A BISHOP'S OPTIMISM

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 90, 9 January 1918, Page 6

A BISHOP'S OPTIMISM

"SOLDIERS WITHOUT HACOES."

i Speaking at the annual meeting o the Christian Evidence Society at Queen's Hall recently, the Bishop of Birmingham said:— _ .„..,'. "I used to go to Hyde Park to hear the Sunday afternoon orators. They taught me a good deal. I was quito Catholic in my tastes. I used to listen to them all. The orators were usually very kind to me if they saw me. ihey used to condemn everything, and then say there were exceptions. I was ono of them. Besides, the police knew mo very well. I have visited over 20,000 wounded soldiers in Birmingham. Igo in khaki, not the extraordinary garments you see-me in to-night. Besides words of comfort, I sometimes r>hed such mundane things as cigarettes and ocolates. I bare. the greatest respect for an agnostic. He is usually honest. You can talk to him, but you ran only convince a wobbler by luck and the grace of God. -. "The war has made no. saints and if you expect nir boy.s .to come back with haloes you are mak.ini amistake But it has made no infidels. Ine mis take the clergy used to make t think woman was docile. This, of co e, did not refer to their own wives, but to the sex generally. Iho 'pale young curate' was >"f estl women, but after the war they wil expect something more inside him than asceticism. The day of sentimental ? t!t,,l. X is over. Exercise your mmd 2 This country .is going to have ereater responsibilities than ever before It is going to have greater opSrtunities than before; and, please rvil it is going to take advantage of & Re&on has no need of apologies."