THE AUCKLAND HOLINESS MEETINGS.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1277, 13 December 1884, Page 1

THE AUCKLAND HOLINESS MEETINGS.

The Auckland Herald's correspondent I writing from the Holiness Camp meeting, Tort Albert, on Sunday evening, says : Yesterday morning six women attending the '* holiness meeting," overwrought by religious excitement, succumbed, and were " stricken/" as its' promoters term it. The usual fragements of prayer, quotations from Scripture and hymns', and ejaculations -followed. Jn the evening of the same day similar phenomena were repeated, but in a lesser-degree ; but as the .evening advanced towards midnight the religious excesses developed into a kind of frenzy. Several sisters formed a run* round one of the unconverted, around whom, at the command of the Lord, they danced seven times, when it was prophesied the walls'.of Jericho— i.e., the sinner's obduracy—would gjye way. This and similar proceedings,, with the usual exercises, was,continued till. 3 this morning. There was a good numbfr present tili about 10 p.m., when the" bulk of the people left. , During the early part of the evening a regrettable incident occurred. *hich has only now. been, it is hoped, finally cleared up and rectified. During the heat aurt fury of violent declamation, "Brother" Thomas denounced as a " l:e" a tennet of belief accredited to a brother evangelist present, a member of the " Christian Disciples." The imputation, not apparently meant offensively, wat> so taken by the aspersed person's friends, who, to the number of a"couple of score or so, with expressions of disapproval strong and loud, left the tent. The actual expression was speedily exaggerated into the word "liar." The whole thing was all the more unfortunite as several prominent members of the 'different sections of Christians in this and adjacent districts! had endeavored to unite all, and work for the common good, making men better, and therefore happier. During some hours there were more or less unseemly disturbances and noises close outside the tent. The morniog prayer, etc., began at 6 o'clock, and on to 7 o'clock, and was quiet and enjoyable. But duringthe day one of the sisters was "stricken," or, technical}', " under the power of the Holy Glios " (?), and instead of being removed to a place of restorative quiet and rest, this latter-day Pythia was heeded, as of old, ;i8 one inspired 1 By about half-past 3 p.m. ihe crisis arrived, the subject went inside the tent, and departed, not for glory, as she assured those about her she was about to do, but, overwrought by the strain of excitement and religious mania, fainted. Two medical gentlemen were on the spot, and |,ave immediate attendance and the necessary restoratives. .Brother Thomas, after being several times urged, expressed his deep and earnest regret at having "given offence tbe previous evening to his fellow worker for good. The apology has been cordially accepted, and all is again peaceful. The correspondent of the Auckland Star writes : "A 'holiness camp meeting' has been held at Port Albert during the last few days. Yesterday (Sunday) the meeting lasted from 5 in the morning till midnight. The scene on Saturday and Sunday was of the wildest and most exciting character. Five or six people were raviDg in a religious frenzy, and the wife of an Auckland citizen was led out of the text in a,state,of wild excitement. A man and,his wife, who are residents of Ponsonby, acted in an extraordinary manner. WomeD were rolling about the lent screaming, and one man fell down in a faint. A woman in her raving, cried out that 'Jesus was in a blue-gum tree!' Several persons were present on Friday and Saturday, but the large ntajoriy left disgusted or amazed, and the meeting has practically collapsed." Writing on Wednesday the same correspondent says: " The exciting and extraordinary Bcenes enacted at the 'holiness meeting' on . Saturday and Sunday were continued, but in such an outrageous form, yesterday that the police have taken up the matter. I have just helped to carry the wife of a respictable Auckland citizen into a settler's house, where Missßecroft and Mrs Hunt acted the Good Samaritan. The/woman was standing a few yards from the public road wi'h uplifted arm, and, clad about as sparse y as Mother, Eve.-vas praying excitedly. The schoolmaster was unable to conduct school, owing to the fnghiful yells for three nights disturbing him, his house being near the camp., lhere are six mad people. I saw a man with only tits trousers on (a highly moral and religious Auckland citizen) rolling and struggling and screaming mrthe ground, all the while tightly embracing another man's wife. Both are mad, and while they were thus performing an evangelist roared 'Glory! glory I'.'VThe owner of the camping ground, very properly, is ordering them off." It is but fairto state that we believe the Salvation Army has nothing to do with this meeting, it being got up by so-called ''Evangelists."