The Dominion. DECEMBER 21, 24, 1913. A GREAT SOCIAL FESTIVAL.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1940, 24 December 1913, Page 4

The Dominion. DECEMBER 21, 24, 1913. A GREAT SOCIAL FESTIVAL.

iinctively'..Christian festival iii" has coiinectingi;Huks;|.\\:itti>thoßSfini([a-; humanity-which carry ua buck to. the beginnings' of the human rai'«r .Some of t-lw old Christmas Customs hayc'aif ewly Church (iitl. not,., ruthlessly abolish<all vtho; 'ancient ! '.i?ritcs ;i and 1 cerc-monies of tho nationsiwhichcainc under jthe: Gospel,;? hut allowed' some'Ho'f.continuo'. afteiv fiving thorn a,Christian'..significance;! he _old Celtic,■ Ilonm)!, and ;Gcr-' manic, religionsTkopt high-festival "at thc_. tiino ' of solstice, which ooincides. w.ii.h the iChristmas season thcfNorthern"Hemisphere.: It war.. r<;garded ; •ns . the turning point of .thc'Lyear/'arid'.the preparation for.' a fresh .period of'life and activity ..after the Winter sleep : ~of death;' si' This !, Natura' mvth of : death and. re-birth,- orT. resurrection,*- found widespread recognition the. great religions ot antiquity ; and itreceived a new.- birth . in Christia-n----ity, which cairie« not; to? destroy, but to fulfil the deepest, and best of the spiritual aspirations' of mankind from tho commencement of its religious evolution-in. tho remotest ages of the past;:..; Christmas has become the festival of social Christianity— of the family in its religious aspect. The. family, and not the individual, is the unit of the nation, and Church and State may be regarded as extensions of tho home. -The Christmas message-., carries .the idea of unity .even • further than this. It overleaps'' tho limits of . nation'and race,' ■ and - regards., tho whole world, our common humanity,', as one'great family. ;- "Peaco on earth, goodwill among-men" is still an unrealised

ideal, but how much poorer the world would be to-day if this ideal had nevor. been held .up before it, ? n <l. man had never striven to realise it._. Its attainment, may still be far off," but wo-are moving -forward' towards the goal. Though tho pen-!' dulum . swings' backwards' anil, forwards,-.. :tho ..hands .of :'tne.. clock go steadily on. : .■■■We : live in-a humani-. tarian age, and the public conscience was never so sensitive in its protest against .suffering, oppression, and poverty. ' It is true that Christian 'nations are spending enormous sums on armaments, but, nevertheless, the conviction is growing stronger every day that anything, in the nature of a deliberate war of aggression would bo a crime against humanity, Though our efforts to make tho world a better place to live in may often be misdirected, ■ ■ the intention ia good, and wo can no loiigcr'sitdowu .with an easy conscience in' the presence. of unrightcd wrongs,' as though we: had no. responsibility ,in the matter. ''■ ,

: Though Christmas : .is ■ the greatfamily and social festival,""it would soon lose its meaning, and the heart would be taken out of. its message, if_- its religious basis were undermined. From the point of view of a thoroughgoing materialism such observances have no rational foundation. A quarter of a century ago it looked as if tho progress of science was destined, to gradually 'diminish the sphere of-religion to vanishing point, so that men would como to regard tho Christmas story as the baseless . fabric of '■: a, dream;'' But during recent years modern thought, has undergone, a great change. Writing in 1911, Pjiofessok M'Doug.im,, ; of stated that "twenty years ago the-scientific, woi'ld was oppressed by tho. sense of the finality of. its own dicta."' 'The universe: was, then-- very, generally regarded as a rigidly ■. closed system—a huge piece of m«chanism—in which there was no room for divine guidance or human freewill, or for the exercise of man's spiritual instincts. "But now all is changed: the' scicntifie atmosphere is full of the hope of new insight; the seeming boundaries of physical knowledge have proved to be spectral creations of the scientific imagination." Tho leading scientists of the present, day: frankly admit that, the mechanical theory breaks down under criticism when put forward- as an'explanation-of the whole of 'things. It can only give satisfaction to those'who close their eyes to half of the facts. This was tho view taken by M. Bergson in a recent speech. as' President of the Psychical Research Society, and Sin Oliver, Lodge also referred' to tho limitations of. the materialistic hypothesis 'in his., striking address in September last as President- of tho British Association for the Advancement of Science, -when he spoke of . !, 'tho woven fabric of existence, flowing steadily from the loom in an infinite..; progress, towards perfection,'! as. "the ever-growing garment of a-transcendent. Cod.", Another distinguished ' scientist, Sin J. J. Thomson, . who is head of the famous Cavendish Laboratory at Cambridge University, concluded his address as President of tha British-As-sociation in -2000 with the declaration that every ■ advance ■ iu scic»co emphasises the truth that "great are the works of the Lore"; anil Professor Boxsev,-' who' was. President of the British Association in' 1910, has just published-s a' very-., interesting book in defence of Christianity from tho scientific, point of view, and refers to the .very marked improvement which has taken place during recent years in the. relations between religion and science. ■; The failure of the. mechanical interpretation of the . universe has been effectively ..- shown -.- ' from the philosophic side _ by : such , eminent modern ' authorities ,as ■■■ Ecckeh, Bergson,-' Bobtboux; ' ,y William James, A. J. Balfour,. ■ and James Ward.. In Juno last .-Lord Haldane, who, like^' Mit. -Balfour,";, has made., a'name for himself in. the ronliri of philosophy, V said that at the end of tho Victorian period there were, many who thought that the days of theology were' over,'and that it was-only a question .of timo when science-..would cover . the whole ground; , but now science itself was I called in question; Its . proposij tions were being criticised, ami it

was being subjected- to , the same scrutiny as-' the .foundations: of theology. .- Lord Baldake went on to state that .religion was still the greatest ■ moving force in - the world, and.", it-would continue to be so because .-'it'went to the. very roots of human nature.'' i' The authorities we have,-quoted, with thc-exception -of Dji..>Bonxey, do not --approach . the subject, under, '.discussion', from ' the point- of view of the That- is mil their business..They arc mainly concerned .will!;the'scien-tific''and-philosophic aspects' of the question-; wit' they are laying, foundations ■ which, broadly' ■ speaking, th-n thoylettisu nan new# and mn!« use oi.ia tlio vork of theological «

constvaKiun; v'uich is'-al'" piysout ■ ciui^hiiycii 11%; thing 'in' commqii._wii.il nwchiwical ciiiicqnion-of thingsy Imc it'<*is entirely-sympathctio'-'wifn-'such conclusions as that arrived .it in ■'■a book which has just i>con writtcirby Mi!. J. S. Haldank,' ileiidor in Physiology at Oxford, namely, ■ / that "this world, with all that lies with-, in it, is a spiritual world."" Other, distinguished thinkers _ arc layinsr stress upon the sociological value of religion, and the churches arc realising niore fully than before that they have' a : social as well as a personal message,' arid that the moral principles of Christianity ■ should be brought' to, bear on the whole life of. man ■both?-as ;an.. individual and iu all.;_hisj i .relntions'i.-withr his fellow-mcsi.V'.jj.'J-'he.. Christmasappeal for ipoaco and goodwill.among men emphasises the social ••aspects 'ofChristianity.'/ It;-reminds -us-, that' ' "no manlivoth unto himself," and points out that we'have duties to tho family, the community, the nation, and the .'race,' as well as to ourselves. We are all so closely knit together that, to quote a recent American writer,""No individual eati seek hip own moral .welfare without seeking the moral welfaro of Boeicty, and the betterment of all social customs.' laws, and institutions; nor can he promote the general welfare without at the same time promoting his own." ■.