HEALING MISSION.

Hokitika Guardian, 23 August 1923, Page 4

HEALING MISSION.

ALU UJLKSOX AT PKIiTH. i’KRTM, Aug. !). With his arrival at Perth Mr Hickson completes Ins tour oi the Australian capitals, not to mention his visits to many country centres in each Stale. Apart from his mission in spiritual healing, in which he proiesses to he merely reviving the ancient power ol j Ihe Church in this matter, Air Hickson lias given a remarkable demonstration of physical capacity. Day alter day, almost without intermission, he has shown the greatest activity, inter-j pointing between attendance at over-j Mowing services at which he heard the j facts of every ca.-c, and laid his hands | on the sufferers, a long round of visits to the different institutions in each j centre. K very whore lie liars been besieged hy thousands, and the testimony of tiie bishops and clergy from Northern Queensland to Western Australia is that the mission has resulted in wonderful benefits to innumerable sufferers and in some complete cures. But Air Hickson has never professed that the strength of Christian iaftb, which; now exists is such a» to ensure inline- | diate cures. He has always sought to! impress the necessity ot a spiritual [ awakening, in which favourable condition physical benefit comes gradually. , In oile r words, lie asserts the supremacy of ihe spiritual over the physical. | hut lie does Uot -liggest that o\il-ari.-iug from ingrained and lileioiig ma-toriali'-m can he di-p filed in moment, hut that profound spiriliinbly will s -i up a condition in v.imT ilm-e eviD "ill eventually modify or disappear. Critics, he says, have fastened upon the alleged harmful consequences oi disappointment. in people who were not. cured. “Where people do not receive the full blessing of physical health, ’’ he says, “they receive a spiritual blessing which lilts them above it. The physical healing is, as a rule, a gradual process. Ii docs not come at once, always, aiiv more than conversion comes all at nine.” Discussing the relative success of his mission with that achieved elswhero. Mr Hickson said tlml if he were to compare Australia with India. there would he a great tidlereme. In India Die people "ere essentially -pn it mil - ihe nil'll mil came first in their lives. They did nm want to he convinced hy reasoning or argument. Krem the highest ca-te to llm unicast | all said. "We know llii- is from I ('.'oil. We led the power.” In such i eonni nes as Australia, and England a | man locked ai lho thing more I rot'll the intellectual point, and v anted to reaj s,,u ii out. But a man coal I out re;lI -on hcvoiid his ,Xu'l l, nee. 1,, in hiI lit - .', he had not any -oval soiipiial ox- | peri, 'ilea, ho" was be in arrnv ai Die true -olmion oi sina sahict a.- if,is | Nei >vi‘ tisuilldiug all i 1 i . how, ver. lie , bad m.'L «ii h a c.real amount of -ym- ! pai i:e all,| uudei'slalaiiiu in Australia, ami, coining from ihe "man in Die j -i reel.'' Die. people bad shown a lailli "liich had surori-e-d many.