CHAPMAN-ALEXANDER MISSION.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1716, 5 April 1913, Page 6

CHAPMAN-ALEXANDER MISSION.

"THE FAMILY ALTAR." There were very few empty seats in llio Town Hall Jast evening while tiio Chapman-Alexander mission meeting was in progress. Dr. Chapman took as his subject the decay of Christian influences and observances in family life, and as his text selected the following passago from Nehemiah iii, 28: " . . . everyone over against his house." In his opening remark's Dr. Chapman spoko of tho rebuilding of the Temple anil of tho walls of Jerusalem, a work in which men engaged with a sword in one hand and a trowel in the other, and in which every man laboured well, for one tiling, because every man worked at the wall, 'over against his house." Going 011 to speak of present-day conditions, Dr. Chapman stressed the influence of liomelilo 011 Christian development, and lamented a manifest lack of reverence for tho Bible. . In the . old days, he said lathers read it to their children and mothers gavo it to their children when they left home. Nowadays many people said that tho Biblo was not .true. It had been said that a. nation that ceased to honour tho Bible always suffered. In other words, the history of the Church tV?. s , history of the treatment of the Bible. Thero was also at.the present day, Dr. Chapman continued, a lessened reverence for God's holy day. He had been asked by an interviewer in Christchurch what he thought of Sunday observance in this country as compared with his own country, and his answer had been misquoted. He had seen many things connected with Sunday observance in this country which ho would be glad to see adopted in liis own country. In this connection he mentioned the stoppage of cars in the early part of Sunday in New Zealand cities, and the freedom' of this country from "the curse of Sunday newspapers." On the other hand, he had noted and deplored a tendency in this country to devote Sunday to recreation, to transform God's holy day into a holiday. There was no excuse for this sort of thing in Australasia, where holidays were numerous, and the laws protected tho working man. Wherever the Lord's Day was dishonoured; wherever tho curse of tho Continental Sunday' penetrated, homes were cursed, children wero injured, and •the whole foundations of society wero sapped. Tlie Church to-day, said tho preacher, took a secondary place. In the olden days people went to church at least three times on Sunday. Nowadays if a- man went- once to church lie. was a pious person. If ho went twico ho was a. saint. A sjirinldo of rain was a sufficient excuse for him to stop away. People in New Zealand were in danger of disparaging iho spiritual for the very reason that they had such a magnificent'country, so many, chances of making money, and so many days of sunshine. A writer in- a leading financial paper in America had said that what the United States wanted was an old-fashioned religion, such a revival in religion us would m:\ke' a man a priest in his own home, would make'men honest in their dealings, brotherly in their associations and Christlike in their lives, Such a revival'of religion was wanted also in Australia and New Zealand, and all over the world. • As a euro for the ills of the day, Dr. Chapman prescribed a restoration uf family worship and the creation of a Christian atmosphere in the home. He appealed to his hearers to set up the family altar and to 'strengthen the bonds of family love. . In the early part of the evening, Mr.W. Allen, treasurer of the mission, appealed for financial. support. He stated that tils cost of the mission would bo' <£500; the 'details being, as follow:—Rent of hall, ,sC2OO,- advertising, d£l(iO; accommodation for party; <£100; sundries, travelling expenses, etc,, c£loo. Of 1 tho .CSOO required only JJ2OO had yet been-' contributed, although the mission had run more than half its course. He appealed to, his hearers to provide the balance of the cost;, remarking, that there wore enough people in the hall to easily pay the remaining cost of- tho mission six times over if they made up,their minds to do so.' ' v A service for the special benefit of a<jod people-and invalids was conducted yesterday'afternoon. Those, who could not wall: or travel by traincar were brought in, cabs, carts, and motor-cars, the lastnamed vehicles ~being busily employed from one o'clock up to'lliree o'clock, when the meeting started. Aged and infirm people to the number of over a thousand assembled. The address delivered by Dr. Chapman was listened to with close attention. The singing, 'conducted by Mr. Alexander, consisted in part of .old hymns popular some: thirty. years ago. Some wero called for by the old people them- ! selves.