NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1595, 12 November 1912, Page 4

NOTES OF THE DAY.

, _ HThb reports which are to Ixj presented to the .Presbyterian General Assembly, which meets in Welling-, ton to-day, show that fchi?. past year has been marked by steady progress in the various spheres of Clvureh work. The reports, statistics, financial statements, etc,i make Up a.book of over 200 pagOß, and a glance

through this volume gives some indication of the wide extent of the sphere of. activity covered by the Presbyterian Church;' of New Zealand. This includes home and foreign missions, _ social .service, charitable .Institutions) temperance, and education in various forms. Beferring to the much-discussed question of the relations between the Church and Labour one of the reports states that "there is no need to sfty that our Church is not- appealing to the workers. She is, l>ut admitting as much as we can a big proportion of those remain outside the pale of the Christian Church. Hundreds of men entertain no real interest in the Church." This is certainly one of the most serious problems the Church of the twentieth century has to face. The Church can never be satisfied while a large proportion of the labouring classes lies quite outside its sphere of influence, and the labour movement on its side Urgently needs that spiritual uplift which religion in some form or other alone can give, but it would be disastrous'to both parties, if, in order to meet the demands of a section of extremists,- the Ghu'rch should allow itself to be dragged into the'turbulent arena of. political strife. Another matter dealt with is the weakening of the influence of the homo, and, as the" report on. this subject indicates, it is necessary that careful consideration be given to the best methods of' strengthening and developing the spiritual side of family life... While recognising tile serious difficulties to bo-overcame, and the great need for increased earnestness and enthusiasm, the reports are on the whole optimistic. TgE uprising of ( the "Arbitrationist" workers against the "Federationist'' strikers at Waitu recorded this morning will surprise no one.: The['really astonishing feature of-the situation is that the moil who have refused to come under the doinination of the Federation of. Labotif have endured so quietly.for so; long, the taunts and/insults, of the strikers. It would be asking, too imleh to expect that- the men work* ing in the mine should go on. for ever tamely submitting to the offensive demonstrations of men who refuse to work from lie- higher liiotive than a desire tp intimidate", into. Submission a sinalle-rbody' of;' fellow-' unionists who' decline to coma u.n-'. der the banner of the Federation of Lahour. Yesterday's disturbance is a matter, and may lead to stjll. more serious consequences unless the police., take strong measuresto check any re-sort.to' violence, s Thc law must be upheld, and those who disturb the peace must be punished ]' whether they be "Federationists'' Or' "Arbitrationists,". But'what better justification, could there be of .the wisdom and justice: of the actipii ot the fcoiice and the. Magistrate a,t Waihi than the ript reported to-day.. It was to remove the risk of such di.sg'raesful happening's.' that the Magistrate ordered the. inert brpnght before him charged ■with conduct paiculated to cause a breach, of the peace,, to -field sureties' for- their future behaviour. - It Was plain to him,, no doflbt,; as it must have been to eVery thinking person,., that if such conduct Were permitted to go on. Unchecked, it;must lead. to-jjisr . order with possibilities' of gijave trouble developing Put of it. : The misguided strikers, /misled by theH (; . leaders, and encouraged: by' the considerations extended to tfiern, havefailed to profit by the experience-of their comrades, arid -by. persisting in ; -. . their insulting behaviour have precipitated a_ resort to "physical violence, ._.leading, scene of riotand disorder.. . It is .fortunate that the affray end&d as well as li. did. The police, h.Qwcver'i. will no. doubt now realise that the demonstrations • by the strikers will require' more. stringertfc tjontrplii Such encounters, ard to'be aVoidfid,,' ' . ' Sojie of the Radical newspapers 'in Great Britain have lately been extending the greatest hospitality to every_ ignorant scribbler, , who can. : contrive some false 'indictment of the military training system of Australia and New Zealand. Here aid ■there, however, _ one .can find a -reasonable'avid fair-minded, man writing _ a temperateiy-worded protest against what • every .Australasian citizen knows to be a good and. overwhelmingly popular development in our nationhood/ ■ Sttch a man is fig; ' SoDdKiNj the distinguished Quaker and historian who visited us two or three years ago- In'a. letter- to the Paihj Nawi' If if. Hoioakin, who shpws that he has been seriously misinformed. as to felio actual facts arid circumstances,- falls, into some errors Very singular in the author of Italy-aild Her Intinders. He parti.c'iil'arly complains Of the application of dompulsion to "mere boys,'* which, he says', is' ''& new principle unknown even to the great military monarchies of. Europe." It might be nPne the worse for that—to those'who hold that ability to del end- one's country is a better thing, to produce 7 by compulsion than most things can he. But .Pit. HodokiS, .who : stresses the youth of the subjects as the crime of the compulsion, goes' tiri to write Of lbs. "mere boys". as"if they were mature persons. He first cites their immaturity "against the- Defence Acts, and cites their'maturity and their possession of iiot-torbc-violated sonscienccs.' He cannot have it both ways. . And. we are quite sure that Bit. HtroaivlN has ■ lapsed seriously, from his usually judicial serenity and- candour in his. statement that Australasia is- putting itself lightheartedly "under the yoke" of the "drill-sergeant," &iich k statement is proper only to. those ill-informed people who' talk, wildly, at street corners. There is ho; f'yoke" where the people control their institutions. And in point of fact Australasia has quietly find' without- excitement, bit very firmly, subscribed tp the doctrine that our youiig men. must be trained to-the highest; of national - ■''.-■■'

t)t. Wilbur Chapman and Mr. Afoxaiider, the American evangelists, Who are still on their, Australian- tout, wero welcomed back to Melbourne on October 30 by a great body of riieinMrsof the Christian Endeavour Union of -Victor'a Ift. the Exhibition building. The Alexander Choir, of 1000 voices, occup'ed the platform, the galleries and concert hall wore crowded and the evangelists were iree'eived with great enthusiasm* Dr. GlianMW K»i«l Hint what the churches of Melbourne needed to-day wlis ft revival in religion, Melbourne needed preachers with a passion, and people in the-pews with nii answering passion. 'Hie evangelists Were, oil their way to Western Australia. They will return to Melbourne, qii December f/S. On Clirishiias Day they will proceed to Tasmania, lyhei-o-they will spend the greater part of January. They/will return to Victoria for £.h£ GeeloiiK mission, early in February,, and will stay iii GeekrtS from Jailiiary 30 until February 7. On "February 9, 10, and 11 the closing meetings of. the mission will to held in MclbottVile. The railway funnel at, Glanfield, lieiir .Leicester, the oldest .in the world* is still in use, tut it is closed from Saturday night.to Monday, eaoli end being shut by. a padlocked! gats. Woods' QroAl Peppftrmint Oui* Id, a*.* for Childroii's Siiking Cough;- at flight,-.