MR R. GILLIFS ON ABOLITION.

Evening Star, Issue 3909, 3 September 1875, Page 3

MR R. GILLIFS ON ABOLITION.

To the Editor.

Sin,--An anecdote was once told of a nT''.'-' renowned, but intlier eccentric, iJmsentine minister in England in thii wise:—He bad been invited, on some special occasion, to preach to a village congregation, ar.d had consented to do so. As a matter of course the [dace of worship was on this very rare occasion crowded in every part. The “ regular minister ’’ of the place being anxious to air out his owe elocjnenee on this very exceptional occasion, after the sermon was duw: undertook for the space of some twenty minutes to “ improve'’ the discourse to which they had listened for the benefit of the assembled and wondering rustics. “ Their dear and much respected brother from th- metropolis,” he went on to say, “had said so and-so ; now what he had meant was this and that,” and m. the tedious process went on till twenty minutes full had been told off by the clock, During the whole of this time the “dear and respieted brother,” in the pulpit above, was observed to sit in Ids seat, to cla.-p bis hands well over his chest, to twiddle his thumbs one over the other, ami with bis uplifted eyes to scan the ceiling overhead, to see if peuibanee lie could find any eivek or crevice through which be might gel a glimpse of the blue sky above. Now what, sir, according to his own version, do you think be wa really thinking about ? I will tell you ■ but really I fancy it is important enough to begin a new paragraph witli Well, sir, here it is : Comfoitnhly ei scene d ip the w.uni parlor of an intimate local friend, with his slippered feet on the fender, his pipe in his mouth, .and bid-smoking cap or. his lead 1 his very intimate fimnd ventured to Asks him-“Mr , w luu were you thinking

about wiii 1;> Ivlr was exphimmi 1.. thi* .'u.'ok' '.vhi't V'i wished them to uiuteisumd

iV.uii wl-.a y..i, iiinl V" The «.vi.i*c'eil )i'"*hot' i'i.uti iiiettoj':'li:* girto a •uo.icii si.ut, h'' srnit.-.i-ed td.s pi re from Us month, his eyes <liL.tr:; :„:id si.r. • 1 with nmunnl I>tiv;l»t-U’-S,, hi'. i'i'iMt iii ;i Ije.a V iTy. iillti lie .-.poke (hits: -“ Thinking. ur, ihoikin',;.” said In-, rising

nnl litti-ig mi :;js i lg : ; ( hj msil a-, win n -n his. Ims I. impasnoued in inu'iit. ■ in the pid it he

■.r'.iir.ieil, ■’ ( iiinhiirr, sir, I was thin!-.tug th' n.m w.is jTi-ilotfin;’ti-'l to lie a i'oo;, ainl t,l;a he was tuily lieti'i-iuiiidl <,-,< give ai! ddi .'■iicc ’•'» make his calling ami election sun- ! Taeje. ■‘ir, I harts what, i w.i.s thinking ; nothing nt'ue. nothing loss ;vod he sat down and very placidly lesunual his pipe. Sir, I have hut just now got a sight of v<-tu morning eoatncp-vary. the ‘Otago Ikrilv 'lines. F I,l;i< mouieiiu risi from the p'-rnsai of that wonderful leader in which the “ local hi other,' \ <;<■/ oiuidsideralety c.~-ndos-.u-n-K to “interpret" what MTII, (Lillies inteii is u> to “ understand ’ f»y what he said to iisen the sun ject/cf Aholiliiui at 'Tuesday night's inciii.e; at the Drill-,s’ned, hut which for hick of brains he non Id not make plain. Sir, the pemsal of that leader called np out of the, chambers of forgetfulness, whine it had slumbered for in my a year, the circumstance founded on fact to wh ch I have referred above. Sir, 1 will write no more,- >V/'6d//i x/tp, kc., Abolitionist. Dunedin, September 2.