CHURCH AND WAR

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2705, 26 February 1916, Page 2

CHURCH AND WAR

INTERCESSION SUNDAY

"POORER; BUT RICHER TOO

Ueporls in the English newspapers show that intercession Sunday (January 2) was observed throughout 'the length and breadth of the Inrge congregations assembling for common prayer and intercession l'or thoir country's causc, and for thoso who arc fighting her battlos by land and 6ea. The services woro similar in form to those which took place oil the first Sunday of last year, which was also a day of national humiliation and intercession. A special feature of this yonrs' services was that at many churches, in ordor to add! to the solemnity of the occasion, the church bells were muffled in honour of the dead. A Change in English Life. At the afternoon service at St. Paul's, which was attended by the Lord Mayor, Sheriffs, and members of the City Corporation, the Archbishop of Cantoruury was the preacher. "Whatever else this, year of memorable things has done or left undone," Ha id the preacher, "it lias, in a manner wholly now in tho story of the English race, rallied the men, women, and children of the Empire to a strenuousuess of united purpose whereof nobody had ever dreamed. In thnt as in many other things, English lii'o has undergone a change which is irrevocable. It will en'duro. The new fellowship now set going among English folk can never, literally never, pass away. As the New Year opens, we are poorer in half the homes of England by the loss of our very best aiid manliest. We know it. Thousands of the men to whom we looked confidently for discharging in the coming yoars tho highest tasks, and fulfilling for the British Empire tho noblest of her trusts and traditions, arc to-day lying cold and stark in foreign soil. We know it. Every college and school knows it

"Not one of us probably but has in vision at this moment some lithe, strong, clean-cut figure—the lad on whom we rested all these hopes. We thank God for him, we pray for him here and now upon oui- Intercession Day. We are the poorer, hut wo are the richer, too." In conclusion, Dr. Davidison said that the knowledge that we were surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses was the most potent of all possible rallying cries to devoted and loving service. The duty, whatever form it took, was imperative. Three Million Volunteers. Speaking at St. Paul's Cathedral, tho- Bishop of London said that God never let a nation or an individual off the responsibilities of their mistakes or did their work for them. "Our youths were not trained to serve, in spite of the repeated warnings of the last great soldier they buried in the great Cathedral. Therefore they had to train them after _ the war had begun j the Navy was trained, alert, and efficient, therefore it ruled the seas. If there had been a miracle at all it was the escaping of a worse disaster than we bad bver yet had. No General could tell them what stopped the avalanche from sweeping over Paris, and as far as our own country ' was concerned tho really astonishing thing had been the raising of three millions of men in eighteen mouths by voluntary enlistment by a nation which the' enemy "thought was. wrapped in comfort and ease. ' An unprepared nation had to meet' one which had been preparing for forty years, and tho inevitable had happened." Christianity's Cain. The Rev. Dinsdale T. Young (exPresident of the Wesloyan Conference), speaking at tjio Central Hall, Westminster, said that, despite all the tragedy, he believed that Christianity had gained greatly. "If some had lost their faith, more had recovered their faith. _ Immortality .was to-day 'the leading light of man,' as it had not been for a long time. The bereaved could not bear ftie thought that their brave dead were annihilated, and the belief that they would riso again Jiad solaced as nothing else could;"

A Commission of Reform. At Christ Church, Dr. F. B. Mover took for his. text, "Wherefore liest thou on thy face?" He said that they had much to bo thankful for, as they reviewed the year, but at the Bame time the gains of the year had not been commensurate with tao expenditure of blood and treasure. "The question presented itself whethor there was a deeper cause thas appeared on the surface. The £8,000,000 increase on the annual' drink bill was a. very ominous sign and there were others. It was not- enough to deplore our failure at Ai, let us discover the Achan-cancer and remove it. Why should not a Commission of Reform of Public Manners be constituted on which our best meu and women should bo invited to sit, to give advice and leadership to tho nation?" An Everlasting Possession. The Chief Rabbi, Dr. Hertz, preaching at the Great Synagogue, Aldgate, on Saturday (January 1), said it was estimated that the number of casualties iu tho war so far exceeded ten millions. Thev could not grasp these figures, but tney spoke with a lwart-breaking olo'qUence, and they filled tho stoutest heart with depression and dismay at the immeasurable woe of this veritable tragedy of the nations. Y,ct-'tragedy, as the ancients truly held, lifted us out of tho potty and solf-centrod, purged and purified us. The agony passed away, but tho types of heroism and devotion it had created . remained—an evej-lasting possession and inspiration of tho race. The men who bad fought and died in vain, although tho rocks had been abandoned. They had set new standards of human courage and added luminous pages to British history. _ y

"BONNIE FECHTERS." MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL CHAPLAIN. The Rev. Christopher Halliday, V.D., lias received the following letter from llajor-Gcneral tho Rev. John Sininis, D.D., Principal Chaplain to the British Expeditionary Force, France, addressed to tho men in the camps at Tayporfc:— Please toll your brave lads from mo that I have lived for over thirty years among soldiers, and if I liad my life, to live over again I would desire 110 happier fate. I never ,vct have , met a man in the King's uniform whom I did not feel instinctively" was my friend. My lot in the Army, too, has been mainly linked with soldiers from Scotland, and they are admittedly "Second to None"—the proud motto of tho Scots Greys. "Porridge and the Shorter Catechism," though by 110 means as popular as they once were, still help to put grit into the grip and iron into the blood of Scotland's sons. 011 countless stricken

fields they have proved themselves to be "bonnie fechters," and never more so than in this world-wide war. It u6ed to be that one had to search the pages of history to learn of the existence of heroes: this bloody war has brought them to our very doors; from every castle, from every cottage, our best •have poured forth in countless thou-

sands—like the knights of okr—abso* lutely without fear.

But to win in this war is not enough: they must also, like the knights of old, be without reproach. They went out in God's great name, with the Crost on helmet, shield, and sword-hilt-through Him they triumphed, for 1 He was their Captain, and He <!an only lead men of puro heart and clean hands Pleaso toll your lads also that though they meet 011 Christmas Day in the name of Him who is not only Kin« of Kings and Lord of Lords, hut also Prince of Peace, they have no need to bo ashamed of their uniform. This war is God's ;ivar —His cleansing fire amid the affairs of men; and Britain wo'dd have been doomed for ever to extinction had sho stood outside.

A curse would havo blasted her life for ever because sho came not to the help of the Lord against the mighty. Her foes this day are mighty; she wrestles with them in a life and death struggle, and she needs more from her sons : than njerely their physical strength; she wants all her people's prayers that God may ho with her soldiers as thoy tight, for it is His hand alone that can strike down kings in the day of His wrath.

May your lads —the bravest of the brave—go forth to this fight in the same spirit, the spirit that ever 1 animated their Covenanter forefathers going forth in their weakness to resist and to confound the tyrant and the appressor, putting their trust in Him who is the Captain of their salvation, and singing as their battle cry, "In Judah's land God is well known; His name is croat in Israel." May the .best traditions of all Scottish soldiers - be rtsnlised in vour flock; may God be tneir Guide and Guard wherever tliey go; many He give them good success in all their trials and struggles ; and may you havo them all back again—c welcome home—after great victory,

CREAT BELCIUM. CARDINAL MEROIIIR AND THE GERMAN OCCUPATION. In a recent issue the "Vingtiome Siecle" of Havre gave a report of a speech of Cardinal iUorcier at a meeting of Catholics in Brussels. His Eminence said: "I ivi.sh to thank you. We are pro-ud of you. Not a day passes but I receive from-aboard, from friends of all nationalities, letters of condolence, which nearly always end with the words 'Poor Belgium!' But I reply: 'No, not poor Belgium, but great Belgium, heroic Belgium.' On the map it is only a tiny speck, but to-day there is no nation. in the world that does not pay. homage to _ Belgium. How great and noble slie is! if they saw her as we see lier they would realise that after more than a year of suffering there is not a siuglo Belgian who laments or murmurs. I have not yet found a workman unemployed, a woman destitute o'f means, a mother, a. wife in mourning who murmurs. They all botf beforo the decrees of Providence. This it is which disconcerts the men who. have been amongst us for over a year, and they do not know us yet. They are amazed. On the one hand, nobodymurmurs ; we all respect and shall con-, tinue to respect their rules and regulations. But, on the other hand, 'they have not won over a single heart. W« have a King, one only King, and wa stall never have but one King.

THE SUNDAY REST,

HEALTH OF MUNITION WORKERS,

Tho Minister of Munitions of War has appointed a Health of Munition Workers' Committee, of which Sir; George Newman, M.D., is chairman, "to consider and advise on questions or industrial fatigue, hours of labour, and cither matters affecting, the personal health and physical eiheienoy of work-, ers in munitions ; factories and work--shops."

•' They have already issued two interesting reports—one dealing with the offects of Sunday labour, and the other with industrial canteens and the feeding, of workpeople.

The outstanding fact with regard to Sunday labour is that it doesn't really, pay, and that "tho greatest majority of the employers consulted are unfav-t ourably disposed" to it. Their main reasons are three:

(a) Administrative.—Supervision ia difficult and imposes a severe strain on tho foremen; yet deputies are not easy to obtain.

(b) Economic.—Sunday labour means; high wages often coupled with increased cost of miming the works. Though attendance on Sundays is generally good, it is not, for various reasons, al< ways accompanied by a satisfactory in< dividual output. - Moreover, Sunday labour is frequently accompanied bj baa time keeping on other days of the week.

(c) Religious and Social.—There is a' considerable feeling that the seventh day, as a period of rest, is good for bouy and mind. The evidence before the Committee has. led them strongly to hold that if tho maximum output is to be secured, and maintained for any length of time, a weekly period of rest must be allowed. Except for quite short periods, continuous work, in tlieir now, is a profound mistake, and does not pay—output is not increased. On economic and social grounds alike this weekly period of rest is best provided on Sunday. "Speaking generally, the neod for this' relief from work on Sunday is more ur« gent for 'protected' persons than for, aduft males, and for men on overtime , tlian for those on double shifts, and the need way also vary somewhat according to the number of hours worked during tho week and the environment anß charaoter of the work; but the Committee, consider tbat tho discontinuance of Sunday labour should be of universal application, and should extend to all classes of workers, except that whero tho work must necessarily be, continuous special arrangements will be necessary."

"The above conclusions liave reference ifl'fho hours of labour of workers, but the Committee tlcsiro to stato that, in their opinion, the foremen and the higher management even more certainly, lequii'o definite periods of rest. Theso individuals have never spared themselves, they carry a heavy burden of responsibility, and they csjmot be replaced. The Committee have with regret noted anion;: them obvious signs of overwork. It Is of primary importance in the interests of the nation that they should be allowed that rest wliich is essential to the maintenance of their health."