SABBATH OBSERVANCE.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1597, 14 November 1912, Page 6

SABBATH OBSERVANCE.

NEED F,OR REST.. ;. ; '' - '"' ■ When the Synod resumed in *!hn evening tho.Bev. -K.-ilnglis; convener/presented tho report of-the Sabbath Observance Committee. . ' '" .':• ;■ The report'stated'that "A-Lord's Day [Alliance" had been formed, imeinhnrs of which were to .be pledged: (a)'.To attend Divine 'worship .oh the' Lord's Day, unless prevented 'by Unavoidable circum-' stances; (b) to discountenance as. far. ■ as may.bo within their power, any such use of the Lord's Day us may conflict with {the proper observance of tho day as .ere of rest and worship; (c) to do their ut- ; most to create a-healthier'public opinion and conscience'on this subject;'(d)'to subscribe a minimum of Is. per annum to tho funds of the Alliance. The following passage occurs in tho report:— . /. '■■ .•- ■ •■ . •"The question!; of : Sunday concerts has' icomeup again in' Wellington recently through the attempt made on the part of the promoters'td;get behind'the-council's by-law. It'woiild appear that : tbe; system' of: voluntary contribution does' not appeal to those who attend such concerts, and the 'collections' are, hot.yery generous. To overcome this , , financial.ditilculty.'the promoters have .reserved some 800 or 400 seats for annual subscribers, in (direct contravention;. Bf< the. agreement Imado with the .council..'. A" deputation waited on the council to"point this out,, ■and a counter-deputation of thoso li-tci-«sted also waited upon it, including '■Messrs. Herdmari- and; Esjier; ' M.L.A..S, 'the latter of whom attempted to figure in ithe last Parliameritas the champion o£ a legislative 'rest day. , i-.ltJs a humiliating 'spectacle to see two Ministers of. the Grown, who are supposed to be in the ■ van of reform, heading a deputation whose object wa3 to urge the; City 'Council to break its own by-law. The council however, knew its business,, and was firm in its refusal to sanction any such departure. •' It has enjoined the promoters to discontinue tho practice of reserving seats or making a charge. It, is an.

ominous sign of the. times tliat in England tho question of opening the theatres on Sunday is being gravely discussed. Thevo the Sabbath has been- jealously guarded from secular uso by legislative enactments dating back as far as the fifth century, but it is now proposed to reverse, that. Here in New Zealand the so-called Sports Protection league, one of whose objects is to maintain and extend Sunday sports and pastimes—things that do not seem to bo in dire <need of protection is alleged to number its members by thousands. It is seeking to tamper with the laws affecting horse-racing, and it will, if we allow it, lay its hands on the Sabbath in due course. Surely our eyes are blinded that we cannot see, if we Hunk that there is no danger or need of meeting organisation with organisation'.. ijie weapon we need lies to dur 9; ~'l \ , ■ Lord's Day Alliance. -If the pabbath is fairly well kept in some-parts of New Zealand, is that a reason, for folding our hands and doing nothing? Surely we have a duty to those who. are bravely struggling to carry on Christ's work in places where the last vestiges of a Chrisnan Sunday are being ruthlessly destroyed." : - r V' "Overdriven Slaves of Civilisation." The Eev. JR. Inglis (Khand&llah) said other churches were showing a 1 considerable amount of sympathy with tho movement, and lie hoped yet be achieved in the matter of better Sabbath observance. He referred to themx days a week Bill, which had lately been dropped by Parliament. The . Bill affecteel a. very large nnmtoer_or hotel, anu restaurant employees, and tho Church must feel a certain amount'of sympathy with the' movement winch, though . not strictly religious, was yet humanitarian and Christian. There wei;e other trades also which were affected; some 15 or -0 per cent of the ■ workers in New Zealand were engaged in trades which carried on for seven days in every week. Work on the Sunday must be minimised. He deplored the growth of pleasure seeking m this country and in England, and especially tho proposal to open in London; It was easy to understand how the' overdriven slaves of .civilisation .took the only day offering and on it enjoyed themselves at tho seaside resorts. «. This question at bottom," he said, is a social : question. While the frantic paw of life continues, there will always be abuse of the Lord's Day, and it will be for lis to . consider whether there • 13 .any possibility', of 1 remedying those things which male© desecration of the Lorcis Day almost a necessity. # Is it not conceivable that men could live .under more Christian conditions, and is it not conceivable that, the Church' would fare better under these conditions ?' He was of opinioh, he said, that this matter: of-non-observance of the - Sabbath might prove a critical matter for the churches.. ''There are those," he' concluded, who would like to see the Christian Church booted out- of New Zealand,"but: that is not the opinion;of most of tho.people.of. this country." ;': ;- • More Than 'Mere Rest Needed: The-Eev. J. (3ikson Smith congratulated Mr'. Inglis on haying, got his movement under way .after many toilsome years. He. was inclined- to believe' that the reason for the growth of - the Sabbath observance movement .was- in fact that people were waking up to the'fact that they were in danger of losing what was really a 'good - thing—a Sunday - reasonably observed. The fact was that a strong tide of worldliness would have. to. be met—a tide which had even- involved tllie chfurches. Even church, members frequently left their churches for the week-, end, and-spent the Sunday, in pleasure. -What must the Assembly -do to stenr tins tide of'worldliness?. First, they could influence Parliament to. pass legislation to preserve ;to every person, a rest on the Sabbath day, and .to provide that the day of rost should not b®: grossly abused. But this was not'all. ; If this were. obtained the: Church might still in a bad plight, for if the/flay was'not used for spiritual purposes;:nothing /would-have b Tlwßev*G. Millar'(Jlilton) suggested that tho military authorities ought* to he asked to see that the Sabbath' Day.is observed in camps,, and;,that, men should not.be re* ifelitery on Sunday;'f^iThe/repoVt^wasr! -n* Rest for the Policei -.-An overture from the Auckland Presbytery suggesting that members of the police force-s&oukl have tvvo Sundays, a month, off duty, instead of only one Sunday per month atpresent. > : 7 The Eev. A. Millar supported tha.overture, and moved:. ''That the question of Sabbath rest for 'the police be remitted to. tho. Sabbath Observance Committee, with instruction ,to. make' representations in the proper quarters with a view to securing that members of the police force shall have not less than two Sabbaths in, each month off duty." : ., \, L ■7 The Eev. I. : Jolly, -supported the motion, which was carried. . HAVELOCK LADIES' COLLEGE. The Committee of the Havelock Ladies' College met yesterday, morning.. It was resolved to recommend* that 'the' Assembly accept the offer of ! Miss ' Eraser, M.A., late of the Wanganui Girls: College to be the first principal of the -new college, at Havelock North. Miss Eraser-was introduced, to the committee and permanently associated with it. • . The Assembly resumes its sittings today. ' . , TO-DAY'S BUSINESS. To-day the Foreign Mission work of the Church will form the main topic of interest.-. The report of the committee will be presented at-the morning sederunt. In the evening Dr. John Kirk will give an address, the report of the Training Institute will-be presented and the ordination of Miss Eamsny, the travelling secre-, Ltary. of tho P.W.M.U. will probably take place; ■ '. - '.