MOODY AND SANKEY AMERICAN REVIVALISTS.

Waikato Times, Volume VIII, Issue 435, 17 April 1875, Page 3

MOODY AND SANKEY AMERICAN REVIVALISTS.

The Evangelical Alliance lias decided to invite Messrs Moody and Sankey here. So runs a telegram which appeared in our issue of Wednesday. We may be sure that if these men get as far as Adelaide, Melbourne will not be spared the infliction of a visit. To this we object. If the operations of these professional ' revivalists ' had no other effect than that of promoting what goes by the name of religion, we should pass the matter by ■without notice; but we know, as a fact, that while the ridiculous emotional outbursts which are called ' revivals,' do nothing towards the increase of morality, they very frequently work much mischief. Many people, women especially, have been deprived of the little sense with which Providence had blessed them, by the impertinent threatenings and ignorant denunciations of mercenary scoundrels, who traded upon their best feelings and made money out of their weakness. The history of ' revivals ' is to be traced in the records of our lunatic asylums. There are scores in these hospitals for the insane who owe their presence there to the wild extravagances which attend services held ostensibly for the promotion of religion. Seeing that our locsil professors, with the help of an occasional outsider, have been so success ful in doing everything which religion should not do, there is no occasion to call in the assistance ot two Yankee buffoons, in order to make things worse. Mr Moody, we believe, does the praying and sermonising, while Mr Sankey rings hymns of a more or less idiotic character, the result being excitement and of course pence. Now, the Christian religion, as expounded by its Founder, is distinguished by its freedom, from sensation, and we certainly think that those who are charged with its promulgation should not outrage its spirit. They do so, however, undoubtedly, when they permit themselves or encourage their followers to 'oersted the modesty of Nature. Howdo thsse revival meetings, with their intermin able and noisy prayers, fall in with the idea which the wise man of Biblical history gives of acceptable worship? He tells people that when they pray they should remember ihat the object of their worship is in heaven and they upon eaith, and that therefore their words should be few and well-con-sidered. Do revival rhapsodies observe these sensiv>la pnnrKtinnfi 1 Wp know thf»v do not.

As wo said before, if their effeot was simply nugatory, we should think it worth our while to notice them, but when, as we know, they are the direct means of adding to the number of people who are depending on the state for support, we think it our duty to point out the evil results which flow from them. We feel assured that our local clergy are quite equal to the production of all the enthusiasm which it is desirable should attend religious excercises, and therefore we think it inadvisable to furnish them with extraneous assistance. The mondy which would be spent over the importation of Messrs Moody and Sankey might be laid out to far better advantage." — " Argus."