CHURCH BAZAARS

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 97, 21 October 1926, Page 8

CHURCH BAZAARS

RAFFLES AND LOTTERIES DEFENDED

NOT IMMORAL. BUT MERELY AMUSING.

(By Telegraph.) (Special to "The Evening i*ost.") DUNEDIN, This Day. At the Anglican Synod, while the question of the lawfulness of raffles and lotteries at church bazaars was being discussed, Archdeacon Fitchett quoted a pronouncement by Bishop Moorhouse to the effect that ranling "was only co-operative purchase. ' The liev. K. D. Andrews-Bax-ter sought to discredit that authority by the remark, "Bishop Moorhouse died worth £40,000, and did not leave a farthing to the Church." This did not lead to any immediate ny tort, but when Dean Fitchett rose latei on, he also mentioned| Bishop Moorhouse, saying that his Lordship, when in Melbourne, spoke of raffles as a "joint purpose of assignment by lot," and the Dean added, "I know of no man of his time who exerted so powerful an influence in the spreading o£ Christian principles as Bishop Moorhouse did." During a further discussion on raffles, Archdeacon Fitchett remarked, "Why call upon the synod of to-day to obey the synod of the past?" The general synods had at times done several foolish things. He strongly objected also to the expression, now brought up again, "we keep our hands clean." The assumption was thai others had dirty hands. That was the way with Prohibitionists, anti-gamblers, and other faddists. They beggedithe question and assumed that they were right and everyone else was wrong. Dean Fitchett took exception to the use of the words "immorality " and "gambling" in connection with raffles. It was not right to introduce them. He quite agreed tliey wero very unfortunate in so-called art unions which appealed to creed, but these bazaar raffles were amusement. "Why, they are practised by some of the bsst people I know," he added. "I can't allow these epithets to be used which befe the question and assume immorality."