AN UNEXPECTED SERMON.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 5, Issue 1406, 16 June 1883, Page 4

AN UNEXPECTED SERMON.

The Rev J. Osborne, a Wesloyan minister in Sydney, recently preached a sermon on" Roman Catliolicitjua viewed from the stand-point of Liberal Protestantism," The church was crowded. The preacher, instead of denouncing the Roman Catholics, urged that a charitable view should be taken of thorn and of their opinions. A contemporary thus describes the effect of the sermon:— "The sermon itself, in its effect may best bo described as an electric shock. The people were startled, amazed, confounded. Never

before did a more wide awake.congre- » gation sU within the walls of a Sydney chWcn/.'ltiliad been expected that the voice would coinc from the mount of cursing, but it seemed to come from the jnpiiiit of blessing. Foi' some time thV'stningV sermon'was listened to without 'any, demonstration of dissent. But when the preacher had got about hiilfwajr through what he had to nay, oae irate individual could stand it no longer, and with set and scowling face, made his way down the crowded aisle to the'door. Then another and another, then half-a-dozen, then a score did likewise. The suppressed excitement of the audience nt this time was of the most painful ; character. It was hard to'say whethor it would not break out into open and discreditable demonstration'. For a few minutes angry persons whose darling principles or prejudice bad been trodden upon were to be seen in every passage loading to the doors, and the loud tones of dispute and disapproval from those assembled in tbe-spacious porch, and who seemed to be holding an informal meeting, could be, distinctly heard by the congregation inside tho building, • and distracted atlen'ion from the preacher, who, however his nerves may have been effected by the remarkable display of dissent before him, never faltered or. hesited for a moment. It is reckoned that about 200 persons went oiit. Beyond this the decorum of the service ; wa'Bnot interfered with. After the congregation had been dismissed in the usual way, knots of men lingered in York-street, excitedly discussing what evidently to them bad heen an extraordinary deliverance. The result is that a determined attempt is now being made to have the offending clergyman tried for heresy at the conference to bo held in January and February next, and msanwhile to have him silenced."

A new artificial ivory of a pure white colour, and very durable, has recently been manufactured'- by the inventor of celluloid; it is prepared by dissolving shellac in ammonia, mixing the solution in oxide' of zinc, driving off ammonia by heating, powdering, and strongly compressing in moulds. ; It , ; is .estimated that there are "five times as many kinds of insects as there are species of all othor living things, put . together.' The oak' alone gives shelter and support to 450 species of insects, and 200 kinds make their home in pine boldt estimated that the number of species..preserved in collections''was between, 150,000 and .170,000,' but scientific men now say that there must be something like 760,000 species. • '" "M.H;R.;' speaking 'at; Teaneraki the other night, ssid that he did not think it would be'advißable-to > oation»lise the land,,; It ; ,vfoutdUake ■> sixty millions to purchase the land, and isi to carry i r ,