CHURCH NOTES.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 23 September 1901, Page 4

CHURCH NOTES.

(By Amicus.)

IHL Seryic3 to 500,000,000 people. ■We may be a little out in our compuHition, but it is safe to say that no man Kas ever had so large a congregation to B.vhom he has delivered a sermon as President M’Kinley. His death-bed scene, ■ his tender compassion for his murderer, Ibis thoughtfulness for the bereaved, his Bortitude in meeting death and his partwords, have been proclaimed to the and formed one of the grandest ever given to Christianity. Ho how much we may try to discard worthlessness . of Christianity with to live and practice the world will remain ignorant of him a Christian can die. Millions have learned the Kruth. during the past week and tliere is no gainsaying the fact that we have never hud a more beautiful death scene of one who held, so prominent a position as that of M’Kinley's. Many a tear has been forced to tho eye and many a suppressed emotion has been hidden as the printer set the type and the readers read the lines of tho dying statesman. To die well one needs to live well. We should make the best of our time, we should seek for strength to live well, and we should look forward for greater expanse for the soul, if, as Browning says we are on to “Go on and die, thou going on, to where beyond these trials there is peace. Anarchism has developed very largely during the last century. The great apostle of this system was Michael Bakunin. He was born in 1814, and sprang from the highest Russian aristocracy. After leaving the army, in which he had served for some time, he went to Paris, where he joined with others in propagating the pernicious anarchist teaching. He was imprisoned in Russia for several years for participating in disturbances with Germany in 1849, and was then sent to Sibera, whence lie escaped, and spent his life in exile, chiefly in Switzerland. He was most active in spreading the principles of anarchism. Those devoted to this destructive revolutionary Socialism pledged themseves to annihalate all external authority by every available means. The teaching of these men is chiefly the rejection of all authority, whether emanating from God or a sovereign of the people. The anarchists look forward to a time of human enlightenment and seH-control in which the individual will be a law to himself and all authority or interference with each other’s liberty will be abolished. Ethically and socially this ideal is what the best religion and philosophy look forward to, but this goal must not be attained by tho wholesale destruction of the present framework of society. - This is where the anarchists reveal their great impatience ; they look for this absolute freedom to exist in the present condition of the world without waiting for the evolution of that social equity in spirit that is every day making itself more impressively felt. Some of these men are no doubt sincere in their motive, as instanced by their willingness to sacrifice their life for the spread of their teaching. They believe the first solution of social problems is to be attained when there will be a universal federation of all local associations for the spread of freedom. They regard themselves as consecrated men who will not allow private interests, religion, patriotism or morality to turn them aside from their aim of merciless destruction of existing society. These men will not scruple to accomplish any wicked deed, and the assassination of McKinley is the fruit of their wicked and misguided teaching. One wonders what Will be done in America to suppress this rapidly increasing. doctrine. Up to the present its adherents seem to have had the fullest liberty to spread the teaching. “ Get theie out of the country,” as God said to Abraham, is scarcely appropriate language just now, although it is evident that steps must be taken to protect society. The problem is a grievous one. It goes hard against British nature to slum the cold shoulder, but no longer can America be the free country as it has been to these refugees. Lectures, meetings, literature, etc., dealing in favour of ' anarchy will doubtlessly be rigidly suppressed, but the solution of the difficulty will remain for a time improbable.