Shame, Shock and Awful Strife in the Holy Village

Hear how a lady writer and a fiery preacher raised a ruckus in the City of Churches. You'll discover tales of lavish lifestyles, a riot at the Adelaide Town Hall, a scandalous court case, and a slanderous little red book that sold, and sold, and sold.

Writer Thistle Anderson, and preacher Elijah the Restorer were two sojourners who, for vastly different reasons, grabbed headlines across the country in the early 1900s.

Thistle outraged Adelaide society with her acerbic observations and clever character assassination. Elijah the Restorer set his gold-braided thugs loose on any audience member who objected to his fire and brimstone sermons.

This presentation was recorded as part of the State Library's Live and Learn program on 19 September 2023.

Presenter: Isabel Story, Librarian, State Library of South Australia