"IDEALS OF EMPIRE."

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1450, 27 May 1912, Page 4

"IDEALS OF EMPIRE."

— 0 = SERMON BY ARCHDEACON HARFER. "\ostmlav (Empire Sunday) furnished the for an interesting discourseon Ideals of Empire" I>y Archdeacon Harper at the ovoninpr at St. I Church. The lli'ilish Umpire, ho said, should bo regarded by its subjects os a permanent raid increasing- influence tor the upliftment of the human raco, a benevolent influence in the widest sense of the term. So regarded, its efficiency would be in proportion to the civic efficiency of its individual subjects, and this consideration forced upon them the necessity for contemplating, in an introspective way, the general condition and progress of our Imperial civilisation—t.ho social efficiency of the individual as a citizen, as the head of a family, as a churchman, and' so on; the social efficiency of the parish, the community, the country. Some people professed an objection to our new military system, on religious grounds. No did not subscribe to nu objection of : this kind. Since God had given them this : country, was it not part of their duty as i trustees for (hat inheritance to civilise it, uplift it—not lo say that New Zealand i led the world, but that New Zealand was > part, of a great Empire which had led the i world in christianising the human race, i Introspective contemplation of our own > civilisation gavo one cau«o for reflection. < A grand jury not long ego had in the ' gravest possible language commented upon t the prevalence of ft certain class of offence, ] for the restriction of which they had j recommended punishment of a very severe j kind. More recently a Judge of the ( Supreme Court of New Zealand had, in a single day, disposed of eighteen appliea- j tions for "dissolution of marriage ou one ( ground or other. This relaxing of the t sacred 'permanence of the murringc bond .. gave cause for an examination of our , marriage ideals. ,