SOCIETY OF FRIENDS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 503, 10 May 1909, Page 5

SOCIETY OF FRIENDS.

CONFERENCE' IN; : . The conferenw of the. Society ;of. Friends ,met?in the Druids' Hall on Saturday night. About 60: members were present. Dr; Thos. Hodgkin, D.C.L:, Litt.D., who is ,visiting New Zealand as; a representative of Friends in England,'.delivered'-the' opening address. He said that thoro were some who held that tho result of the great spiritual strugglo now going on would.bo that, 'before the' end of this .century, tho civilised wprld : would be-, come either Roman (Catholic- or agnostic. Much as he would dread. the suprcmacy-.of Rome, the latter alternative would -bo far moro appalling,- but the: Society ; of Friends, by standing up for their own free and simple faith, should be an_ important: link in the great chain of, causation that would save ,the world from either of tl\qse..disasters. Many in the other free churches were helped arid encouraged through iknowing.ithat, tho Society of Friends .subsisted without visible sacraments and without : any vestige of a priesthood... ,7 ■'■ Mr. J. Rigg welcomed the visiting Friends from oversea and from other parts of New Zealand^ Miss S. J. Lury thanked tho Friends in air parts of Now Zealand for their kindly co-operation, in- tho work of her oolkaguo (Miss E. B. Ruttcr) arid herself during their extended visit to the Dominion. ■ Other Friends expressed tho belief that there wore many people in New Zealand who wore' ready to receive the message. 1 of Quakerism. .-' ■•.''"•■''"-'■ , : The adult school and meetings for worship yesterday were well attended. Dr. Hodgkin gave a, Bible.'lecture in the afternoon on _tho Epistle to the Galatians, as soon in tho light of 'modern, religious scholarship. Tho evening meeting was.held -at, tho Y.M.C.A.