RELIGIOUS ACTIVITY.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 727, 28 January 1910, Page 8

RELIGIOUS ACTIVITY.

WAVE OF RELIGION IN RUSSIA.

ENGLISH HYMN; TUNES. ' .'. Ai Kussian correspondent.of the London "Standard" jvrites:—.- •V. ' . Tramping' the, country from villagO to village, across the steppes .with shepherds, along the roads : with pilgrims, sometimes on horseback among the mountains, and oh horseback - always glad o£ a lift in a peasant's cart, never, loth to stop and gossip at. the roadside inn, the ; writer of these lines has been for twelve' months intimatelr in touch with the.Russian country people. - Of'the many things observed, worthiest of note seemed the state.of the people and the abundance of the harvests.' Tlie peasants were extraordinarily, contented and happy, ana the-good things of this earth amazingly plentiful and cheap. But the hap. ; piness that was there was the sort that knows not-.about itself, that is as yet inarticulate. It was not of : happiness •that chance, companions' of the road had-to. tell. Strange to say, it was of re: ugion. Time after' time, 'when' in Erigland- one would have emoted' to hear ' of Z® , ' <ind the". crops, we. went 0 prayer ''and salvation. The pastor of a- little ' Baptist Church told me • his. number - had • doubled this year,-, and • that • their-'-brotherliood in' all parts-.of the land*, were increasing at a like rate. Quite early in the' summer I yras.invited to go to a meeting. It was the first gathering of its kmd I hadwit-' nessed m- Russia. The place, - a large upper room,: was packed'with' poor people, lhere. not a woman dressed in finer than .printed cotton,,or \.V had grander ;flian : a:l?er.'' chief or.ashawV The, Minister was' the only man .in the room 'with-a collar. We were ranged men on one side .and - women on -jji i. otber; a , passage went up the middle to. an. ordinary' elevated reading desk; on it reposed a glass of: water, and an immense Bible. .There Were texts on the walls, printed large , in. Russian^. Jesus Saves," "Believe' N in Him and have Everlasting Life." .. The: miller of benign countenance—gave ■ out the hymn and ( sang the air by himself; it was very strange to hear the "whole congregation, burst vociferously into the tune of 4 the '.Old Hundredth. -This -was the. beginning, of . the service,; -It was toilowed by an. extempore prayer- in low, earnest .tones, andthen came : another Just. as. in 1 -an English chapel,. but this time to the .air .of f'See, the conquering hero comes servico-.proceeded' equably,-steadily.-J,here was no apparent enthusiasm' ex- °? p S ft® P r ® ac aer..: ; Not. the. hysterics or a YVelsh revival^meeting, not a tremulous' silence broken by ejaculations of e 'P eo P^ e listened stolidly- with that silence with which ■« hungry .people attack -a meal • that they know to be good. They were all, peasants, or. working men. They, like a hundred million others under':the-Russian .flag,- .had no ! knowledge.'of- reading or writing]' They ' had j no hvmn-bodks, but : they knew the I words by : heart. The hymns are just our ' own - English . tunes with \ appropriate I words -in Russiam; •It is '. quite' common 1 to nnd pastors in possession of Moody I and, Sankey's hyinn-oook, and ' I : came across. "Hymns Ancient'and Modern" in I one house. <. . ■ i ■ '. • • -— 1 —* •- ■ -,i

A SECOND ISAIAH.

EVANGELICALISM'AND INSPIBA- - TION. . Rev. P. C. Spurr (Baptist), of Melbourne, .;like Ms predecessor (Rev.P.S. Carey)i,, is;, finding himself in trouble with tne / ultra-orthodox people. In a recent letterto t the. London "Christian World," >e says a leaven of narrowof another kind in some.'of the;Ms-' : .trahan that, needs'. purging"'"out : in interests of the Kingdom of Godi. bome influential people' are doing an immense. amount or mischief by" their' emphasis of trifles, which: are of no important whatever. They . make a-man 'an offender for *a-.'wordV -yea; even'"'for"-ft S*'m ' of Aspiration or of .the Bible that does • not fit -in' to a 'letter with : their theories is pilloried wither ferocity that is.worthy: of a better cause. : Ine present writer holdswhat would generally • be called; a 'moderate' view. of. Inspiration/; He also''believes that almost insuperable reasons can be adduced for believing that a 'second Isaiah' is responsible \ for Part II of the < great < prophecy. bearing that name. Yet for stating these modest exclusion's'he has been branded as a dangerous teacher' a 'rationaliser/ a destroyer, of faith.'. One man—a medico—calmly, states in print _that .to< accept; the. hypothesis of a' second'lsaiah is to pluck Christianity .up . ..the roots. These excellent' men = can- 1 not with. ' They think "thev . a^„ do W'; God; service, 'v They:: deplore small attendances'at public worship, fail-i ing to perceive 'that, their : own' confusion' Oi essentials with non-essentials 'is re.sponsible: in; part for the alienation of thoughtful people from, the '• churches/ buch men, .unconsciously and without intends; it, are putting tho.evangelicalism • they, think to .serve • in the most- perverse light. A. man may preach. Christ with all_ "his heart and be' absolutely loyalto WvaigeL, He may attract a multitude or men, many of whom were not .'.in. the liabit of attending church: ho may make the Bible, a living book to a;week night audience,of;a thousand people—yet all this goes for nothing' with . People unless ,he avows. his-.' firm teliet-that a second Isaiah' is the masi •. fSpto* - pTOntion of 'the. • devil; and also that: St.: Luke, when-, he says that he traced accurately all ~ things from the first, really meant that.he sat pasave while the Holy Spirit dictated the ■tacts to. him. How evangelicalism suffers vet at. the hands of its friends! It is . the old , trick o£ scrupulousness over mint, anise, and cumin; with neglect of the weightier matters,"

HINTS FOR THE CHURCHES, V

-The Rev.. W. Temple;: (son of' the ,late ■Archbishop), speaking in Glasgow to a conference of students '. representing the Ihwlogical.Halls of. the Church!of Scot-. l&nd, the United Tree and other Churches, sajd.—'They owed: a terrible, responsi-1 unity surely to their own countrymen— quite-as genuine a responsibility, as that I which they , owed -..to , the ' unconverted peoples. It , was".no manner of ; use. at , this, time of''day preaching a'gospel,' however true, which.stood 'out-of relation to social - questions, What V the .' Chprch wanted_was not more machinery,'but a. new spirit; It was not the. business of the Church' to'preach this or that remedy for social erils. . It was its business , to preach those Christian principles through I followingwhich they would find :the remedy.: The Church .ought to be-doing aii immensework in the formation, of public opinion,' must. insist on' the doc-.I trine of brotherhood, and uphold the true ideal of public service, filling it'with the Christian spirit." . ..

CHRISTIAN SOCIAL UNION,

The seventeenth annual council of the Christian Social Union was held at Bolton on November 16, under the presidency ; of the' Bishop of Birmingham (Dr. Gore). Eighty-two delegates were present, representing, forty-one branches in'all parts of the country. / On the previous evening • there was a conference;of the delegates on the subject of/Infant Life and Child labour, whioh had been set for the joint study of the branches during, the year. The following resolution was carried unanimously :-r"That "in the opinion of this conference the members of the C.S.U. should be invited to press upon,' their local authorities ! the need of—(a) appointing .trained and qualified health, visitors, (b) adopting the Notification of Births Act, and (c) making by-laws under the Employment of Children Act for the limitation' and regulation of child .labour." And. furthers.-"That the Government should be urged—(a) to extend' the period, of prohibition of employment ■ for-child-bearingmothers, . accompanied by a scheme of. material insurance,: (b) to amend the permissive sections of .the Employment of Children Act by giving, them a compulsory character, (c) to abolish tho,present half-time system, and (d) to prohibit,tte labour of children under 13 attending school, • and (e) to prohibit street trading by all young persons under the ago of 17."' There was a crowded public meeting in the Victoria under tho chairmanship of the Bishop of Burnley. Speeches were also made by-the Eev. Canon J: Denton Thompson, rector of Birmingham; Miss G. M. Tuckwell ; and the Bishop of Birmingham. ' The following officers were re-elected for the ensuing year,:—President, the Bishop

of. Birmingham; vice-presidents, the Bishop of Southwark and the Bishop of Liverpool; hon. treasurer, Mr'.' G. C. Cbanning; hon. secretary, Rev. J." Carter. The five new members of the Central Executive are:—The Dean : of Norwich; the Dean of Ely;. Mr. Godfrey K. Benson, r6, cently elected Mayor 'of Lichfield;- Dr. ,A. H. Carter,; Professor of Medicine in the University of Birmingham and the Rev. W. Temple,' Fellow of Queen's Colloge, Oxford, son of the late Archbishop ;of Canterbury..' - ' Principal Forbes.. Jackson, having '.accepted 1 a . call to service in Aberdeen, has resigned the Principalship of; Harley Missionnrj' College to the great regret. of the friends of missions./ Students whom •ho [has trained are.-in air parts of the, world working in connection with .leading missionary'., societies. ~- Dr. Garvie voiced the views :of the directors of the Colonial Missionary Society at a recent meeting, :when he moved -a ,: resolution warmly . appreciating, the, services which in that way Mr. Jackson has rendered'to .the sooiety by men who are in Manitoba, Rhodesia, New Zealand; Natal, 1 Cape Colony, and: Newfoundland. .. . • Tho editor of the ; "Record": of the United Free Church writes in .the issue for 'December on the Central Fund, and says:—At the November term it. was i15,000-behind.' There were, indeed, some symptoms of. advance. .; We. have -been passing through hard times. If we reckon together the: funds allocated .to: the Free Church,, what we have' had to pay of their, expenses and' our, own,'- and: the tooneys 11 raised for the emergency and special building funds—the . cost of: these years of trial in cash alone has been U51.1C0.000. •' : The Roman. Catholic Church in Victoria i will .'be represented in Rome this year by Bishop,. Reville,, of Bendigo, ■ and Bishop Corbett, of Sale, who '.will make the customary decennial visit ad lujnina to the supreme Pontiff. '; '. - There, has .been.- established .in. conneo-' tion with Elmwood Presbyterian Church,' Belfast,, of .'which; ther Rev. : , Dr. Pnrve3 is'minister, .what is known as an antituberculosis class, which is an adaptation to the conditions in; Belfast? of an Ameri-' can model. . The class meijta in a room in' the heart" of: a' working-class district, and' is. under; the charge, of Dr. Marion Andrews. Mr. Justice Walton, who took part in the opening ceremonies in connection irith a bazaar held at Lewisham (England), in aid of the'new,'Roman Catholio Church' arid schools >of :St Saviour's [ .Mission, gave , some interesting _ particulars. re. specting Itoman- Catholic schools. The first of these, in London,'he-said,-was es-: tablished 'in 11 connection with ■ St..' Patrick's Church', Soho., at :.the beginning; of last, century,- at which period there were only ten [Roman Catholic sohools in the Iw-holo [of ; , England and Walesi. - Fifty years: later—about [ 1851—there were 311, none of [ which, received assistance from the.'. State -up to 1862. .Later figures showed that' in. 1906 - there ' were., 1070 Roman Catholic public elementary schools in England and Wales, and the amount 'contributed by' Roman Catholics towards these schools came •• in round' figures to £5,000.000. ratepayers,' ;who had- complaihts to make.'_that[ public; drains' were heing laid through their property, waited .on the City Council .last'; evening, and explairied [ their, respective cases.". After' hearinc the", petitions, the Mayor said that; the council did not wish to deal, unjustly with . any- property-holder, and' the outlying' districts committee;; would visit. the . sectionsreferred. to, and endeavour, to deal fairly with each owner. Authority has been given to the engineer ; of-the [Harbour Board to. make arrangements with the various shipping coiripanik as to facilitating [the, discharge of cargo at.the. King's Wharf.,: - . is too. much work, done in committee" .was:' the'- tenor of the remarks made-by several members of.the Harbour Board'.at. yesterday's-: meeting. It'.was pointed out;by ivarious speakers that-with the'exception of a few formal matters no ; ' thing of /moment was , dealt with in . open' board." It: was: generally admitted': that .there, .were .'ceriwn: financial-:arid: other: inferrial 'matters that, could' not be, taken in open : meeting. The chairman',said -'he .[believedi i in ieveiything : that[ : co'uld. be-' "being.'taken'.-in; open;: meeting .even • although. eveijy committee- matter' was terwards brought before' the .board and. could; be.discussed iri-public..-The 'rem-' efly,' was in the hards of. members,..as,a: majority.' could carry an ' alteration to the, by-laws. As. long as he. was chair-.'' man, however, ho must work on the rules placed ...before Wm 'for ; guidance. • Out of 61,278 youths ■, who presented themselves for admission to the army last year, 17,293 were. rejected [at"once, and 644 declared unfit for service shortly af--ter enlistment, according to ah official Teport just published. . Puny chests, 'decay of many teeth, ; short ■ sight, - varicocele, arid limb deformities were the principal' 'defects of the rejected." • Many of. ; these British ,youths • were • found, to be physic- : ally old 'men, -wMlo still' in their ' teens. More ; than; half of the total, were adjudged : incapable of masticating army :beef. The Surgeon-General,: Sir, .Alfred Keogh,: wishes to make'it clear .that his dental standards ".are riot' too exacting.' He would be satisfied in many cases' if the recruit who. has a 'few. of his teeth left would cherish,aiid,[polish.;them..daily., But the average'.recruit can not yet, "it seems, be triifted to do ths, and if lie is likely to' become, toothless : in a few months through , continual. neglect, the army is obliged to keep ['. [ him off its books. '•.• > 'Alcoholic,, or fermented liquor 'is pro.hibited bv a.notice in this week's Gazette from' being? carried by railway, into the King Country. Inquiries y-ere riiade [at the City 'Council table.: last'; evening regarding;, tho arrangements afoot ' for the widening of i Manners Street and its 1 , intersection with' Cuba Street. The Mayor stated that ho .was doing, all he could to push ahead the negotiations' in. connection . withthe' ividenirig 'at the Union Clothing: Company's corner,;, and. he considered that .the parties, were, within a : irieasurable. dis-' .tarice of[settlement. • .... ,[: "Sheds "and- rookeries 1 that: you would' ; scarcely, house a dog'in are being rented in" this city,".-said Councillor M'Laren I. at last night's meeting of the City Coun■cil. He also stated that , lie had occasion! ;to \Tsit; a sick 1 man, in. Tory Street re- ' ceritly,''and-'found 'him ,in a lcan : to' 4ft; by. ,7ft. 1 This condition . of- affairs is' [ existing all over :the 'city according .to l-.M.r. M'Laren whb' urged that an- amend--1 ment of the law was. necessary to enI able the;. corporation' to' deal: with :cases of ;the-kind. .The Mayor' did-not think thero was any need: for legislation as the Health Department- would soon take action if 'a.-'case of the kind was brought under its notice. ' : . ■' : The -proposal -to extent ~ the . Constable ; stroet : tram lineover the. hill;- to' 'Kilbirnie -was . raised | by Councillor ' Luke, at last .r night's meeting of- the City Council. Councillor Luko remarked' that, it must .be paterit to, everj'orio. that the'traffic on the eastem side of 'the city, was ; increasing to . such an extent' that an extension would soon have [to be 1 considered. ,'The Mayor said, that in view-of the increasing traf- !. fic on tho Lyall Bay line -the question must come up before long. He had thought the..-'matter' out of late and was only waiting to see how the tramway returns for the year worked out. and how. tho 'finances stood. . There was an evergrowing necessity-for the work, but the amount involved was so large . that a loan would have. to be raised. . I Between December 14 and January 21 7G applications were received by the City Building Inspector for ' permission ..to I erect, alter, or:extend buildings, and in 67 instances. permits ; were issued. The value of theswork done 'w ; as 'i£29,896 made up as under:—City, j£15,819; Melrose, .£11,720; -Wadcstown, Northland, JJ1997. . Numerous complaints have been made to - the City Council regarding the insanitary condition of the bathing sheds at Kilbirnie and Island Bay. The Baths Cominittco of' the council reported last evening that the' residents of these locals ties had co-operated with the; committee in investigating .the nuisance,/.but up to - the present there had been little improvement, .and, if matters continued as.j they woro now, the ,committee,'felt that admittance to tho sheds should only 'be 'effected by.issuing keys to.users on pay ; : ment of, tlio. cost of-the keys. [ . Tho American Vice-Consul it Shanghai states that game of all'. kinds' is very plentiful' there. The hornWs river, deeris to .be found all along the Yangtze River. Pheasants abound/, every where, and aro.often to bo, seen feeding.Xvitk the barnyard,fowls.; : . .'.. j . ■: ..,