THE LATEST YANKEE SENSATION.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 2546, 3 November 1888, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE LATEST YANKEE SENSATION.

A sew sensation in America is tho Rev. Paschal Porter, a boy of eleven, of such remarkable ability and eloquence that thousands sit for hours listening to his profound and brilliant sermons. He has bcea appearing at camp-meetings at Cincinnati, and thousauds have been attracted to hear him. Notices have been put up of "A Remarkable Phonomeuon," " The Greatest Marvel of the Age," " A Natural Preacher," &c. Thousands of persons have heard him, many strong men have been moved to tears, and at a large children's meeting 1,400 persons took him by the hand in answer to a request for those only to do so who had resolved to follow Christ and meet him in heaven. A correspondent of the New York Evangelist went to hear him, and says that his sermons are able, pointed, Biblical, and impressive. The boy, he adds, is only eleven years old ; his parents are illiterate and apparently sincere Christians ; no one pretends to have detected any fraud on the part of the boy, who is not only a handsome boy, but modest, lovable, and apparently honest. An explanation, with which we regret to find ourselves in sympathy, is that the sermon 3 have been prepared by an older head, and that the boy is really phenomenal in that he has a most remarkable memory. For our own satisfaction wo subjected the boy to a number of tests, and left him with the conviction (I) that he did not understand the language employed in his sermons; (2) that his mental powers, with the exception of memory, are not at all remarkable for his age ; (3) we prefer to believe that the boy is not conscious of any deception; and (4) on the supposision that this ex planation is correct, we fear that the cause of Christ will be hindered rather than hastened by this boy preacher.