and evening for'two days more; the second for the next three days, and so/on. As already stated, the title, "The Creation," is apt to be misunderstood, for the authors have taken the word in a wide meaning, and they declare in effect that the work begins with the formation of worlds after the manner of which astronomers tell, and that it has not ended: yet." Tho .first section takes the audience some distance past the Deluge in the story of the worlds U Tho y stupendous work of compiling tho picture need scarcely be remarked upon. It is true that some of the moving picture results'are not faultlessly realistic, but thev are good, and the. still views, many of which have been posed from famous pictures,'are all excellent. Indeed, the recital yesterday-afternoon and evening in, the big hall was crowded.