RABID LECTURES.

Thames Star, Volume XV, Issue 4970, 13 December 1884, Page 3

RABID LECTURES.

[To the Editor of the Evening Star.]

Sib,—-It is to be regretted that when Mr Bice announced his lecture on " The City-of the Seven Hills," he did not sta'e , that his discourse would be, not a review of the li?es of the heroes of ancient Rome, nor a description of the political economy of the times in which they lired, nor a brief outline of the circumstances which led to the rise and decline of the Eoman Empire, but rather a bitter and unscrupu lous criticism of the lives of those who proved themselves unworthy of the josition they held in the Church and Stale The lecturer evidently sought to work upon the religious susceptibilities of his audience, but from what I am told, he rather succeeded in disgusting a -large number of his hearers who bad no sympathy with such rabid and sensational efforts to decry the faith of the Bomish Church What good end could be served by these means? Did Mr Hice hope to make converts to his own " Ism " ? or, \ did he suppose that his audience was only composed of protestants? Whatever were his motives. I can only say that the feeling of maoy persons is, that they were misled and deceived by the title of the lecture, which ought to have been, "An abuse of the Church of Borne."—l am, $(},, Tolerance.