BOOKS OF THE DAY

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 299, 13 September 1919, Page 11

BOOKS OF THE DAY

The Church and tho Plain Man. Every year, under tho title of the Moorhouse Lectures, addresses are delivered at St. Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne, iu memory of the Australian episcopate of the Bight Kev. James Moorhouse, of St. John's College, Cambridge, who was Bishop of Melbourne from 1876 to 1886. Tho subjects'laid down under what is known as tho Moorhouse Endowment include the defence and confirmation of Christian faith, questions bearing upon the history and authority of tho Holy Scriptures, and last, but'certainly not least in importance, "the social _ aspects of tho Christian faith in their widest application." In a volume entitled "Tho Church and (lie Plain Maji" (Sydney, Angus and Robertson; por Whitcoinbe and -Tombs) have been collected tho Moorhouse Lectures delivered in 1917 by Archdeacon David J. Davios, Principal of Moore Theological College, Sydney, and an ex-Cambridgo professor of history and economics. Tho leotures were delivered to large audiences which increased with each successive address, n, fact at which no reader of the book before 1110 will be astonished, for tho lectures display a courageous outspokenness and a wealth of usefully suggestive thought not always found in tho public utterances of a theologian. The special object of tho lecturer has 'wen to inquire into the apparent impotence of organised Christianity to touch the daily life of tho people at large. "There is,savs tho lecturer, "a vast disparity between active and passive church membership. Yet there is little organised attack upon Christianity, and there are many signs of a widespread Christianised sentiment that stands apart from organised religion." The alleged causes of this indifference are first examined by Archdeacon Davies in the light of a historical survey of modern civilisation, "drawing out the dominance of .the economic interest with its cult of comfort reacting upon the Chureh." In the third lecture, entitled "Organised Selfishness," .the author dwells upon the stupendous, growth of the power of capital, the character and results of modern Imperialism, and the failure of modern oivilisation—"real happiness has nol been increased, though interests have been multiplied." In the fourth lecture. "The Progress-of Labour." Archdeacon Davies displays a grasp and grip of the various factors which have contributed to tho creation of the labour problem of today, such as i.s rarely met with in the writings of a churchman. For this lecture aloner-it covers nearly fifty pagesthe book is well worth purchasing. Nowhere have I read a clearer, mora succinct, and yet comprehensive, a mora dispassionate summary of the labour movements of the world during tho i>ast half century or so. It is a veritable model of 'judicious compression and imnressive clarity. In particular l:hn lecturer's sumumr> of the history of trades unionism, of tho old and new kinds, is most useful. Of Socialism and its latter-day development, Syndicalism. lie eives an'excellent survey. Syndicalism has had its' origin, he argues, in the worker's sense of social and industrial injustice. It. constitutes a condemnation of tho'urescnt social, order, is a . revolt-alike against the professional noliHcirtn and tho selfish capitalist, anil is burn and finds its chief strength in the solidarity and altruistic sympathies of tho workers. Next comes an acute and searchine analysis of tho weak points of Syndicalism as ft new industrial gospel, 'l'ho fallacy of the one-big-union scheme as a means to social reconstruction is dissected Jinil "direct action" is proved to be n.s worthless to tho workers as a panacea for industrial injustico as it is daneerous to the community as a whole. A more loirical. conclusive reply to the mid. though uoubtless quite honestly intentioned. nronacanda which is tho Australasian naxallel of the Bolshevik gnsnel could not well bo found than that outlined in this particular lecture., in the fifth address the lecturer deals with the "nlain man." lie severely criticises the State education system, holding that, the Stare docs not get full valuo for its educational exnenditure. and that vocational training is neglected. He pleads for a strengthening of family lies and more solidarity in the Home! and lams.unon the failure of modern education and training, in homo and school alike, to foster a sense of proper discipline and due personal collective responsibility- What the plain man requires is "power in tho life, a sense of reality." What is of paramount importance, contends Archdeacon Davies, is that the citizen should discover for himself that the "Heal is the Holy." In the two tfoncludiiiL' addresses the lecturer dwells upon the strength of the available resources of the Church in its great work of human advancement and the development. of the Christian spirit. What he has to sav in these chapters is not merely of importance and valuo to churchmen. hut. may well and very profitably lie studied with care and attention by lmblic men and citizens of all varieties of religious faith and schools of political thoueht. The two great dominant features of all these addresses are. their manifest sincerity and practicabilityNot for many a long day have I read a work dealinz with iattor-day problems, relieious. nolitical. and industrial, which convevs so much useful information in so comimct a wav. and which reveals such an eminent desire to get at tlie truth and to exDound it without fenr of favour. Even where, as perhaps may be the case with certain'of tho contev/ions and sureestions set forth in the final address. tho average layman may dissent from the views expressed he cannot fail to admi™ the manner of their presentation and the evident deep sincerity of t.lie.ir author. "The Church and tho Plain Man" will. I trust, be as widely read on this side of the Tasman Sea as it is lieinir. I understand, read in Australia. (Price. 55.)

A "School Marm's" Yarns, Miss Edith Howes, the clevor New Zealand lady who tins fo many delightful hooks of fairy tales and nature studies to her credit, now gives-us in "Tales Out of School" (Whitcombe and Tombs) n, collection of clovorly-written stories all based ujxrn actual happenings which have come within the author's personal experience or observation as.- « school teacher, in which occupation Miss Howes was ongaged for some yearn in Otago and elsowhoro in the Dominion. One of Iho author's objects in writing these stories has been, she says, to draw public attention to. what siie styles "the wretched conditions in our public school?." "More is needed," she soy*, "than an infrequent ten or twenty pounds added to teachers' pittances to keep them quiet. Only an enlightened and determined movement of tho parents can bring about much needed reforms." Miss Howes gives us a peries of sixteen sennnile stories or scotches, all dealing with tho teachers' life and worl;, the vagaries, and sometimes tho.petty injustices and tyrannies of departmental ollioials, education lieards and school cnmmitlnes. Each of the a e stories embodies'.a- strong plea for improved educational conditions generally. A note of comedy and humour is sometimes' struck, but in others' of Iheso sketches (hero is a strain of pathos. The frightful injustice for w.ich the bad old .wy.stein of eslimaling salaries on the attendance register is exemplified in Ihe tragic story of the friendless Utile country teacher. Myra Gray, who, to keep her salary at even a semi-starvation rate, is tempted lo falsify I lie roll. .Kneed by dismissal and ruin, -he lakes poison anil "so delied disgrace and dismissed herself to that Quiet I'lace where averages are, we hope, unknown." In one sinry wo have an almost painfully realistic' do scription of the trials of a young relieving teacher, a mere girl, who has ly face the open rebellion of some uncouth country louts, but: wins throw.gli by •h' , f>" force of combined firmness and kindness. In another, Miss Howes reveals herself as an uncompromising enemy of Ihe limehono'ured "strap." Ln yet another, again,, sho puts forward a scathingly

satirical picture of (he injustice of ft system under which a male incompetent gets fifty pounds a year more than n. cultured, thoroughly efficient teacher ffhoso only handicap—from the oliicia! point of view—is her mi, Women teachers . who rightly, as many people cannot help thinking, stand by the principle of equality of payment for the two sexes, will rejoice in more than one of these forcibly painted sketches by an ex-colleague. The overcrowding of claws, the loading of the educational svllabus with burden-

somo nnd doubtfully profitable Dew subjects, as one new educational mandarin succeeds another, tlio impossibility of securing rightful conveniences and consfoits in schools which are grossly overcrowded, and many other heart-breaking obstacles to progress with v.'hich so many tenchers, especially tlio country teachers, have to contend, are all set forth in this little book in a very effective and convincing manner. Every member of Parliament, every member of an education board or school committee, should find time to r*?ad "Tales Out of. School." They will therein learn the working teacher's poirt ol view on educational administration, the point of view of a lady writer whose acnto understanding of the juvenile mind and sympathy with everything which innkes for saner educational methods and conditions are so clearly and so forcibly set forth in the pages of her interesting little- book.