RITUALISM.

Thames Guardian and Mining Record, Volume I, Issue 109, 14 February 1872, Page 2

RITUALISM.

Oxk of the greatest quostions that ever agitated the mind of man, —that which originated the fatal quarrel between Cain and Abel, which in the days of Paul turned the world upside down, which drove Wesley from the Established Church, and which, in later times, created the intensest strife, —lias again arisen amongst us. The lifting up of that sacred symbol which brings to the mind of every thinking man the fact that Christ made earth the altar on which ho offered himself a sacrifice for sin, has originated the subject now most prominent, being daily the subject of discussion in the newspapers. One party who has ontored the lists seems to regard symbols of every kind as the offspring of ignorance and superstition, under the name of Ilitualism; another looks upon them as all-sufficient in a spiritual point of view ; and a third, strange to say, denounces all others on the ground that Ilitualism is not a defineablc term, therefore means nothing, and lias been used in the mother country for political purposes. This gentleman may be a very good doctor of medicine, but lie certainly is a very bad doctor of divinity, or he would not so speak. Ilitualism is not only much older than the politics of the mother country, hut also a term perfectly dcfincable. It is an absolute abandonment of the spirit of religion, and a clinging to the ceremonial —the theory without the practice—the following of the letter of that which is written, disregarding the vital influences the Word was intended to have on the life and character of man ; or as a poet lias it— The spirit in the letter lost: The substance in the shade ! The vital questions, —What am 1? Whence camel? And whither am I going? arc constantly starting in the mind of thinking men. Historical revelation proposes to answer these questions. Having regard to the compound nature of man, the emotional and the intellectual, the systems

I 0 f religion introduced in earlier times I fostered both these principles, throne as I an aid to the other. Hence, the breastplate and robes of tho priesthood, the burning of the censer, and the solemnising paraphernalia, of the primitive ark in tho wilderness, all tending to stimulate the emotional, and thereby give religious feelings a more lively and healthy tone. But if these forms and ceremonies fail in their intended results, they are ns useless ns a tonic administered to a | lifeless corpse. The new moons and sacrif lines, and feasts of past times were an 1 abomination to God, not because they were an evil, but because they were regarded as all-sulTicient; because they exerted no influence on the life and character. AVc do not deprecate the symbols and ceremonials of religion, for if thei* have not an influence for good, they should. Like the ark of the first priest and the temple in Jerusalem, the buildings consecrated to the worship of God, should have distinctive decorations, distinctive characteristics, and distinctive exercises as aids to reverence and devotion. To a cultivated mind symbols indicative of a principle, architectural beauty, the solemn peals of the organ, the song of praise and thanksgiving, the exercise of prayer, baptism, and the laying on of hands, all have a significance, all have a hallowing influence, all foster the development of a spiritual life as the “outward sign of an inward grace.” Hut if they fail here,then are they not the savour of life unto life, but of death unto death. The toleration of the 10th century is too complete to render it probable that the bitter strife of the past can again be engendered. We therofore hail with pleasure any incident which induces thought, and promotes discussion : for religion, as well as politics, has everything to gain by free and enlightened argument and an honest search after truth. jj There was no business at the Police Court | yesterday. j; At the Warden's Court yesterday judgment t was obtained by Frank Simmons, miner, • against the Commercial G.M.Co., for .C.’J 14s ’ (id for wages. There was no other business, aud the Court adjourned until Thursday. Yesterday Mr .Sheath, Inspector of Tclci graphs, started for fVianaia with Mr Carver j! and party for the purpose of flagging out the t; line of Telegraph from Coromandel to this I place. The general direction of the line is | laid out, but there arc some native reserves '« over which the natives might object to its | running, and it is with a view to the proper I arrangement of these matters that Air Sheath 1“ has visited the natives. From all this it will be seen that we may soon look out for Telegraphic communication between this district 1 and (lie now rising goldfield of Coromandel. ijs Yon Hartman's Dissolving Views will be -| again exhibited, at the Thames Schoolroom, this evening, commencing at 8 o'clock, v'.tli scenes from r.ible stories ; and at J).30, with J views of the h r.'neo-Prussian war. , j A grand complimentary benefit to Signor fa Donato, the celebrated one-legged dancer, ;;j "'ill lake place this evening, at the Academy Hof Music. Wc trust that he will he weil 4 supported, as his performances arc, to say ii the least, most extraordinary. b Owing to the paucity of attendance there $ was no performance at the, Academy of Music last, night, but wc hope to sec a different state of things to-night. There was a good attendance at the Hicatr c Koval last night, when l’rofcssor Hasclmnyc 1 again went through his wonderful per foiinanccs. The new gallery was opened, and was pronounced to bo a great improvement. We have already stated out opinion as to the merits of Professor Hasclmaycr, who is certainly the equal, if not, superior, of all the professors of necromancy wc have seen before him, and he well deserves all the support which the admirers of the mysteries of the “ black Art ” can give him. A most attractive list of tricks is announced for tonight, and wc hope to see another full | house. h The formation andmaking the continuation | of Sealcy-street- from Hollcston-strcct through )? block 17 was commenced yesterday by the jt contractors. It is the intention of the | Knuwncranga Highway Hoard to carry these .g improvements to Augustus-strcct. ('I Mr Ihidford, of the Caledonian claim, ha s | lodged ,C!l Is in the Hank of New Zealand, f collected from the workmen, in aid of the i| sufferer by the late accident. 1 There will be a meeting of the Wniotulii If District Hoard this afternoon.

The Hospital Committee will meet this afternoon, at 3 o'clock, at Bellars's Hotel, JlaiT-strcet, to elect an honorary medical staff.

.Ur Thomson w'll lecture, this evening, at St. George's Hall, on Life Assurance. A rail of fid per share has been made in the Coromandel Excelsior Coldmining Company.

A call of .Id per share has been made in the Morn'iig Light Goldmining Company.

At the last meeting of the managing committee of the Thames Land, Building,and Investment .Society, held on Monday evening, a statement of account was produced, showing the receipts and disbursements for the past six months. Though little more than six months old the society, seems to have fairly started on the road to permanent success, the account of estimated prolit and [loss showing a balance of £7 Us lid to the good, over and above the ordinary interest passed each month to the members’ credit. The total receipts for the six months amount to A: IA2 7s lid. the greater portion of which lias been advanced to borrowing members on the security of mortgage. The brig I! it a, from Adelaide, with a full cargo of wheat, arrived in harbour on Monday evening, after a long passage. Captain Edwards reports having left on the lltli ultimo, and experienced light- easterly winds and calms till making the land ; on Thursday last encountered a strong N.N.W. gale : made the Poor Knights on Saturday last. IVc understand that a quantity of auriferous quartz, brought down from Northern Wairoa towards the end of last week, has been tested at the Bank of New Zealand. The stone has been found to be highly auriferous. having yielded at the rate of So - /., per ton. If stone of the same quality can begot hi quantity in that district, the present wilds of the Kaipava district will not be long silent. It lias frequently been asserted that the western slope of the peninsula was goldbearing, but hitherto the efforts to develop gulden s'ores there have proved unavailing, he shall anxiou'dy wait for furthers particulars respecting the alleged discovery. At present it is not stated on whose land the Hone which has turned out so well was found,— J). S. Mr Bogan, the barrister, met with a very severe and painful accident on Sunday last. Jbe learned gentleman was handling a receiver pistol, when one of the barrels exploded. which completely shattered the right hand. Medical assistance was immediately culled in. when Mrs Keuderdiue and Nicholson. in consultation, concurred in the necessity of immediate amputation, which was successfully performed during the time the patient was under the intlucnce of chloroform. -Ibid.

Mr A. Alison, when going over to the North Snore, where lie is a resident, on Monday afternoon, by the 4 o'clock steamer, was sitting on the bulwarks at the bows of the boat, when lie overbalanced himself, and fell intd the water. lie was first noticed by a little boy, who gave the alarm, when Mr Holmes and another man, name unknown, put olf in a dingy, and rescued him. Fortunately, Mr Alison was not hurt by the paddle-wheel, which, when in the water, lie narrowly escaped coming in contact with. — 1). fi. Grogs,

Wc learn, by advices from London, that a new bank, with a large capital and an influential hoard of directors, lias been successfully float id, and that our colony is to be the field of operation. It is also rumoured that Mr Kennedy, late of the Hank oE New Zealand, is to have the management here. — Ibid.

Our Waiuku correspondent says “ .Several destructive tires have be jn raging during the past week, doing a great deal of damage, besides destroying bush that had in some cases been reserved for shelter. A public pound is wanted very badly in Waiuku, and I am surprised the trustees of the two Hoards have not taken the matter up before this.” — Ibid, AVc understand that the subscriptions in aid of the erection of a new Homan Catholic Cathedral arc coming in satisfactorily. It lias not yet been determined upon what site the new erection will be built, but it is probable that AVyndhnm-.street, adjo’ning the present chapel will be chosen. This position would be central, and in the event of its being decided upon for the cathedral, the present chapel would lie apportioned off for the various schools now carried on in the wooden buildings adjoining, as the ground upon which the schools stand would be required for the cathedral site. —Ibid.

The Revisers of the New Testament Company met at the Jerusalem Chamber, for their 14th section. Seventeen members were present, viz :• —The Dishop of (Mocester and Bristol, who presided ; the Bishop of St. Andrews, the Deans of Westminster and Bochcstc'', Archdeacons Bickersteth and Lee, the Master of the Temple, Canons Hlakesley, Light,foot, and Wcstcott: Professors Eadie, Milligan. Mdtilton, and Newth. Prebendary Humphry, Mr Horf, and Air .Scrivener. The company sat for seven hours, and concluded the latter half of the 14th chapter of St Mark and the early part of the Kith. Commenting on Mr Gladstone's speech to his Greenwich constitutcnts, the Xcw York Herald of the 30th October says :—AVc can excuse Mr Gladstone for taking to himself and his Administration all the glory he can ; but wc have a right to recognise the facts that Ireland is not yet conciliated, and that under liis policy of economy Great Britain has sunk into the condition of a second-rate Power. The next session of the British Parliament promises to be more than usually lively. Much heavy work is on hand ; but the Premier is courageous, and determined to go through v.ltli it. "Onward” is Mr Gladstone’s motto ; and wider his guidance the British people have good reason to hope for the early enjoyment of Republican inhibitions.

Out of the twelve Presbyterian Churches in Chicago, only three were burnt, and one of these was sold previous to the great fire.