THE CHURCH AND SOCIAL REFORM.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 515, 24 May 1909, Page 5

THE CHURCH AND SOCIAL REFORM.

VIEWS OF THE.REVi T; H, SPROTT. The Federal Pnmo Minister's definition of the- duty of the clergy as regards social reform IB not accepted by thdHsv. T. H. Sprott without qualification or criticism. Mr. Sprott has a way of ooomg "tho other side of questions that is aUvays interesting and instructive, l'reaclmiij at St. l'aul's pro. Cathodral yesterday morning ho said the clergy had been told to cease talking about 'the eternal world and to devoto thomsolvoa to'tho advocacy of social reform. It was true, he 1 eaid, that a teacher of religion; and especially of tho Christian religion, should do in sympathy with every earnost effort to ameliorate tho life'and condition of their fellows, who in thoir inmost nature were children of God, and for whom Christ died, Ho must be excused, however, if he did not tako up and advocate, as a taachci of religion, some elaborate programme of eooial reform, . Thoso who wero well on in years'and knew something of history wore aware that these elaborate programmes'had a knaclt of working out very difrorcntly from what was originally intended. They often worked out in a surprisingly different way, and the'romedics were sometimes worse than the disease. At one time men were convinced thut universal instruction was tbo groat remedy for crime, Thoy noticed that the greater number 01 those in jjaols could not road or write, nnd the natural conclusion seemed to be that thego people wore i there because thoy not read or writ©. So great educational schemes were started, and now.aftor about a century's trial thoy found . that about 60 per cent, of thoso in gaol could read,'and'write. Ho did not undervalue education; indeed; he placed a vory high value on it. but he merely mentioned these facts to illustrate his point that Bonomos of social reform did not always work out as thoir promoters intended. There had been times m tho history of tho Church when the gaze of, men was teo exelusivoly fixed on tho heavens, but the tendoncy of the present ago was in tho other direction, / Men, nowadays s thought -too much -about things/transient and material, and noro in danger of losing their connection with the eternal and unsuon. It was, therefore, von necessary that there should bo a few pooplo whose special function it nas to romind men i X fiu i tr 1 uo l doiit " l y- For men to lose sight wl,,u I V , are akm ' to th e Eternal would bo a fatal blow to social reform. Once convince, them that thoy die like brutes, and .before. long they,mil ask why trouble-about tho nusenoa of their less fortunate fellows? U would bo all over in a few years, and that believed that mankind had a divine and eternal destiny, such boliof must bo'a crcnt fTsw*u° SOcial r s orm - If thc >- really felt that they wero akin to God-brothers in the family of. God-thoy would believe that eyory phase in. the life of every' man was 3SvH n r no P, haso « f s «oh » life should be lived m squalor or vice. This belief would do more than anything else to oause men to recognise tho truo significance of life, to bear one another's burdens, to ba absolutely honest, to be temperate in body and mind, hopeful, and cheerful, to discourage wasteful extravagance and luxury, and to lead simpler and more worthy lives. In ■ , iM?S the y Tl could hav , B s .°™ ] rofor m within a lifetime. It was well in these days that there should be at least a far men to bear witness to tho unseen and tho eternal, and to remind men .that death,was not tho end. in.oso witnesses might just now bo like I«f ? ,°, r y. ,n e '"the wildernoss, but thoy found their confidnnrn in the firm bnlirf that the human mm could not permanently miss us trne good.