CHURCH AND LABOUR.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 820, 18 May 1910, Page 6

CHURCH AND LABOUR.

<, DISCUSSED AT BROOKLYN. ADDRESS BY REV. B. HUTSON. A class has been formed in connection . with the Presbyterian Church at Brooklyn, of which tho object is to study im- . portant social questions in their relation , to Christianity, and to try to help others to a fuller and clearer undei-stnnding of them. In pursuance of this object tho Kov. B. Hutson, the minister of the church, gave an address List evening on ''The Relation of Christianity to Capital and Labour." An invitation to attend was given to all interested in social questions, and a full and frank discussion by thoso present ivas included in tho programme. There was a largo attendance 'in response to the invitation. i The Rev. ]i. Iluison, who presided, stated that other meetings would bo held monthly, and written questions could be presented at any meeting. Tn the course of his address, which followed hi hymn and prayer, and the reading of a passage of scripture bearing closely on tho subject. Mr. Hutson urged that Socialism was essentially revolutionary, revolution being defined as radical change. Socialism implied tlie transference of all property from the individual lo tho community, and there had been no revolution equal to it in the world's history. Further, there was nothing in our law to prevent Socialism becoming accomplished fact before George V. had reigned as long as Edward' VJI. Christianity had never yet succeeded in reconciling capital and labour, probably e because those in charge of Christianity liad never seriously tried to •do so Jesus appeared sometimes to take up a. v neutral position in matters political ami ' economical, but in tho story of Lazarus i and Dives, Christ coupled heaven and poverty, gold and hell. The sin of cap- ( italism, according to the New Testament, was twofold—towards man it was ' •selfishness, towards God it was unbelief. I The two opposites in the New Testa- ( ment were God and gold. It was im- j possible for a man to be a Christian and t Hmass one million pounds, or even one hundred thousand pounds. The speaker ? referred to some anomalies of modern !, justice, such as the punishment of a j boy for stealing needed clothes, and the imprisonment of a man for attempting to commit suicide, whilo a court witness in tho case received £2 2s. and expenses. Such cases, lie urged, would be c ludicrous if they wers not so tragic, t Christ taught explicitly that the King- \ dom of God belonged to the poor and not b to the rich, although ho did not by any a menns exclude all tlie ricli and incliule a all the poor. Mr. Hutson went on to p condemn a reference by. ex-President 5 Roosevelt to "the cruel greed nnd viol- t> ence of Labour." jEe argued that the [j alleged greed and Violence' were the out- ,• come of hunger and oppression. He expatiated on the disadvantages of the „ poor, and asked wliat was to be done to „ right the wrong. A general discussion then took place. 0 In reply to a question Mr. Hutson said Sl he did not suggest that Christ put forward collectivism as a. remedy for social evils, but only that He was nil- J, tagonistic to capital, and sympathetic to u the poor. .Atr. Hutson also claimed that, if all men in New Zealand accepted e Christ to-morrow, there would be 110 0 longer a social nuestion. w A very interesting discussion conclud- w ed with a vote of thanks to Mr. Hutson. |j