MR DUCKWORTH'S RETURN HOME. HIS ACCOUNT OF THE DISAGREEMENT WITH MR SPURGEON.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 389, 31 July 1889, Page 4

MR DUCKWORTH'S RETURN HOME. HIS ACCOUNT OF THE DISAGREEMENT WITH MR SPURGEON.

Councillor James Duckworth reached Liverpool after six months ' globe-trotting " on June 16th and was soon afterwards at Uastleton Hall. He addressed the following letter to the " Rochdale Observer " in explanation of an incident which we are pleased to say was greatly exaggerated by ihe American scribeb :—: — Sir,— On reaching home yesterday I was not surprised to find that extracts from a highly sensational but untruthful article from a San Francisco newspaper had been copied by the local prints. Permit me to say that the whole thing is just making a " molehill into a mountain." Our intimacy with Mr Spurgeon and his friend Mi- Rollidge, was most cordial, but in the free and easy life on board ship many things occur which in themselves are orivial, and do not at all affect the moral character of those concerned, yet are sufficient to lead to coolness or estrangement. This was the case with us, and it was through my misunderstanding Mr Spurgeon's explanation that the upset was caused. I did not strike him, 1 was not arrested, and I was not iealous. The thing was afterwards satisfactorily explained, and would never have been heard of but tor chat love ot sensationalism on which a portion of the American press", I am sorry to say, depends for an existence. The report in the Californian paper contains no less than fcixfcysix inaccuracies and falsehoods. Mr Spurgeon preached to a crowded congregation in : Fnsco the day after the articfe appeared; and gave an explanation, but the paper, while giving an ample report of his sermon, suppressed every word df his explanation. I have been very forcibly struck with the freedom with which the American pre&s discusses the home life and individual character of the people, and the numerous sensational itoms one can read on these subjects day by day. Of course, Americans know how to discount these stories, but with our own people they are taken more seriously. I hope the day is far distant here when the office of reporter will include detector, spy, fabricator, romancer, sensationalist, etc. — Believe me, yours respectfully, Jajies Duckworth. Castleton Hall, June 17bh, 1889.

INTERVIEW WITH MR DUCKWORTH. On Monday afternoon an ♦' Observer " representative had a long chat with Councillor Duckworth about his six months' journeying. He has returned home with health apparently thoroughly restored, and with a budget of new notions, which his frionds are already trying to persuade him to embody iv the form of a lecture. We make the following extracts from the report of the interview.

IMPERIAL FEDERATION. *' What is Lhe feeling towards-Eng-land ?" "Oh, thoroughly loyal and friendly. Y r hat the colonists wano is some scheme of Imperial Federation, and after what I have teen and heard I am a strong supporter of that policy. We must cease European embroilments and pay more attention to our colonies. Hitherto we have never understood them, have seemed not to care to understand them, and the result has been friction. In their own local affairs let them have their own way, but for matters ot common Imperial interest let us have a grand federation. Once let the colonies know that for Imperial purposes they have the whole of Great Britain at their back and we should hear nothing about Reparation. In things local decentralisation, in things Imperial federation — that must be the policy of the future.

THE CHURCHES.— METHODIST REUNION. During his progress through Australasia Mr Duckworth had exceptionally good opportunities of feeling the pulse of the churches. He conducted services nearly every Sunday, and met many of the heads of the religious bodies. There is no established church, though most of the churches have been enriched by grants of land from the Government. Mr Duckworth's own denomination — the United Methodist Free Church — refused the grants for conscientious reasons, and the result is that it is poor and burdened with debt as compared with the other sects. Of the well-known religious bodies it is probably the weakest in the colonies. The Primitive Methodists are a little stronger, and the other denominations are vigorous and active. On the great question of Methodist re-union it is possible that important consequences may come from Mr Duckworth's visit to the Antipodes. He is a member of the denominational missionary committee, and he intends to make strong representations to the committee in favour of Methodist union. A scheme has been unsuccessfully tried in New Zealand, but he sees no reason for division, and will press the question.

NEW ZEALAND. From Sydney the travellers took a pleasant trip to the Blue Mountains, and then went 500 miles overland to Melbourne, fchence to Tasmania again and on to New Zealand. They visited all the principal places in the colony. From Dunedin a special journey was made to Milton; where resides the Rev. Robert Taylor, a Wesleyan minister, who used to be a Free Church local preacher in Rochdale, and ia an old friend of Mr Duckworth's. They stayed at Auckland five weeks, and here the reporters got hold of the councillor and interviewed him about the Rochdale sanitary works and other matters. A remark about the railways, and the privilege of free travelling to school children, led to a commendation of the free school system, which obtains both in Australia and New Zealand. " The schools," he said, "are free, secular, compulsory. Religious instruction is not allowed to be given by the teachers, bub every minister has an opportunity to give religious instruction if he likes. That 19 not done, however, and in the result religious instruction is left to the Sunday-school, which, in my opinion, is the best arrangement."

TEMPERANCE LEGISLATION. "I was very pleased with the comparative absence of drunkenness. We were away four months before we saw a drunken person, and we saw only three or four during the whole six months. There does not seem as much need in the colonies for the teetotal movement as there is at home, bub they have set us a good example on the question of the licenj sing law. Local option is in force, and the licensing board both issues the licences and determines the number of hotels that are to exist. Mere drinking shops are suppressed, licences are only granted to proper hotels, and offences against the law are visited with rigorous penalties. The policy is to have as few houses as possible, ana to keep the standard of the few as high as possible. Of course

such laws are more easily made in the colonies than at home.

SIR GEORGE GREY. " While in Auckland I had a two hours' chat with Sir George Grey, a fine old man, who has been twice Governor of New Zealand. He is an enthusiastic colonist, an old friend of Mr Gladstone, and a believer in his Irish policy. 'Mr Duckworth,' he said, 'I advised Gladstone to go in for Home Rulp twenty years ago. I was an ardent })olilH-!,iti. I p:\w that reforms were re(iuirod in the old country, but I despaired ot being able to bi umc them about, and so I deliberately chose to live in New Zealand, where 1 knew we could do preat things and be, in many respects, ji pattern to the old country.'

AM ERIC A- AND HOME. " After thteeweeUs unpleasant voyage we parsed through the Golden Gates, on a beautiful Sunday atternoon, aad were soon in San Ftatiehco. Wo wont bo the Yosemile valley, -aw the Mai iposa trees, and then visited Salt La ice City. Polygamy is now under a ban and can only be practised secretly. At the meat Tabernacle I heard a man pieach who had only recently been fined heavily for having moie wives than one. The people are pro.-v oioun and 1 think the sect will continue lon<r aft r polygamy is a thing of the past. Fioin Salt L.iko we had a magnificent journey en or the RocKies to Denver Thence via Kan <i-, Chicago, Niagara, B u Halo and Albany, wo wont to New York. From New Yoi kwo toulc a run to Philadelphia, visited the Old State House, where Washington took the oath as first President ot the United States ; woht on to Washington, vitited the capitol, Washington monumont*, White House, etc., embarking- on the Utnbria on the Bth mat. After a splendid passage we reached Liverpool yesterday morning.

. IMPRESSIONS. "Everywhere I was impressed with the expansiveness of things. There is no overcrowding and plenty of room for developmont. What is wanted in the colonies, however, is men who will open up the land, agriculturists with capital, and labourers ready to work. They have more than enough of clerks and men who don't like to work with their hands. If I had to begin at the bottom of the ladder again I should go to the colonies. There is more freedom, money is plentiful, the standard of living is higher, and the people are independent and self-reliant. Politically lam a firm believer in * Greater Biitain.' Let us imitate America, be independent of European squabbles, lefsen army expenditure, keep up the navy, and draw all our colonies into a strong, invincible federation."