Feilding Lyceum

Feilding Star, Volume VI, Issue 149, 2 June 1885, Page 2

Feilding Lyceum

♦ "Tiie Gexuejeness of the CmusTiAsr SCBIPTVBEB." Upwards of 100 persons assembled in the Foresters' Hall on Sunday evening to listen to Mr T. Sexton's reply to the Key. J. Clover' 3 lecture on the above subject. The chairman said that from a letter he had received and also the one published in the Stab on Saturday from Mr Glover, that gentleman was laboring under a mistake in assuming' that the members of the Lyceum had undertaken to refute his lecture, and that for that purpose they had "chosen champions. The chairman explained that the Lyceum had nothing whatever to do with the debate beyond providing a free platform, and like a newspaper editor they were "not responsible" &c. If any* one was chosen it was Mr Clover himself, and not Mr Secton, as the former was invited to lecture, while Mr Sexton was not, and had taken up the gauntlet entirely on his own responsibility. Mr Sexton was then called upon, and said that he repudiated Mr Clover's imposing upon him the task of proving the genuineness of the scriptures, as that was clearly Mr Clover's duty, and all he (the speaker) had to do was to answer the arguments Mr Clover brought forward. This he proceeded to do, by referring to Mr Clover's authorities, and pointed out what he held to be their unreliableness. He also quoted numerous passages of scripture which he held were against Mr Clover's contention as to the genuineness of their teachings. Mr Clover, he said had not quoted a single passage from scripture in support of this point, and maintained that his lecture had proved nothing it purported to have done. The lecture took about an hour and a quarter in delivery, and was frequently applauded. Mr J. Whisker came upon the platform, and said he was not a " Christian" nor "so religious as he ought to be," but it grieved him to hear "the scriptures pulled to pieces." As, however, he said nothing to the point, he was so interrupted by ironical applause that he had to sit down. No questions were asked the lecturer, who said his . '. jaanuscripts and all other materials for his lecture were at the disposal of Mr Clover if he wished to give a reply. The meeting then concluded.