THE REV. WOOLLCOMBE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9707, 1 February 1910, Page 4

THE REV. WOOLLCOMBE.

"He's a daisy, ain't he," was the remark of a listener at the Town Hall on Saturday night, when the Rev. H. S. Woollcombe was in the full tide of humorous anecdote and breezy exhortation. Rarely have the claims of religion been presented more attractively than by this eloquent young leader of the Church of England Men's Society. He preaches brotherly love and drives home point after point with an irresistible joke. He mingles scripture with slang, and is at ohce witty and reverent. He has in abundant measure the gift of humour and the gift of speech, and he makes it very clear that he takes and uses both as "gifts of the Spirit." Laughter and applause were frequent during Ms address, but it must have stirred many*to serious thoughts. Mr Woollcombe, who was received with cheers, soon made himself at home with his hearers. He did not feel like a stranger here. An uncle of his, known as "Daddy Woollcombe," was a well-known settler at Timaru, and he supposed Woollcombe Terrace, in Wellington, was named after him. He had hardly been treated as a stranger since he came, for a lady at the hotel asked him whether he was one of tlie waiters. "No, madam," he replied, "I have not that honour." Mr Woollcombe went onto declare that he was not sent out by the •'toffs" of the Church, but by 80.000 of his fellow men, the members of the C.S.M S. (Church of England Men's riociety). He had part of the salary they paid him in his pocket. "It's £2OO a year," he added. "You may as well,know what it is a once. I daresay you've been wondering. It's made up of sixpenny bits and such-like. It doesn't come from those who can easily give £25 for Woollcombe's salary."