The Dominion WEDNESDAY, JULY 14, 1915. THE REV. GIBSON SMITH AND "THE DOMINION"

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2519, 14 July 1915, Page 6

The Dominion WEDNESDAY, JULY 14, 1915. THE REV. GIBSON SMITH AND "THE DOMINION"

In another part of this issue we publish a summary of the sermon delivered by the Rev. Gibson Smith at St. Andrew's ' Presbyterian Church on Sunday night, which was intended to bo a 'reply'to an article which appeared in last Wednesday's Dominion commenting on certain features of the address given by the Bishop of Wellington (Dr. Sphott) at the opening of the Anglican Synod. Mb. GpspN Smith is, of course, fully entitled to express his dissent from the views we nave expressed, but he is not justified in attributing to us assertions which we did not make and opinions which we do not hold. His criticism is based on an utter travesty of what we wrote. The most charitable explanation of' his astonishing misrepresentation of our views is that ho perused our article in that "hasty and cursory" manner in which ho quite erroneously imagines we read tlie Bishop's' address'/' ■ WeV challenge him to quote one word or one sentence which justifies his allegations that our remarks betray a scepticism as to whether prayer is of any value, and that we regard prayer at such a time as the preser\t as "nothing more than wasted breath." As a matter .of ' fact we expressed no opinion whatever on this, aspect of. the question. Wo did not even mention it, nor have we any sympathy with the foolish opinions which Mr. Gibson Smith ■has attributed to us. His attack'is based on such flimsy foundations that it will not stand . a moment's examination. We have no quarrel •whatever with that portion of the Bishop'.s address which dealt with the value and conditions of 'effective prayer. We have at various times laid stress upon the fact that it is impossible to .'over-estimate tho importance of the part which the spiritual forces of the nation must play in a, life-and-death struggle like tho present. We fully agree with'the remark of a /great modern scientist that a nation that ignores the survival value of religion is doomed to perish off the face of the earth.

Tho idea that we under-value the spiritual factor in warfare has been conjured up out of Mr. Gibson Smith's own imagination. We certainly did say that the Bishop's ad-, dress was lacking in that power and inspiration which one /would naturally expect from such a quarter in the midst of the greatest crisis in the world's history. We missed tho passionate .note of righteous indig-. nation at the terrible deeds of shame perpetrated by the Germans, and were, disappointed at tho absence of a stirring appeal to the nation to concentrate all its energies—physical, intellectual, and spiritual—on the supreme duty of resisting with all its power Germany's mighty effort to overthrow .our Empire and crush the world under her iron heel. In order to illustrate our meaning we gave quotations from'recent addresses by the Bishop of London and Dr. Kelman, a distinguished Presbyterian preacher; Will Mr. Gibson Smith contend that these men regard prayer as nothing more than wasted breath because they appeal to the manhood of Britain to put an end to German infamies with all possible speed I, Will he say that all thoy caro about is getting recruits,' no matter how they "appeal to the baser motives" 1 Mr. Gibson Smith told his hearers that we want the clerey to turn themselves into recruiting agents. We did not say anything of the sort; but as a matter of fact not only thc_ clergy, but every man and woman in the community should do their utmost to encourage enlistment. The Bishop of London is very proud of the remarkable success which has attended his recruiting efforts, and many of the clergy of the Presbyterian churches in Scotland and elsewhere do not regard it as a degradation of their high calling to impress upon tho young men who come within the range of their influence the urgent duty of joining Kitchener's armies. Mn. Gibson Smith's own views on this point are strangely inconsistent. In one part of his sermon he protests against the suggestion that tho clergy should -turn themselves into recruiting agents, whilo in another part he declares that the Bishop of Wellington's address is the best recruiting. speech delivered in New Zealand since tho beginning of the war. We would suggest that Mr. Gibson Smith should read. our ; wtiqkwww* If .does so,m toil

sure that ho will see that ho owes us a- full and frank apology for attributing to us _ opinions we did not express and with which wo have no sympathy. If ho is not prepared to do this, then he should at least in justice read our article in full to his congregation and then endeavour to justify the interpretation he has placcd upon it.