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

Te Aroha News, Volume VIII, Issue 395, 21 August 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 Oastleton Hall. He addressed the following letter to tho "Rochdale Observer" in explanation of an incident which we arc pleased to say was greatly exaggerated by ihe American scribes : — 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 i-> just making a " molehill into a mountain." Our intimacy with Mr Spuigeon and his frieud Mr liollidge, was most cordial, but in the free and easy life on board ship many things occur which in themselves ate orivial, and do not at nil affect the moral character of those concerned, yet are sufficient to lead to coolness or estrangement. This v* as the cate with us, and it was through my misunderstanding Mr Spurgeon's explanation that the upset was caused. I did not stake him, 1 was not arrested, and I was not jealous. The thing was afterwards satisfactoi iiy explained, and would never have been heard of but for that 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 &ixhysix inaccuracies and falsehoods. Mr Spurgeon preached to a crowded congregation in "'Frisco the day after the article appeared; and gave an explanation, but the paper, while giving an ample report of his sermon, suppressed every word of his explanation. I have been very forcibly 3tiuck with the freedom with which the American press discusses the home life and individual charac- | ter of the people, and the numerous sensational items one can read on these subjects day by day. Of course, Ameucans know how to discount these stories, but with our own people they are taken more seriously. ! I hope the day is fur distant here when the office of reporter will include detector, spy, fabricator, romancer, sensationalist, etc. — Believe me, yours respectfully, James 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 thoioughly restored, and with a budget of new notions, which his friends are already trying to persuade him to embody in the form of a lecture. We make the following extracts from the report of the interview.

IMPERIAL FEDERATION *' What is the feeling towards England ?" "Oh, thoroughly loyal and friendly. What the colonists wane is some scheme of Imperial Federation, and aiter 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 of 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 separation. 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, thence to Tasmania again and on to New Zealand. They visited all the principal places in the colony. From Dunedin u 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 is an old friend of Mr Duckworth's. They stayed at Auckland five weeks, and hero the reporters gob 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, but every minister has an opportunity to give religious instruction if he likes. That is 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. " 1 was very pleased with the comparative absence of drunkenness. We were away four months befoie 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, but they have set us a good example on the question of the licenj aing 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, and 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 Rule twenty years ago. I was an ardent poiitici.m. 1 *aw that reforms were requiiod in Uio old country, but I despaired of being able to hvuvs them about, and so I deliberately chose Lo live in New Zealand, where I knew we conhl do great things and bo, in many respects, a pattern to the old i/ouutrv. '

AMERICA— AND HOME. " After three woehs unpleasant voyage we passed through the Golden Gates, on a beautiful Sunday uttornoon, aad were soon in San Fiaucihco. Wo went to the Yosemito \ulley, miw r.ho Mariposa trees, and then vibitod Said Lave City. Polygamy is now uncioi u b«u> and can only be practised bocretly. At, the t-ir.ib Tabernacle I heard a man proach who luhl only recently been fined heavily forhaviiij_'nu)iewnes than one. The people aro pro«t imoiim and I chink the sect will continue loner ai"'«" J i polygamy is a thing of the past. From ttnli. Lake we had a maonificenb journey o\ or fchc Hookies to Denver Tlicnco vv.i Kan a-.. Chicajro, Niagara, Builalo and Alban\, wo wont to New York. From New Yoi kwe to-^k a run to Philadelphia, visited the OldMtare House, where Washington took tlie oatli as first Piesidenb oi the United SSUircs : M'ehb on to Washington, visited the oapitol, Washington monument, White House, etc., embarking 1 on the CJmbria on the Bth inst. 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 development. Whab 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 bo begin at the bottom of the ladder again 1 should go to the colonies. There is mote freedom, money is plentiful, the standatd of living is higher, and the people are independent and self-reliant. Politically lam a firm believer in ' Greater Britain.' Let us imitate America, bo independent of European squabbles, le?sen army expenditure, keep up the navy, and draw all our colonies into a strong, invinciblo federation."