CHURCH AND LABOUR.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 820, 18 May 1910, Page 5

CHURCH AND LABOUR.

-♦ GREATER SYMPATHY. THE P.S.A, MOVEMENT.-A VISIT TO FRANCE. ME. KEIR HARDIE'S AVOWAL. 8j Telourapß—Press Association— Cocrrlcht Paris, May 10. Under the auspices of the Pleasant Sunday Afternoon organisation (known as the P.S.A. Brotherhood, whoso societies are very numerous in Britain, and aro federated in ii National Council), 250 British Socialists and members of trades unions on Sunday visited France. They were welcomed at Lille, in the north cf France, by thousands of trades unionists and Socialists. Delegates from tho different; brotherhoods (societies), including Mr. Koir llardio (Labour M.P.), and Mr. William Ward (president of tho National Council), intend proceeding on a Whitsuntide Christian crusade through France and Hulgium. Mr. Keir Hardie, during a speech on Sunday, remarked that religion had made him a Socialist. The churches were now becoming more sympathetic with labour. The great leaders 'in tho Continentlike M. Jaures, in France, and M. Vandervelde, in Belgium—had been discovering.what their British brethren had never forgotten—namely, that behind Nature was a power unseen, but felt, and a world reality beyond death. ; A NOTABLE MOVEMENT. RELIGION AND THE WORKER. The P.S.A. (Pleasant Sunday Afternoon) movement is 35 rears old. Mr. Eben Goold writes:-- " lfc 'is non-political and non-sectarian, though the meetings are mostly, though not exclusively, held in churches of all denominations. Thousands of nu-n and women have been led to live a new life, homes have been restored, and- drunkards and gamblers have been rescued. Grips tho Working Man. "The Sunday afternoon meetings aro free and homely and bright. There is a warm devotional worship and a straight, non-dogmatic address. The P.S.A. Brotherhood has gripped the working men, and forms a strong factor among the uplifting agencies of tho day." ill: Goold, tells the history of the movement as follows:—"Mr. John Blackiam, of West Bromwieh, started the irsL Pleasant Sunday Afternoon Adult Bible-class in IRTo. The idea and tho inspiration for this arose out of the Moody ami hankcy mission in that year in Birmingham. The aim of the founder was to form a bridge between fho Sundavschool and the Church, and his first membership was formed of fhosi! who had 'lapsed' from tho Sunday-school. Iliu movement spnmd in the Black Country, but it was not until 1885 that the movement was started outside tho district, when Mr. Reginald Hodiler and Mr.—now Sir—Henry Bemroso founded a great P.S.A. of 1200 men in the Tcmpuiance Hall, Derby. Nottingham nnd Leicester soon followed suit, and in ISB9 Mr. Blackham appeared on the platform °f TMI Congre = ation ' 11 Union assembly "From this time the movement spread by leaps and bounds, especially in Lancashire, under Alderman Park, of Afh-on-uiuler-Lyne, and in Yorkshire. Tho ale T)r. Baniado and Professor Henry 3ruinmond were also pioneer workers at his period. Since that time there has been continual growth. The Word Brotherhood. "The; word 'Brotherhood' was adopted n the early nineties, hut in the latest development of the work, and especially, though not exclusively, among Wesleyan churches and missions, the movement goes under the simple name ol The Brotherhood.' "During tho years from 1893 to 19115 six conferences wore held under the direction of Mr. John Blackham, and mostly at Birmingham, but at the sixth it, wan resolved to form a National Council, and the seventh conference was held in London (19UG), when the -National P.S.A. Council was inniißurnlod. "Somo time ago there were some 170(1 societies, an estimated membership of 500,000, with twenty-live district federations, nnd mostly men. There are a number of women's societies or sisterhoods, mostly hold on Monday evenings. Books and Thrift. "The book scheme, by which men pay a penny weekly, and receive the value a't the end nf the quarter or hall-year in a book, is almost universallly adopted, and quite a million books a year aro distributed in tho homes of the people. "There are various thrift schemes adopted by tho societies, such as sick and dividend clubs, savings banks, holiday fnnds. In the last-named, one Luncashiro society distributes <C 12,000 to its members annually, and several other sums r.f .£BOOO. JiTOOO, and the like. "Tho aim of the movement, aE given in the statement of the National Council, ia: 1. To lead men and women into tho Kingdom of God. 2. To unite men in brotherhoods ol mutual help. 3. To win the masses of the people loi Jesus Christ. ."Eov. p. B. Meyer, 8.A., formerly president of the National Council, speaks of the movement as 'the most remarkable movement of the day.' ". CHURCH AND SOCIALISM. LABOUR NOT ANTAGONISTIC. 11l spite of the out-and-out rationalism of Mr. Blatchford in the "Clarion," a largo and influential section of the British Labour and Socialist parties have nlways repudiated any hostility to religion. In France and Germany, howV?" 1 ; , ,; 1 " , overwhelming majority of the feudalists are definitely. anti-Christian. a. number of Anglican clergymen recently issued a manifesto in which the following statements occur:— "Our Socialism is not less earnest nor less complete because it is inspired by our Christianity. The central teaching of Socialism is a matter of economics, and may therefore be ndvocated bv all men, whether they bo Christians of unbeliever.-); yet wo feel, as ministers of the Christian faith, that this economic doctrine is in perfect harmony with our faith, and we believe that its advocacy is sanctioned and required of ns bv the implications of onr religion " Amongst the signatures are those of tho Hevs. James Adderley, Percy Dear™\v *j t l : £, ona ' d ?<»V Aidan Hancock, G. AY. Hart, Stewart Headman, S. nealr L. L. Marson, Conrad Noel, and Father William, of Plaistow. " 01 A largo number of Nonconformist in Englnnd are also working hand in hand with the Socialists, and whatever mav be tho objections to such an arrancr"ment it has certainly tended (o wevcitl as far as England is concerned, tho complete estrangement between religion and Socialism which exists in Continental countries. At a great Labour conference, held nt Hull some lime ago. a resolution was carried declaring "that. Hie attempt which has been made to make the Labour movement antagonistic to religion is. a deliberate pervcrtion of the truth, and is made for mean partisan purposes; it welcomes men rind women of all ligions beliefs, us it is n political movement donlini? with State, and not with Church affairs."