IN TROUBLED WATERS

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 207, 26 May 1908, Page 8

IN TROUBLED WATERS

«—:— COUNCIL OF THE CHURCHES. RELATIONS TO CITIZENS' LEAGUE. - AN UNFORTUNATE LETTER. The Council of the Evangelical Churches was in troubled waters last night. A dozen members formed the mooting, and tho president (the Rev. W. J. Williams) was in the chair. A letter sent by tho secretary (tho Rev. A. Dowdney) to the local papers, after the school committee elections, disavowing any connection, bbtween the Council and tho Citizens^ 1 Bible-in-Schools Leaguo, whoso action in introducing a sectarian issue into the elections had been strongly criticised by tho Press, gave rise to an animated debate. REV. A. DEV/DNEY'S LETTER. 1 V Mr. R. C. Harding, read the.letter as it was . published in The Dominion. It disclaimed any connection between the organisations, and stated that' the writer was sure that tho Cotincil would not be a party to secure the introduction of tho' Bible ihto schools by any surreptitious ■ means. As printed in another paper, tho letter referred to the "notorious" Citizens' Bible in Schools Leagui.' As a member of both bodies, Mr. Harding protested that tho subject had never been beforo the Executive of the Council. Ho could only assumo that the secretary, on his own responsibility, had committed the Council to an unprovoked, unwarranted attack on a" League having for its object tho introduction of tho Scriptures into schools without dogmatic or sectarian teaching, an object with which he had every reason to believe the Council, was in sympathy. A large proportion of tho Council's active members wero members of the League. Was it a proper thing that the secretary of tho Council, without consulting that body or its exeoutivo, should commit the Council to such a serious matter ? He. knew of ministers who were opposed to the League's objects (Mr. Dowdney : I am not opposed to them). He knew of ministers who were in sympathy with them. Mr. Dewdney, in his official capacity, had made an uncharitable, unwarranted, and unjust attack on a body .which had as much in view the promotion of tho Lord's Kingdom in this country as, the Council of Churches itself, and if the Council .wished to take! any' public ' notice of another Christian institution in this city it should havo done so in the regular manner. 1 Ho asked that ■the Council*should eithor confirm the/action of tho in which case it wpuld be impossible for. him and four' or five' of .its most active members longer to remain connected with'-that body, or that the Council' should . state .whether it approved of the secretary's letter. They had read in tho local papers that; tho Citizens' Bible-in-Schools' League was regarded as an outcastand. panah by the evangelical churches and ministers in this • city.' That impression had been bred by the letter, to which he took exception, and he said that the Council of Churches was not responsible for that lotter, that 1 it, knew, nothing about it until after it was published, and that the of the Council would not have committed itself to such, an opinion. The platform of tho Citizens! Bible-in-Sjchools League had received the approval of some hundreds of school committees, and tho League had gircn now life'to the movement. Bo moved that the Council of Churches did not eiylorso tho letter published l in the local newspapers in its name'- by its secretary. WHAT IS SURREPTITIOUS? The Rev. -J. J. . North said that he felt some responsibility'in this matter. He 'had rung up Mr. Dowdney and callecr iiis attention to theTfact'that tho League-was a quantity unknown to the general public, and that, in his opinion, it,was inadvisable that the Council should seem to be'involved in its action with regard to the elections. , All tho locrvl .newspapers had made very strong comments on trio League's fiction, .and .much feeling had-' been, aroused 'among the general public. He thought, . therefore, . that, the. Council's honour was affected, 'and suggested to Mr. Dewdnoy, that it was duo to tho Church Council, and to the • churchcs to make it clear that tho Leaguo was not. identical with tho .Council or with the .Ministers' Association. . He still i thought that the explanation had been required. It was pointed out! that the\ motion had not yet been seconded. ''.*.." ,

■ Mr. T. S. Lambert,.. in s&onding . the motion, expressed regret that the ugly word ''surreptitious" had been used. Ho knew that tho action of the. Lc-aguo lind been made quito public, and';, ho believed that that body was doing very good work. . Mr. North said that the tactics employed by the League, in ' this instance; in. introducing a sectarian issue into tlio annual meetings _of householders, were unusuql .tactics, and it seemed .to him that the public ought to know/that the Council was not responsible. ; Mr. Dewdnoy had endeavoured to donsult the President (the Rev. W. J.'Williams), but ho was' not' on the telephone. Mr. Dewdney said that'he had previously been approached by a dozen men, not ministers, who connected the' Council with the League's faction. 'Tho statement ] wasfreely circulated' among electors that the parsons were trying to capturo the School Committees, and m many instances a'determined and organised movement was made to pre vent the parsons so cloing, while the namo of tho Church Council was in certain quarters freely associated with the matter. ; His' letter was'a statemont of fact, which no one present could_ deny, and in referring to the League's action as a "surreptitious" attempt' to achieve its object ho only took,the same yiew as was taken by all tho local newspapers, and by nine out of ten electors to whom lie had spoken. With the chief objects of the Citizens' League he had considerable sympathy, but with these particular tactics he had no sympathy. His letter did. not state that tho Council did not approve of • the. Leaguo's action. *It merely expressed his. opinion that the Council would not approve of it. He had been careful in regard to that. OBJECTS OF THE LEAGUE. Mr. J. G. W. Aitken, M.P.,. said that tho Citizens' League was established with the intention of! showing that others, besides clergymen, were interested in.tho Bible-in-Schools movement. . He thought that the explanation published by tho Secretary was necessary, but one or two expressions'in the letter might have been omitted, especially the word surreptitious. ' * \ Mr. North asked if, it was not aaact that tho first '.public notification .of the Leaguo's intention was'mado ; in condemnatory leading articles in the newspapers. . It was after their denunciations, ho believed, that advertisements ; appeared statingSwhat <was being done, and asking the electors to vote'in, a certain direction. . Mr. Harding said that Committees which had previously shown themselves hostile to the Leaguo's proposals received circulars sotting forth. its platform' with a notification that nominations of candidates favourable to the platform. would be made. Advertisements wore.also published in the papers that certain candidates would bo nominated to theso Committees who woro favourable to tho League. Ho had had thing to do with the advertisements, and could not speak further in regard to them. . Mr. North moved as an amendment that tho'Council endorsed tho insertion by tho Secretary of an explanation as regards the relations between the Council and the League. Ho did not think that tho Couhcil would endorse tho uso of tho word "surreptitious." v Mr. Aitken seconded the amendment. ANOTHER SECRETARY NEEDED. Mr. Dowdrie.v said he did not/know what "surreptitious" meant if tho action of the Loaguo had not been, a' surreptitious attompt. Ho had not, .however, committed tho Council to that opinion. Tho circular was regarded Jjy the committees as a threat that if they did not too the Leaguo's lino they would be turned out. Ho would withdraw the, terms to please tho Council, but he .still held his op.injon,

!°i P ros 'doiit expressed regret that the troublo had arisen. No letter would bo written again without consultation of tho Executive. After further discussion the amendment was passed in the following form: —"That wlnlo disapproving of tho tone of the secretary's letter, this Council considers it was expedient that some explanation should ho given of tho relationship between tho League and tile Council of Churches." Mr. Dowdney ' was tho sole dissentient from the motion. "You'll have to get a secretary you can more easily consult," ho announced. "I Elian t sit down to this." SMALL ATTENDANCES. The question of the small attendances at meetings of tho Council also received attention. The reading of a paper which Mr. Dewdnoy had prepared on "Tho Churches and Social Problems" was postponed on account of the small meeting. Tho President pointed out that, as reported by,the papers,, the, address would reach some. 20,000 persons, but Mr. Dowdney preferred the inspiration of a visible, audience. The President asked the meeting" to decide by motion whether the address should bo given or postponed, and the meeting decided, after some discussion,. that Mr. Dowdney deserved, and should receive, a larger immediate audience. ' * . How to increase attendances- was then discussed. .. It was stated that an important Methodist meeting partially/' explained the small gathering last night. Mr. Lambert stated that the same persons wero seen at the Council-meetings year in, year out. He advised a personal canvass of the other members on the roll. , ,

It was finally decided that the secretary should send notifications of meetings to ministers for announcement from their pulpits. » It was decided that the deputation appointed to wait on Sir Joseph Ward in regard to tho Gambling Act and other matters should do so after the commencement of the session.