PRESBYTERIAN ASSEMBLY.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18234, 19 November 1924, Page 12

PRESBYTERIAN ASSEMBLY.

CHURCH AND POLITICS

IfBESS ASSOCIATION TILEGEAM.)

PALMEESTOX X., November IS

Tho Presbyterian Assembly this morning continued its debate on the Youth of the Church Committee's report. The committee recommended the Assembly to agree to tho establishment of a Literary Department with headquarters at Christcluirch, with a book room to be run in conjunction with it. Assembly was asked to advance £IOOO towards the initial expenses and running of the scheme.

During the debate several speakers voiced tho opinion that tho Assembly should not go in for a trading venture which would offend people in their own Church.

Air Gow (Dunedin') moved that the work be confined to the Youth Department's activities.

Mr W. H. Rose, convener of the committee, accepted Mr J. Gow's motion, which, was carried on the voices. At the afternoon session the Rev. D. C. Herron (Auckland) submitted the following motion: "The Assembly urges upon tho people of.the Presbyterian Church tho importance of estimating adherence to moral principles higher than party when returning members to Parliament, and impresses upon the young manhood of tho Church the Christian duty of taking a duo part in civic and national leadership." In tho course of his remarks Mr Herron said it was timo that people were aroused to the tremendous necessity of taking a more lively interest in the type of man being sent to Parliament. He did not desire to introduce polities into the Church, but he reminded the Assembly that Amos, Isaiah, and Jeremiah had done so, and effectively, too.

They talked, about the necessity for optimism, but rather should it not be the necessity for pessimism? Their moral rights were being filched from them one after another. The divorce lairs had been tampered with and the gaming laws were so loose that whereas in 1892 lis Cd per annum was put through the totalisator per head of population, the amount for 1921 was £B. The report of the Licensing Committee, if carried into effect nest session, would put the Prohibition' movement back 25 or 30 years.

While the Young Men's Bble Class movement had done, its full share.in producing ministers, it had not, in the course of the 21 years of its existence, sent a single member to Parliament. There was something wrong .if they were not encouraging men to go into Parliament as a Christian calling. The motion was seconded by tho Rev. J. L. Robinson (Southland Presbytery) and carried unanimously.