TIMARU.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1204, 25 February 1880, Page 2

TIMARU.

[FROM OUR. OWN CORRESPONDENT. 1 February 21

Pastor Chiniquy, who was to have arS rived here on the 13th, did not put in an appearance till Tuesday last, when he was met at the station by a strong body of Orangemen and clergymen of the Protestant faith, who escorted him to the Manse, where he is the guest of the Rev. Mr. Gillies. The first lecture' was delivered the same evening in the tabernacle of the Presbyterian congregation, to an immense crowd, estimated at about 800. Numbers of people had assembled outside the building long before the advertised hour, and when the carriage drove up to the door the footpath, and even the whole expanse of the street, was literally blocked up, and quite impassable. The- lecturer alighted' in the crowd with a somewhat bewildered look, and, turning himself round, and round, touched his cap to the multitude. He then made his way into the church, leaning on the arm of Mr. Gillies, and was greeted on the platform with deafening cheers. Throughout the lecture also the. audience showed manifestations of decided approval. At first the pastor seemed more dead than alive, but ere many minutes had elapsed the huge church rang with his eloquence. I shall not go into the details of the lectures, deeming it better to avoid anything in the least degree calculated to stir up strife. Suffice it to say that he left no stone unturned to impress on his auditors the object of his mission and the eflWr.y o£ purchasing his works. In a few , days the worthy pastor will have left us. Those who admire him and approve of his mission will have ample time.to digest his words, while his enemies will remember him no more. On the second evening the discourse was not altogether congenial to the refined feelings -of. one of the Reception Committee, who listened attentively throughout, and who when the pastor had resumed his seat, sprung to his feet and characterised the lecture as disgusting and disgraceful. This aroused the enthusiasm of the Congregational minister, ..who, while entertaining the highest respect for the Committeeman, rose, and in his own .name and in that of the audience vindicated every word that the lecturer had said. His remarks. gave birth to a tremendous round of applause, and the ■ pastor, again taking "courage, said a few'words more, repeating part of what had already fallen from his lips, during which the offended Committeeman'above alluded to descended from the platform, and, amid hisses,.came to an anchor in the body of the church. A show of hands having been taken, it was announced that all but one approved of ~the lecture, and probably that one was the respected Committeeman himself. In justice to this gentleman it, must be said that although on this, .occasion he.somewhat singularly.. differed- from the whole' audience, he is not by any means a fit subject for ridicule, on' the contrary he is one of our most respected and wisest citizens, and it is'certain that the peculiar course he took was chosen at the dictation of. ail unspotted consicence. After the first mght th'e' novelty wore off, and; the crowds were not so dense. On the whole, however, the;ipastor cannot complain of ,the, treatment,he received in a..small place like Timaru-.. Considering the population, the; number: of adherents of the Romidh Church, and the. vast number, who take neither he did remarkably well. The falling off 1 after the first and second lectures can easily be accounted for ;by the fact of the pastor's 1 harangues having so much'sa,meness. So alike indeed are his speeches that most' people , consider that. they, savor very much of monotony. Last evening the fourth,and last of the series was delivered, and to-day Mr. Chiniquy will rest. Tip-morrow he will hold forth; from the Presbyterian pulpit, and;,on Monday; afternoon you will see and hear him for yourselves. . By the way, I cannot pass unnoticed a most amusing incident that occurred the other night, while; the lecture was going on. The' night was dark, and one of the body-guard, who kept watch in the churchyard', espied a .man's head peeping over the fence ' the- church.' In a moment he ,was face, to face with the intruder, r and, covering him with a "sixer," demanded answer to the query, ".Eriend .or. foe'.?". ."While the affrighted citizeii was holding his heart in its right place, and wondering what he should do, another head appeared, almost driving the zealous Orangeman, into the blue devils. .For, a moment no one 1 could, speak, but the excitement' having subsided, aud no shots having been-fired, the gallant guardsman discovered that he had bailed up two well-known' wearers of .the wig and gown, who, during the ' delivery of the lecture, r liad ! 'dieemeti it "expedient, for-the well-beingof"th£-inner man,>'to repair .to .a neighboring, hotel, and who, to save time and .shoe-leEitherj liad very naturally taken a short cut; ' ■ The occurrence is affording some amusement, and no wonder.