SPIRITUAL CULTURE

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 347, 7 May 1928, Page 13

SPIRITUAL CULTURE

PLEA TO THE PRESS THE REV. A. THORNHILLS LECTURE Thirty years ago I was a journalist earning my living with ray pen. said the Rev. Albert Thornhill. M.A at the Unitarian Church last evening. “I can well remember the late Dr Hargrave asking at that time, when I was studying for the ministry. wh> 1 was leaving a profession in which I could speak to thousands daily foi on© in which I could only speuk tthose who cared to listen. 1 replied: While 1 have new written a line 1 did not conscientious!> believe, there are many thousands o« lines 1 would have written hud 1 n<> known they would not appear in print, because they clashed with li** interests dominating the paper with which I was connected.*” Conditions in that respect had not improved to-day, in his opinion. The plea made by the Rev. Thornhill was that newspapers should devote more space to spiritual culture By that he meant not only religion aspirations, but culture in al! itwider aspects. Human life, in thiI direction, he thought, was almost unrepresented in the columns of th» j Press. The public was for the main part ignorant of many lines of cultur* with which it should be acquainted The charge was usually made that the clergy should enlighten the peoph and Air. Thornhill admitted failui They had been “digging in,” impelled by the conviction that the old dogma were impregnable and essential fu salvation, and he held it was the dtil\ of the newspapers to fill the gap. Figures quoted by Bishop Barmsliowed that SO per cent, of the population had littlo direct interest in organised religion and they depended almost entirely on the daily Press foi tlieir spiritual outlook.