Christian origins.--Mithraism.--Astronomy.--Exercising boats.--Bad
news from home.--Futile strikes.--Labour Party.--The blue
wilderness.--Journey to Brisbane.--Warm reception.--Friends and
foes.--Psychic experience of Dr. Doyle.--Birds.--Criticism on
Melbourne.--Spiritualist Church.--Ceremony.--Sir Matthew
Nathan.--Alleged repudiation of Queensland.--Billy tea.--The bee
farm.--Domestic service in Australia.--Hon. John Fihilly.--Curious
photograph by the state photographer.--The "Orsova."
The voyage back from New Zealand to Melbourne was pleasant and
uneventful, though the boat was small and there was a sea rough enough
to upset many of the passengers. We were fortunate in our Captain,
Doorby, who, I found, was a literary confrere with two books to his
credit, one of them a record of the relief ship _Morning_, in which he
had served at the time of Scott's first expedition, the other a little
book, "The Handmaiden of the Navy," which gave some of his adventures
and experiences in the merchant service during the great war. He had
been torpedoed once, and had lost, on another occasion, nearly all his
crew with plague, so that he had much that was interesting to talk
about. Mr. Blake, of the _Strand Magazine_, was also on board. A
Unitarian Minister, Mr. Hale, was also a valuable companion, and we had
much discussion over the origins of Christianity, which was the more
interesting to me as I had taken advantage of the voyage to re-read the
Acts and Paul's Epistles. There are no documents which can be read so
often and yet reveal something new, the more so when you have that
occult clue which is needful before Paul can be understood. It is
necessary also to know something of Mythra worship and the other
philosophies which Paul had learned, and woven into his Christianity. I
have stated elsewhere my belief that all expressions about redemption by
blood, the blood of the lamb, etc., are founded upon the parallel of the
blood of the bull which was shed by the Mythra-worshippers, and in which
they were actually baptised. Enlarging upon this, Mr. Hale pointed out
on the authority, if I remember right, of Pfleiderer's "Christian
Origins," that in the Mythra service something is placed over the
candidate, a hide probably, which is called "putting on Mythra," and
corresponds with Paul's expression about "putting on Christ." Paul, with
his tremendous energy and earnestness, fixed Christianity upon the
world, but I wonder what Peter and those who had actually heard Christ's
words thought about it all. We have had Paul's views about Christ, but
we do not know Christ's views about Paul. He had been, as we are told by
himself, a Jewish Pharisee of the strictest type in his youth at
Jerusalem, but was a Roman citizen, had lived long at Tarsus, which was
a centre of Mithraism, and was clearly famous for his learning, since
Festus twitted him with it. The simple tenets of the carpenter and the
fishermen would take strange involved forms in such a brain as that. His
epistles are presumably older than the gospels, which may, in their
simplicity, represent a protest against his confused theology.
It was an enjoyable voyage in the little _Paloona_, and rested me after
the whirlwind campaign of New Zealand. In large liners one loses in
romance what one gains in comfort. On a small ship one feels nearer to
Nature, to the water and even to the stars. On clear nights we had
magnificent displays of the Southern heaven. I profited by the
astronomical knowledge of Mr. Smythe. Here first I was introduced to
Alpha Centauri, which is the nearest fixed star, and, therefore, the
cobber to the sun. It is true that it is distant 3-1/2 years of light
travel, and light travels at about 182,000 miles a second, but when one
considers that it takes centuries for average starlight to reach us, we
may consider Alpha as snuggling close up to us for companionship in the
lonely wastes of space. The diamond belt of Orion looks homely enough
with the bright solitaire Sirius sparkling beside it, but there are the
Magellanic clouds, the scattered wisps torn from the Milky Way, and
there is the strange black space called the Coalsack, where one seems to
look right past all created things into a bottomless void. What would
not Galileo and all the old untravelled astronomers have given to have
one glimpse of this wondrous Southern display?
Captain Doorby, finding that he had time in hand, ran the ship into a
small deserted bay upon the coast, and, after anchoring, ordered out
all the boats for the sake of practice. It was very well done, and yet
what I saw convinced me that it should be a Board of Trade regulation,
if it is not one already, that once, at least, near the beginning of
every long voyage, this should be compulsory. It is only when you come
to launch them that you really realise which of the davits is rusted up,
and which block is tangled, or which boat is without a plug. I was much
impressed by this idea as I watched the difficulties which were
encountered even in that secluded anchorage.
The end of my journey was uneventful, but my joy at being reunited with
my family was clouded by the news of the death of my mother. She was
eighty-three years of age, and had for some years been almost totally
blind, so that her change was altogether a release, but it was sad to
think that we should never see the kind face and gracious presence again
in its old material form. Denis summed up our feelings when he cried,
"What a reception Grannie must have had!" There was never any one who
had so broad and sympathetic a heart, a world-mother mourning over
everything which was weak or oppressed, and thinking nothing of her own
time and comfort in her efforts to help the sufferers. Even when blind
and infirm she would plot and plan for the benefit of others, thinking
out their needs, and bringing about surprising results by her
intervention. For my own psychic work she had, I fear, neither sympathy
nor understanding, but she had an innate faith and spirituality which
were so natural to her that she could not conceive the needs of others
in that direction. She understands now.
Whilst in the Blue Mountains I was forced to reconsider my plans on
account of the strike which has paralysed all coastal trade. If I should
be able to reach Tasmania I might be unable to return, and it would,
indeed, be a tragic situation if my family were ready to start for
England in the _Naldera_, and I was unable to join them. I felt,
therefore, that I was not justified in going to Tasmania, even if I were
able, which is very doubtful. It was sad, as it spoiled the absolute
completeness of my tour, but on the other hand I felt sure that I should
find plenty of work to do on the mainland, without taking so serious a
risk.
It is a terrible thing to see this young country, which needs every hour
of time and every ounce of energy for its speedy development frittering
itself away in these absurd conflicts, which never give any result to
compare with the loss. One feels that in the stern contests of nations
one will arise which has economic discipline, and that none other could
stand against it. If the training of reorganised Germany should take
this shape she will conquer and she will deserve to conquer. It is a
monstrous abuse that Compulsory Arbitration Courts should be
established, as is the case in Australia, and that Unions should either
strike against their decisions, or should anticipate their decisions, as
in the case of these stewards, by forcing a strike. In such a case I
hold that the secretary and every other official of the Union should be
prosecuted and heavily fined, if not imprisoned. It is the only way by
which the community can be saved from a tyranny which is quite as real
as that of any autocrat. What would be said, for example, of a king who
cut off the islands of Tasmania and New Zealand from communication with
the outer world, deranging the whole Christmas arrangements of countless
families who had hoped to reunite? Yet this is what has been done by a
handful of stewards with some trivial grievance. A fireman who objects
to the cooking can hold up a great vessel. There is nothing but chaos in
front of a nation unless it insists upon being master in its own house,
and forbids either employed or employer to do that which is for the
common scathe. The time seems to be coming when Britons, the world over,
will have to fight for liberty against licence just as hard as ever they
fought for her against tyranny. This I say with full sympathy for the
Labour Party, which I have often been tempted to join, but have always
been repelled by their attempt to bully the rest of the State instead of
using those means which would certainly ensure their legitimate success,
even if it took some years to accomplish. There are many anomalies and
injustices, and it is only a people's party which can set them right.
Hereditary honours are an injustice, lands owned by feudal or royal gift
are an injustice, increased private wealth through the growth of towns
is an injustice, coal royalties are an injustice, the expense of the law
is a glaring injustice, the support of any single religion by the State
is an injustice, our divorce laws are an injustice--with such a list a
real honest Labour Party would be a sure winner if it could persuade us
all that it would not commit injustices itself, and bolster up labour
artificially at the expense of every one else. It is not organised
labour which moves me, for it can take care of itself, but it is the
indigent governesses with thirty pounds a year, the broken people, the
people with tiny pensions, the struggling widows with children--when I
think of all these and then of the man who owns a county I feel that
there is something deeply, deeply wrong which nothing but some great
strong new force can set right.
One finds in the Blue Mountains that opportunity of getting alone with
real Nature, which is so healing and soothing a thing. The wild scrub
flows up the hillsides to the very grounds of the hotels, and in a very
few minutes one may find oneself in the wilderness of ferns and gum
trees unchanged from immemorial ages. It is a very real danger to the
young or to those who have no sense of direction, for many people have
wandered off and never come back alive--in fact, there is a specially
enrolled body of searchers who hunt for the missing visitor. I have
never in all my travels seen anything more spacious and wonderful than
the view from the different sandstone bluffs, looking down into the huge
gullies beneath, a thousand feet deep, where the great gum trees look
like rows of cabbages. I suppose that in water lies the force which, in
the course of ages, has worn down the soft, sandy rock and formed these
colossal clefts, but the effects are so enormous that one is inclined to
think some great earth convulsion must also have been concerned in their
production. Some of the cliffs have a sheer drop of over one thousand
feet, which is said to be unequalled in the world.
These mountains are so precipitous and tortuous, presenting such a maze
to the explorer, that for many years they were a formidable barrier to
the extension of the young Colony. There were only about forty miles of
arable land from the coast to the great Hawkesbury River, which winds
round the base of the mountains. Then came this rocky labyrinth. At
last, in 1812, four brave and persevering men--Blaxland, Evans,
Wentworth and Lawson--took the matter in hand, and after many
adventures, blazed a trail across, by which all the splendid hinterland
was opened up, including the gold fields, which found their centre in
the new town of Bathurst. When one reflects that all the gold had to be
brought across this wilderness, with unexplored woodlands fringing the
road, it is no wonder that a race of bushrangers sprang into existence,
and the marvel is that the police should ever have been able to hunt
them down. So fresh is all this very vital history in the development of
a nation, that one can still see upon the trees the marks of the
explorers' axes, as they endeavoured to find a straight trail among the
countless winding gullies. At Mount York, the highest view-point, a
monument has been erected to them, at the place from which they got the
first glimpse of the promised land beyond.
We had been told that in the tropical weather now prevailing, it was
quite vain for us to go to Queensland, for no one would come to listen
to lectures. My own belief was, however, that this subject has stirred
people very deeply, and that they will suffer any inconvenience to learn
about it. Mr. Smythe was of opinion, at first, that my audiences were
drawn from those who came from curiosity because they had read my
writings, but when he found that the second and the third meetings were
as full as the first, he was forced to admit that the credit of success
lay with the matter rather than with the man. In any case I reflected
that my presence in Brisbane would certainly bring about the usual Press
controversy, with a free ventilation of the subject, so we determined to
go. Mr. Smythe, for once, did not accompany us, but the very capable
lady who assists him, Miss Sternberg, looked after all arrangements.
It was a very wearisome train journey of twenty-eight hours; tropically
hot, rather dusty, with a change in the middle, and the usual stuffiness
of a sleeper, which was superior to the ordinary American one, but below
the British standard. How the Americans, with their nice sense of
decency, can stand the awful accommodation their railway companies give
them, or at any rate, used to give them, is incomprehensible, but public
opinion in all matters asserts itself far less directly in America than
in Britain. Australia is half-way between, and, certainly, I have seen
abuses there in the management of trains, posts, telegrams and
telephones, which would have evoked loud protests at home. I think that
there is more initiative at home. For example, when the railway strike
threatened to throttle the country, the public rose to the occasion and
improvised methods which met the difficulty. I have not heard of
anything of the kind in the numerous strikes with which this community
is harassed. Any individual action arouses attention. I remember the
amusement of the Hon. Agar Wynne when, on arriving late at Melbourne, in
the absence of porters, I got a trolley, placed my own luggage on it,
and wheeled it to a cab. Yet we thought nothing of that when labour was
short in London.
The country north of Sydney is exactly like the Blue Mountains, on a
lesser scale--riven ranges of sandstone covered with gum trees. I cannot
understand those who say there is nothing worth seeing in Australia, for
I know no big city which has glorious scenery so near it as Sydney.
After crossing the Queensland border, one comes to the Darling Downs,
unsurpassed for cattle and wheat. Our first impressions of the new State
were that it was the most naturally rich of any Australian Colony, and
the longer we were in it, the more did we realise that this was indeed
so. It is so enormous, however, that it is certain, sooner or later, to
be divided into a South, Middle, and North, each of which will be a
large and flourishing community. We observed from the railway all sorts
of new vegetable life, and I was especially interested to notice that
our English Yellow Mullein was lining the track, making its way
gradually up country.
Even Sydney did not provide a warmer and more personal welcome than that
which we both received when we at last reached Brisbane. At Toowoomba,
and other stations on the way, small deputations of Spiritualists had
met the train, but at Brisbane the platform was crowded. My wife was
covered with flowers, and we were soon made to realise that we had been
misinformed in the south, when we were told that the movement was
confined to a small circle.
We were tired, but my wife rose splendidly to the occasion. The local
paper says: "Carefully concealing all feelings of fatigue and tiredness
after the long and wearisome train journey from Sydney, Lady Doyle
charmed the large gathering of Spiritualists assembled at the Central
Railway Station on Saturday night, to meet her and her husband. In
vivacious fashion, Lady Doyle responded to the many enthusiastic
greetings, and she was obviously delighted with the floral gifts
presented to her on her arrival. To a press representative, Lady Doyle
expressed her admiration of the Australian scenery, and she referred
enthusiastically to the Darling Downs district and to the Toowoomba
Range. During her husband's absence in New Zealand, Lady Doyle and her
children spent a holiday in the Blue Mountains (New South Wales), and
were delighted with the innumerable gorgeous beauty spots there."
After a short experience, when we were far from comfortable, we found
our way to the Bellevue Hotel, where a kindly old Irish proprietress,
Mrs. Finegan, gave us greater attention and luxury than we had found
anywhere up to then on the Australian continent.
The usual press discussion was in full swing. The more bigoted clergy in
Brisbane, as elsewhere, were very vituperative, but so unreasonable and
behind their own congregations in knowledge and intelligence, that they
must have alienated many who heard them. Father Lane, for example,
preaching in the cathedral, declared that the whole subject was "an
abomination to the Lord." He does not seem to have asked himself why the
Lord gave us these powers if they are an abomination. He also declared
that we denied our moral responsibility to God in this life, a
responsibility which must have weighed rather lightly upon Father Lane
when he made so false a statement. The Rev. L. H. Jaggers, not to be
outdone in absurdity by Father Lane, described all our fellow-mortals of
India, China and Japan as "demoniacal races." Dr. Cosh put forward the
Presbyterian sentiment that I was Anti-Christ, and a serious menace to
the spiritual life of Australia. Really, when I see the want of all
truth and charity shown by these gentlemen, it does begin to convince me
of the reality of diabolical interference in the affairs of mankind, for
I cannot understand why, otherwise, such efforts should be made to
obscure, by falsehood and abuse, the great revelation and comfort which
God has sent us. The opposition culminated in an open letter from Dr.
Cosh in the _Mail_, demanding that I should define my exact views as to
the Trinity, the Atonement, and other such mysteries. I answered by
pointing out that all the religious troubles of the past had come from
the attempt to give exact definitions of things which were entirely
beyond the human power of thought, and that I refused to be led along so
dangerous a path. One Baptist clergyman, named Rowe, had the courage to
say that he was on my side, but with that exception I fear that I had a
solid phalanx against me.
On the other hand, the general public were amazingly friendly. It was
the more wonderful as it was tropical weather, even for Brisbane. In
that awful heat the great theatre could not hold the people, and they
stood in the upper galleries, packed tightly, for an hour and a half
without a movement or a murmur. It was a really wonderful sight. Twice
the house was packed this way, so (as the Tasmanian venture was now
hopeless, owing to the shipping strike) I determined to remain in our
very comfortable quarters at the Bellevue Hotel, and give one more
lecture, covering fresh ground. The subject opens up so that I am sure I
could lecture for a week without repeating myself. On this occasion the
house was crowded once more. The theatrical manager said, "Well, if it
was comic opera in the season, it could not have succeeded better!" I
was rather exhausted at the end, for I spoke, as usual, with no
chairman, and gave them a full ninety minutes, but it was nearing the
end of my work, and the prospect of the quiet time ahead of us helped
me on.
I met a kinsman, Dr. A. A. Doyle, who is a distinguished skin
specialist, in Brisbane. He knew little of psychic matters, but he had
met with a remarkable experience. His son, a splendid young fellow, died
at the front. At that moment his father woke to find the young soldier
stooping over him, his face quite close. He at once woke his wife and
told her that their son, he feared, was dead. But here comes a fine
point. He said to the wife, "Eric has had a return of the acne of the
face, for which I treated him years ago. I saw the spots." The next post
brought a letter, written before Eric's death, asking that some special
ointment should be sent, as his acne had returned. This is a very
instructive case, as showing that even an abnormal thing is reproduced
at first upon the etheric body. But what has a materialist to say to the
whole story? He can only evade it, or fall back upon his usual theory,
that every one who reports such occurrences is either a fool or a liar.
We had a pleasant Sunday among the birds of Queensland. Mr. Chisholm, an
enthusiastic bird-lover, took us round to see two very large aviaries,
since the haunt of the wild birds was beyond our reach. Birds in
captivity have always saddened me, but here I found them housed in such
great structures, with every comfort included, and every natural enemy
excluded, that really one could not pity them. One golden pheasant
amused us, for he is a very conceited bird when all is well with him,
and likes to occupy the very centre of the stage, with the spot light
upon him, and a chorus of drab hens admiring him from the rear. We had
caught him, however, when he was moulting, and he was so conscious of
his bedraggled glories that he dodged about behind a barrel, and
scuttled under cover every time we tried to put him out. A fearful thing
happened one day, for a careless maid left the door ajar, and in the
morning seventy of the inmates were gone. It must have been a cruel blow
to Mr. Baldwin, who is devoted to his collection. However, he very
wisely left the door open, after securing the remaining birds, and no
less than thirty-four of the refugees returned. The fate of the others
was probably tragic, for they were far from the mountains which are
their home.
Mr. Farmer Whyte, the very progressive editor of the _Daily Mail_, who
is miles ahead of most journalists in psychic knowledge, took us for an
interesting drive through the dense woods of One Tree Hill. Here we were
courteously met by two of the original owners, one of them an iguana, a
great, heavy lizard, which bolted up a tree, and the other a kangaroo,
who stood among the brushwood, his ears rotating with emotion, while he
gazed upon our halted car. From the summit of the hill one has a
wonderful view of the ranges stretching away to the horizon in all
directions, while at one's feet lies the very wide spread city. As
nearly every dwelling house is a bungalow, with its own little ground,
the Australian cities take up great space, which is nullified by their
very excellent tram services. A beautiful river, the Brisbane, rather
wider than the Thames, winds through the town, and has sufficient depth
to allow ocean steamers to come within cab-drive of the hotels.
About this time I had the usual experience which every visitor to the
States or to the Dominions is liable to, in that his own utterances in
his letters home get into print, and boomerang back upon him. My own
feelings, both to the Australian people and their country, have been so
uniformly whole-hearted that I should have thought no mischief could be
made, but at the same time, I have always written freely that which I
was prepared to stand by. In this case, the extract, from a private
letter, removed from all modifying context, came through as follows:
"Sir Conan Doyle, quoted in the _International Psychic Gazette_, in
referring to his 'ups and downs' in Australia, says: 'Amid the
"downs" is the Press boycott, caused partly by ignorance and want
of proportion, partly by moral cowardice and fear of finding out
later that they had backed the wrong horse, or had given the wrong
horse fair play. They are very backward, and far behind countries
like Iceland and Denmark in the knowledge of what has been done in
Spiritualism. They are dear folk, these Australians, but, Lord,
they want Spirituality, and dynamiting out of their grooves! The
Presbyterians actually prayed that I might not reach the country.
This is rather near murder, if they thought their rotten prayers
would avail. The result was an excellent voyage, but it is the
spiritual deadness of this place which gets on my nerves.'"
This was copied into every paper in Australia, but it was soon
recognised that "this place" was not Australia, but Melbourne, from
which the letter was dated. I have already recorded how I was treated by
the leading paper in that city, and my general experience there was
faithfully reflected in my remarks. Therefore, I had nothing to
withdraw. My more extended experience taught me that the general level
of intelligence and of spirituality in the Australasian towns is as high
as in the average towns of Great Britain, though none are so far
advanced as towns like Manchester or Glasgow, nor are there the same
number of professional and educated men who have come forward and given
testimony. The thirst for information was great, however, and that
proved an open mind, which must now lead to a considerable extension of
knowledge within the churches as well as without.
My remarks had been caused by the action of the _Argus_, but the _Age_,
the other leading Melbourne paper, seemed to think that its honour was
also touched, and had a very severe leading article upon my
delinquencies, and my alleged views, which was, as usual, a wild
travesty of my real ones. It began this article by the assertion that,
apparently, I still thought that Australia was inhabited by the
aborigines, before I ventured to bring forward such theories. Such a
remark, applied to a subject which has won the assent in varying degrees
of every one who has seriously examined it, and which has its foundation
resting upon the labours of some of the greatest minds in the world, did
not help me to recover my respect for the mentality and breadth of view
of the journals of Melbourne. I answered, pointing out that David Syme,
the very distinguished founder of the paper, by no means shared this
contempt to Spiritualism, as is shown by two long letters included in
his published Life.
This attitude, and that of so many other objectors, is absolutely
unintelligible to me. They must know that this cult is spreading and
that many capable minds have examined and endorsed it. They must know,
also, that the views we proclaim, the continuance of happy life and the
practical abolition of death are, if true, the grandest advance that the
human race has ever made. And yet, so often, instead of saying, "Well,
here is some one who is supposed to know something about the matter. Let
us see if this grand claim can possibly be established by evidence and
argument," they break into insults and revilings as if something
offensive had been laid before them. This attitude can only arise from
the sluggish conservatism of the human brain, which runs easily in
certain well-worn grooves, and is horrified by the idea that something
may come to cause mental exertion and readjustment.
Illustration: LAYING FOUNDATION STONE OF SPIRITUALIST CHURCH AT
BRISBANE.
I am bound to add that the general public went out of their way to
show that their Press did not represent their views. The following
passage is typical of many: "The criticism which you have so justly
resented is, I am sure, not in keeping with the views of the majority of
the Australian people. In my own small sphere many of my friends have
been stirred deeply by your theories, and the inspiration in some cases
has been so marked that the fact should afford you satisfaction. We are
not all spiritually defunct. Many are quite satisfied that you are
giving your best for humanity, and believe that there is a tremendous
revelation coming to this weary old world."
The Spiritualists of Brisbane, greatly daring, have planned out a church
which is to cost L10,000, trusting to those who work with us on the
other side to see the enterprise through. The possible fallacy lies in
the chance that those on the other side do not desire to see this
immense movement become a separate sect, but are in favour of the
peaceful penetration of all creeds by our new knowledge. It is on record
that early in the movement Senator Talmadge asked two different spirit
controls, in different States of the Union, what the ultimate goal of
this spiritual outburst might be, and received exactly the same answer
from each, namely, that it was to prove immortality and to unify the
Churches. The first half has been done, so far as survival implies
immortality, and the second may well come to pass, by giving such a
large common platform to each Church that they will learn to disregard
the smaller differences.
Be this as it may, one could not but admire the faith and energy of Mr.
Reinhold and the others who were determined to have a temple of their
own. I laid the foundation stone at three in the afternoon under so
tropical a sun that I felt as if the ceremony was going to have its
immemorial accompaniment of a human sacrifice and even of a whole-burned
offering. The crowd made matters worse, but a friendly bystander with an
umbrella saved me from heat apoplexy. I felt the occasion was a solemn
one, for it was certainly the first Spiritual Church in the whole of
Queensland, and I doubt if we have many anywhere in Australia, for among
our apostolic gifts poverty is conspicuous. It has always amazed me how
Theosophists and Christian Scientists get their fine halls and
libraries, while we, with our zeal and our knowledge, have some bare
schoolroom or worse as our only meeting place. It reflects little credit
upon the rich people who accept the comforts we bring, but share none of
the burdens we bear. There is a kink in their souls.
I spoke at some length, and the people listened with patience in spite
of the great heat. It was an occasion when I could, with propriety, lay
emphasis upon the restraint and charity with which such a church should
be run. The Brisbane paper reports me as follows: "I would emphasise
three things. Mind your own business; go on quietly in your own way; you
know the truth, and do not need to quarrel with other people. There are
many roads to salvation. The second point I would urge is that you
should live up to your knowledge. We know for certain that we live on
after death, that everything we do in this world influences what comes
after; therefore, we can afford to be unselfish and friendly to other
religions. Some Spiritualists run down the Bible, whereas it is from
cover to cover a spiritual book. I would like to see the Bible read in
every Spiritualistic Church with particular attention paid to the
passages dealing with occultism. The third point I would emphasise is
that you should have nothing to do with fortune-telling or anything of
that kind. All fortune-telling is really a feeling out in the dark. If
good things are going to happen to you be content to wait for them, and
if evil is to come nothing is to be gained by attempting to anticipate
it. My sympathies are with the police in their attitude to
fortune-tellers, whose black magic is far removed from the services of
our mediums in striving to bring comfort to those whose loved ones have
gone before. If these three things are lived up to, this church will be
a source of great brightness and happiness."
Our work was pleasantly broken by an invitation to lunch with Sir
Matthew Nathan, at Government House. Sir Matthew impresses one as a man
of character, and as he is a financial authority he is in a position to
help by his advice in restoring the credit of Queensland. The matter in
dispute, which has been called repudiation, does not, as it seems to me,
deserve so harsh a term, as it is one of those cases where there are two
sides to the question, so equally balanced that it is difficult for an
outsider to pronounce a judgment. On the one hand the great squatters
who hold millions of acres in the State had received the land on
considerable leases which charged them with a very low rent--almost a
nominal one--on condition of their taking up and developing the country.
On the other hand, the Government say these leases were granted under
very different circumstances, the lessees have already done very well
out of them, the war has made it imperative that the State raise funds,
and the assets upon which the funds can be raised are all in the hands
of these lessees, who should consent to a revision of their agreements.
So stands the quarrel, so far as I could understand it, and the State
has actually imposed the increased rates. Hence the cry that they have
repudiated their own contract. The result of the squatters' grievance
was that Mr. Theodore, the Premier, was unable to raise money in the
London market, and returned home with the alternative of getting a
voluntary loan in the Colony, or of raising a compulsory loan from those
who had the money. The latter has an ugly sound, and yet the need is
great, and if some may be compelled to serve with their bodies I do not
see why some may not also be compelled to serve with their purses. The
assets of the Colony compare very favourably, I believe, with others,
for while these others have sold their lands, the Government of
Queensland has still the ownership of the main tracts of the gloriously
fertile country. Therefore, with an issue at 6-1/2 per cent., without
tax, one would think that they should have no difficulty in getting any
reasonable sum. I was cinemaed in the act of applying for a small share
in the issue, but I think the advertisement would have been of more
value to the loan, had they captured some one of greater financial
stability.
The more one examines this alleged "repudiation" the less reason appears
in the charge, and as it has assuredly injured Queensland's credit, it
is well that an impartial traveller should touch upon it. The squatters
are the richer folk and in a position to influence the public opinion of
the world, and in their anxiety to exploit their own grievance they seem
to have had little regard for the reputation of their country. It is
like a man burning down his house in the hope of roasting some other
inmate of whom he disapproves. A conservative paper (the _Producer's
Review_, January 10th, 1921), says: "No living man can say how much
Queensland has been damaged by the foolish partisan statements that have
been uttered and published." The article proceeds to show in very
convincing style, with chapter and verse, that the Government has always
been well within its rights, and that a Conservative Government on a
previous occasion did the same thing, framing a Bill on identical lines.
On January 12th my kinsman, Dr. Doyle, with his charming wife, took us
out into the bush for a billy tea--that is, to drink tea which is
prepared as the bushmen prepare it in their tin cans. It was certainly
excellent, and we enjoyed the drive and the whole experience, though
uninvited guests of the mosquito tribe made things rather lively for
us. I prayed that my face would be spared, as I did not wish to turn up
at my lecture as if I had been having a round with Dr. Cosh, and I react
in a most whole-hearted way to any attentions from an insect. The result
was certainly remarkable, be it coincidence or not, for though my hands
were like boxing-gloves, and my neck all swollen, there was not a mark
upon my face. I fancy that the hardened inhabitants hardly realise what
new chums endure after they are bitten by these pests. It means to me
not only disfigurement, but often a sleepless night. My wife and the
children seem to escape more lightly. I found many objects of interest
in the bush--among others a spider's web so strong that full-sized
dragon flies were enmeshed in it. I could not see the creature itself,
but it must have been as big as a tarantula. Our host was a large
landowner as well as a specialist, and he talked seriously of leaving
the country, so embittered was he by the land-policy of the Government.
At the same time, the fact that he could sell his estate at a fair price
seemed to imply that others took a less grave view of the situation.
Many of the richer classes think that Labour is adopting a policy of
deliberate petty irritation in order to drive them out of the country,
but perhaps they are over-sensitive.
So full was our life in Brisbane that there was hardly a day that we had
not some memorable experience, even when I had to lecture in the
evening. Often we were going fourteen and fifteen hours a day, and a
tropical day at that. On January 14th we were taken to see the largest
bee-farm in Australia, run by Mr. H. L. Jones. Ever since I consigned
Mr. Sherlock Holmes to a bee farm for his old age, I have been supposed
to know something of the subject, but really I am so ignorant that when
a woman wrote to me and said she would be a suitable housekeeper to the
retired detective because she could "segregate the queen," I did not
know what she meant. On this occasion I saw the operation and many other
wonderful things which make me appreciate Maeterlinck's prose-poem upon
the subject. There is little poetry about Mr. Jones however, and he is
severely practical. He has numbers of little boxes with a store of
bee-food compressed into one end of them. Into each he thrusts a queen
with eight attendants to look after her. The food is enough to last two
months, so he simply puts on a postage stamp and sends it off to any one
in California or South Africa who is starting an apiary. Several hives
were opened for our inspection with the precaution of blowing in some
smoke to pacify the bees. We were told that this sudden inrush of smoke
gives the bees the idea that some great cataclysm has occurred, and
their first action is to lay in a store of honey, each of them, as a man
might seize provisions in an earthquake so as to be ready for whatever
the future might bring. He showed us that the queen, fed with some
special food by the workers, can lay twice her own weight of eggs in a
day, and that if we could find something similar for hens we could hope
for an unbroken stream of eggs. Clever as the bee is it is clearly an
instinctive hereditary cleverness, for man has been able to make many
improvements in its methods, making artificial comb which is better than
the original, in that it has cells for more workers and fewer drones.
Altogether it was a wonderful demonstration, which could be viewed with
comfort under a veil with one's hands in one's pockets, for though we
were assured they would not sting if they knew we would not hurt them, a
misunderstanding was possible. One lady spectator seemed to have a
sudden ambition to break the standing jump record, and we found that she
had received two stings, but Mr. Jones and his assistants covered their
hands with the creatures and were quite immune. A half-wild wallaby
appeared during our visit, and after some coyness yielded to the
fascination which my wife exercises over all animals, and fed out of her
hand. We were assured that this had never before occurred in the case of
any visitor.
We found in Brisbane, as in every other town, that the question of
domestic service, the most important of all questions to a householder,
was very acute. Ladies who occupied leading positions in the town
assured us that it was impossible to keep maids, and that they were
compelled now to give it up in despair, and to do all their own house
work with such casual daily assistance as they could get. A pound a week
is a common wage for very inefficient service. It is a serious matter
and no solution is in sight. English maids are, I am sorry to say,
looked upon as the worst of all, for to all the other faults they add
constant criticism of their employers, whom they pronounce to be "no
ladies" because they are forced to do many things which are not done at
home. Inefficiency plus snobbishness is a dreadful mixture. Altogether
the lot of the Australian lady is not an easy one, and we admired the
brave spirit with which they rose above their troubles.
This servant question bears very directly upon the Imperial puzzle of
the northern territory. A white man may live and even work there, but a
white woman cannot possibly run a household unless domestic labour is
plentiful. In that climate it simply means absolute breakdown in a year.
Therefore it is a mad policy which at present excludes so rigorously the
Chinese, Indians or others who alone can make white households possible.
White labour assumes a dog in the manger policy, for it will not, or
cannot, do the work itself, and yet it shuts out those who could do it.
It is an impossible position and must be changed. How severe and
unreasonable are the coloured immigrant laws is shown by the fact that
the experienced and popular Commander of the _Naldera_, Captain
Lewellin, was fined at Sydney a large sum of money because three Goa
Indians deserted from his ship. There is a great demand for Indian camel
drivers in the north, and this no doubt was the reason for the
desertion, but what a _reductio ad absurdum_ of the law which comes
between the demand and the supply, besides punishing an innocent victim.
As usual a large number of psychic confidences reached us, some of
which were very interesting. One lady is a clairaudient, and on the
occasion of her mother falling ill she heard the words "Wednesday--the
fifteenth." Death seemed a matter of hours, and the date far distant,
but the patient, to the surprise of the doctors, still lingered. Then
came the audible message "She will tell you where she is going." The
mother had lain for two days helpless and comatose. Suddenly she opened
her eyes and said in a clear strong voice, "I have seen the mansions in
my father's house. My husband and children await me there. I could not
have imagined anything so exquisitely lovely." Then she breathed her
last, the date being the 15th.
We were entertained to dinner on the last evening by the Hon. John
Fihilly, acting Premier of the Colony, and his wife. He is an Irish
labour leader with a remarkable resemblance to Dan O'Connell in his
younger days. I was pleased to see that the toast of the King was given
though it was not called for at a private dinner. Fihilly is a member of
the Government, and I tackled him upon the question of British emigrants
being enticed out by specious promises on the part of Colonial Agents in
London, only to find that no work awaited them. Some deplorable cases
had come within my own observation, one, an old Lancashire Fusilier,
having walked the streets for six months. He assured me that the
arrangements were now in perfect order, and that emigrants were held
back in the old country until they could be sure that there was a place
for them. There are so many out of work in Australia that one feels some
sympathy with those labour men who are against fresh arrivals.
And there lies the great problem which we have not, with all our
experience, managed to master. On the one side illimitable land calling
for work. On the other innumerable workers calling for land. And yet the
two cannot be joined. I remember how it jarred me when I saw Edmonton,
in Western Canada, filled with out-of-workers while the great land lay
uninhabited. The same strange paradox meets one here. It is just the
connecting link that is missing, and that link lies in wise prevision.
The helpless newcomer can do nothing if he and his family are dumped
down upon a hundred acres of gum trees. Put yourself in their position.
How can they hope with their feeble hands to clear the ground? All this
early work must be done for them by the State, the owner repaying after
he has made good. Let the emigrant move straight on to a cleared farm,
with a shack-house already prepared, and clear instructions as to the
best crops, and how to get them. Then it seems to me that emigration
would bring no want of employment in its train. But the State must blaze
the trail and the public follow after. Such arrangements may even now
exist, but if so they need expansion and improvement, for they do not
seem to work.
Before leaving Brisbane my attention was drawn to the fact that the
State photographer, when he took the scene of the opening of the loan,
had produced to all appearance a psychic effect. The Brisbane papers
recorded it as follows: --
"'It is a remarkable result, and I cannot offer any opinion as to what
caused it. It is absolutely mystifying.' Such was the declaration made
yesterday by the Government photographer, Mr. W. Mobsby, in regard to
the unique effect associated with a photograph he took on Thursday last
of Sir A. Conan Doyle. Mr. Mobsby, who has been connected with
photography since boyhood, explained that he was instructed to take an
official photograph of the function at which Sir A. Conan Doyle handed
over his subscription to the State Loan organiser. When he arrived, the
entrance to the building was thronged by a large crowd, and he had to
mount a stepladder, which was being used by the _Daily Mail_
photographer, in order to get a good view of the proceedings. Mr. Mobsby
took only one picture, just at the moment Sir A. Conan Doyle was
mounting the steps at the Government Tourist Bureau to meet the Acting
Premier, Mr. J. Fihilly. Mr. Mobsby developed the film himself, and was
amazed to find that while all the other figures in the picture were
distinct the form of Sir A. Conan Doyle appeared enveloped in mist and
could only be dimly seen. The photograph was taken on an ordinary film
with a No. 3a Kodak, and careful examination does not in any way
indicate the cause of the sensational result." I have had so many
personal proofs of the intervention of supernormal agencies during
the time that I have been engaged upon this task that I am prepared to
accept the appearance of this aura as being an assurance of the presence
of those great forces for whom I act as a humble interpreter. At the
same time, the sceptic is very welcome to explain it as a flawed film
and a coincidence.
Illustration: CURIOUS PHOTOGRAPHIC EFFECT REFERRED TO IN THE TEXT.
Taken by the Official Photographer, Brisbane, "Absolutely
mystifying" is his description.
We returned from Brisbane to Sydney in the Orient Liner "Orsova," which
is a delightful alternative to the stuffy train. The sea has always been
a nursing mother to me, and I suppose I have spent a clear two years of
my life upon the waves. We had a restful Sunday aboard the boat,
disturbed only by the Sunday service, which left its usual effect upon
my mind. The Psalms were set to some unhappy tune, very different from
the grand Gregorian rhythm, so that with its sudden rise to a higher
level it sounded more like the neighing of horses than the singing of
mortals. The words must surely offend anyone who considers what it is
that he is saying--a mixture of most unmanly wailing and spiteful
threats. How such literature has been perpetuated three thousand years,
and how it can ever have been sacred, is very strange. Altogether from
first to last there was nothing, save only the Lord's Prayer, which
could have any spiritual effect. These old observances are like an iron
ball tied to the leg of humanity, for ever hampering spiritual progress.
If now, after the warning of the great war, we have not the mental
energy and the moral courage to get back to realities, we shall deserve
what is coming to us.
On January 17th we were back, tired but contented, in the Medlow Bath
Hotel in the heart of the Blue Mountains--an establishment which I can
heartily recommend to any who desire a change from the summer heats of
Sydney.