Lecture, by Mr Rees.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume III, Issue 324, 13 July 1889, Page 3

Lecture, by Mr Rees.

Coystokbiso the miserable weather on Thursday, night there was an excellent attendance at McFarlane’s Hall, at which place Mr Rees gave a lecture on his impressions of a twelve months’ tour. The lecture was in aid of the funds of the Hospital. The chair was taken by the Mayor, who made a few introductory remarks, expressing regret that the weather was so unfavorable, but observing that it was a high compliment to Mr Rees, and showed their sympathy with the institution in view, that so many ladies and gentlemen should leave their, homes to come there on so unpleasant a night. Mr Rees, on coming forward, was loudly applauded, and he at once rivetted the attention of his audience; the lecture was timed almost to a second to an hour and a half, the interest being maintained throughout. The lecturer gave a pleasing sketch of his trip generally, with the impressions it had on a keen observer of men and things. From the day of the departure of Mrs Rees and himself to that of their return to New Zealand was exactly twelve months. The lecturer gave the audience an idea of the vast changes that had taken place in a few years. In America, he said, everything was actuated by the one motive, the almighty dollar. The same spirit pervaded all classes of sport and recreation, and no amusement was got up unless it was prompted by a desire for monetary gain. In San Franscisoo there is hardly any difference between the Sabbath and other days, and on Sundays the theatres arc nearly full, while the reverse is the case in regard to the churches. The lecturer had a good word to Bay of life in the Mormon city, The habit of polyamy is dying out; it is stringently suppressed by the law, and ths younger Mormons always have been against it, but the other principles taught by ths Mormon doctrine, the economic lawa and rendering of mutual help to one another, had the best results, Though the Mormon population waa five times that of the “ Gentiles,” for every Mormon in the prisons there ware ten Gentiles. It a man owed an account, and was too poor to psv it, it was just wiped off the books, The lecture was most interesting when dealing with the social, political, and religious characteristics of England. .He dwelt on the antagonism that was growing up between capital and labor. Capitalists are combining to increase their profits and capital, and the laborers on the other hand are forming unions with the express object of obtaining higher wages and shorter hours, the great syndicates aiming at opposite results, as for instance in coal mining, The day would coma when there will be a great conflict between the two, and when that day comes the English Parliament will have to step in end take charge of the mines. If such a strike was maintained for a month England would ba ruined. These matters did not seem to strike English statesmen as worthy of consideration, for their whole thought was centred on wretched political disputes which if left to themselves would float away like passing shadows. If one talked to the people or wrote to the papers about such subjects, they would say. I'Oh, it’s all right; don't croak; it has gone on long enough, and will come out right somehow.” No doubt it would, but by what process no man could tell. To show the hold which Henry George’s theories had now got in England he instancea a meeting in Bradford soms time ago when only four hands had been held up in its favor, but at a meeting last year there were only four against it, In eommenting-upon what he Mr Rees) had said before soms of the Radical Clubs in England, the members said there was no need for the people to leave England; the laud, they said, belongs to the people and all tney have to do is to take V. Against such teaching the other class say nothing, and so things are allowed to drift on in this dangerous state. They say the time is not opportune to consider it, Nsar.y all the English food supply comes from abroad. Supposing a war were to break out, what would be the result? When the recent war flcare was in these colonies, it turned out (subsequently) that Russia and France had Lot only a great fleet of fast crpisers. ready, but were prepared to turn . all their large steamers into men of war, which could be let loose on all the British commerce to destroy and burn. If England's food supp.y were to stop for twelve months the people wou.d starve Even now the navy was only being increased to enable it to fight the navy of other Powers, not to protect commerce. There wasi an arrangement with the owners of large EngHsh steamers that they were to be converted into vessels of war if necessary, and yet it was proved there were no guns ready to arm them with. Buch questions did not concern the English statesmen. Even those leaders whom we in the colonies loon up to with much respect seem to just float with the tide. A newspaper took up a question and then other papers followed suit, public opinion was then guided into one channel, the people seeming to follow like a flock of sheep: the leaders seemed to have no Individual opinions, and go with the current of their party. This is proved by the fact that men now take up questions which five year* ago they would not look at, as in the case of Mr Gladstone and Horne Rule, and the way the Liberal Unionists have joined the Tories, He wj; happy tq know that son) 6 moderate measure waa KbW gaining support and would at least give time to consider a question which waa threatening the safety of the whole Kingdom, and that there was a prospect of some relief be'ng eranted to that unhappy country Ireland, Mr Rees then alluded to fhe> ietribjj misery in th? East End of London, and compared ft with the great wealth In the West End, But there are hopeful signs of a change, and such men as Lords Rosebery and Aberdeen now recognise that in the Interests of all classes some plan must be devised to ameliorate the condition of the paar. Many thoughtful men and women are quietly striving to promote union with the Colonies, and of bringing labor and capital into harmony. England is the richest country In the world, and yet the poorest—the one class have all that wealth can produce, while the other just live from hand to mouth. The increasing antagonism between capital and labor ie perhaps after all for the beat, because directly a serious crisis threatens, then some scheme will bedevis’d to bring into harmony the’ grrif forces of labor and capital, and (said Mr Rees) the first Colony which meets the English people with a view to promote colonisation, will reap a golden harvest. The day w|ll yet come when there will bo an union between England and America, when they will be the dominant Bower that can determine that there shall be no war on ths sea, and the Continental Powers, for they will go to war, can ba left to fight it out across their own borders, and will not be allowed to carry fire and sword across ths sea. Snaaking on the religious phase of Heme life, Mr Bees Said that all the Churches were suffering from internal distensions about the forms of religion | tbs’ Bisbop of Lincoln was being prosecuted by the Archbishop for soma breach of form which he (the lecturer) really could not explain, because he did not think it worth while enquiring, and a large number of members of the English Church is going over to the Bishop's side, Mr Bourgeon has seceded from the Baptists, and other religious bodies are equally disturbed. Man seemed to have wandered away from the old simple religion that taught them to worship the Saviour, and to take up all their time in disputing about the forms of religion. On concluding his lecture Mr Bees was applauded moat enthusiastically,