MR BECCHER AT EXETR HALL.

Waikato Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2215, 18 September 1886, Page 2 (Supplement)

MR BECCHER AT EXETR HALL.

On July 19, Exeter Hall was crowded by an audience assembled to hear Mr Henry Ward Beeeher's first lecture during his present visit to the country. Mr Benjamin Scott, the City Chamberlain, presided, and in a few remarks introduced the lecturer, who took for his subject "The Reigu of the Co-nmon People." The lecturer observed that it was over 23 yean since he last had the pleasure of addressing an airlience in that hall. During that period great changes had taken place, and they had all enjoyed opportunities of correcting falae impressions and forming new ones. When lie last visited England, the great country of which he had the honour of being a citizen was on the eve of being com ulsed by the horrors of civil war, and the principal object of his visit then was to explain to their Finnish brethren the mam points of the question at issue between the rival parties. Since that time hiscountry had made enormousstrides, but looking back over the hills of time he could not help asking himself whence came all this culture and desire to piogress, not only as regards the American people, but also with respect to other nations. It was his opinion that the earliest condition of man on this earth was the savage state, and the question naturally arose— How did man emerge from that condition ? It was certain tli<it at the time referred to he had no schools nor any other machinery of civilisation, and the lecturer thought that the earliest sources of man's instruction were those derived from war, hunger, and love of gain. As far as they at present knew, the Egyptians were the pioneers of education ; but it must be borne in mind that their learning was confined to the members of the King's household, the priesthood, and the upper classes of society, the masses of the people being kept in a state of profound ignorance. Crossing the sea to the Isles of Greece they found many centuries later a great advance upon the educational arrangements of ancient Egypt. There they saw for the first time in the history of the world schools for the instruction of the masses, but the one great drawback of the (ireek system was that women were shut out from all educational advantages. In a word it was believed that no women of culture could be chaste. It was the knowledge of this fact which led S Paul, in writing to the Church at Corinth, to forbid the female members of the congregation to speak hi the church, lest by so doing they should bring upon themselves the reproach of being unchaste and thus damage the interests of the commu nity at large. People in the present day, too, often torgot that public sentiment on the subject was altogether different from tiiat prevailing in the days of ancient (itree.ee. They had no objection to hear a woiiianlecture ma Inll, speak from a public platform, or address general assemblies of people, but to -see her enter within the altar rails or ascend the pulpit stairs would horrify them indeed, and old gentlemen in gold-cased spectacles would justify the feeling which such a sight aroused by pointing authoritatively to the passage referred to in St. Paul's epistle to the Corinthians. The lectuier, after noticing briefly the introduction of classical learning in the middle ages, spoke of the glorious resurrection ot human intelligence at the Reformation. In the present day they saw the nations of Kurope, while widely differing on other subjects, thoroughly agreed that an ignorant man was a danger to society at large. This growth of education among the masse 3 created a thiist for the power of governing themselves, and when the thirst was improperly checked a perpetual state of unrest followed. For instance, he certainly did not approve the conduct of the Nihilists of Russia; but he could not help feeling that if lie were surrounded by their circumstances, and goaded into rebellion by unjustly administered laws, he certainly should be a member of that community, for he was perfectly certain th it the material he was mule of ua* not suited to the composition of an abject slave. Of conrs", mhisemntry nearly every nationality un ler the miv was represented, and amonjj them Russims, (J"rman& and French. He gladly acknowledged the capacity o! these men to teach them the arts, nnnuf.ictures, and sciences, but he thought that in the great art of government the American people were a long way ahead ol the nations named, and on Id certainly learn nothing from Nihilists, Socialists, or Communists.