The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE. MONDAY, JUNE 14, 1920. AN APPEAL TO CHURCHES.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3502, 14 June 1920, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE.

MONDAY, JUNE 14, 1920. AN APPEAL TO CHURCHES.

With which is incorporated “The Taihape Post and Waimarino News.” W -

| The British Prime Minister ms been is'itatin.g to a. gathering of Welshinen ‘what he considers to be the duty of the Churches in connection with reform and reconstruction. He said their special task was to create an atmosphere in which reform was possible and the perpetuation of evil was irripossible. But which of the churches twill seriously take to henili ivhat Ma‘ }Lloyd George urges. The atmosphere ’ of the world, not excepting that of the rßritish Empire, is thick with propa- *' gentle of one cult or another; converts in thousands are passing‘ ever 00 "the side whose banner is the word disruption. But who need wonder that such is the tendency '\\‘hile no mun can stnml up,» or will stand up t'or the banner. of justice and piaogress. Even by the very disciplljes of disruptio»n it is nntlerstootl lihat. mankind is passing iE'rom ofi? safe mental ground» into the ‘region of ’p*.h:l.ot.ic tliiouglrt, and these doubting people are zillowed to drift. away hoeause it is neither the clinrches’, the Si‘ate’s. nor :myl)od_v else'.< business to bring: under their notice another side of the monientnns p;rol)lern. Ihloya "George ileelures that confrrsimr nml. c-onfiict of purpose are I)al‘2ll_\;sirig, goodwill in every land. in Britain as ('l.-'(?Wll(.‘l'(‘, but who cares? Britain lias so far (-I-senpetl the (*:ltd,~:‘ lroplre. of being split? up into nunier (ms w:l.rrillg f:i,ctimxs_. but l‘.lo_vrl George ntlirilts. :*.:;:‘. st.:l.tes;, that Briitzain I'n.pl<.ll_\j ejolug that way for no clear‘ or mHl(*x'Si()o(l purpose. He is of opin-I ion, aml says .-io, that, the Cll1ll'('l14"Sl :r,lrm<-. 4.-an .<:lve"he people from llis-E n_.~:ler._< whieli follow upon :ln:ire.l|_\' of} will mid aim. How that znn:l'/.ing eon» relusion was arrived at is past muler—i st:rn<lin_<_v‘. for no section. or t’aetion of} people have left an invl) ot’ stnlilni g_rrolrnr.l for the «-liirrcln-s to jump oil’; from. The people lrnve reulisml tlmt tl1rnu;;'l1 film _;_;'r'<»‘+e(l :Iml extortion at" the few tlurir \'e‘{_\' <'.\'i.<t'<=m-0 is im-I perillerl and they are :Il>:'ln(l(min_{_'_‘ the] old preer-pt oi‘ .-‘nlvntion and now re—l quigyriso on!_x.~ :1. c'.l'ee(l of enlEl.neipu.tion.i H. is n s_ll‘()V-'('lllllg in the -lzn-1: nn dmrlrt; ‘i as l.lo_V<l G—eol',{re snys, it. is without any i clear purpose, but will tlrose who are’ the cause of this zlrift into eontemlin_o;| factions nml conflicting‘ pnrnosel'essnessl provitle the (:l.llll'Cllf‘S with that exrnnple of‘ _’plst.iee, peeve nml charity] that.‘ alone (‘(Hll(l render tlieir etTort:<l <.-fi'er*ti_ve in ,<.'ivin»g the Empire. from <‘.!'llmlllin,’_'j to pieces? True. tliel

<7}mr~’Vl)o.< can Sl.'lrl: 0111‘ info HlO blackvsl nf’ ni;;hf.=.. info the mo.~‘.i: disnnfl of 21:».-o1'9.¢. ::rd in f.heil' gl'<)pizlgs '(_l_i.<(-.m°n fwo .~:w:’rir>x~.s. o}mx‘os:<nl-s and <)pprcsso(]. T1142’ :1m)0n3:~‘. plr*f:lrlix:,<:.‘~' and” oxhol"ra!ir».n.<: urn r~'er.n":wfl 1))’ Hl9 small party of ogjpx-r~ssr»l's. who have made gold Hxrir 2'o-1. :m-1 {hey .~.rm‘.‘o no intol'ns€:

."‘."'H‘!?.’,“ “In ol‘m‘z-o.<sr\(?; xflm have f‘m'ned t‘m>ir fzzcns to ifhe new god we can 801;4~.ho,visn3. T7.2:n‘, r.ar’rv fhzat slnoulti lid‘-

en to peace and charity, to the precept of goodwill, will‘ not, and the ulas,~:e.s dare not, for hheir very homes zuxd families are in jeopardy. Some people yet contend that there is no danger either to Empire or civilisation, but it is obvious that such people are blinded to danger. In our Empire there is a shif.l'ing‘ degree of perpetual strife which the churches are impotent to restrain. Such étrife has passed out of the realm of religion and has become the concern of civil law, and who will say that it is 110*? rapidly developing into a question (10manding military interference‘? The

churches cannot remove the World-l wide discontent until’ the cause of itl is taken away by civil laws fhatl should be enacted and administered: to ensure equality of opportunity. In? his hopelessness Mr Lloyd George‘ makes a frenzied appeal to the churclles to create an atmosphere in‘ which reform is possible, and evil impossible, "b'ut" the while the civil aut.‘horities are persistently pursuing a course to maintain an atmosphere in which beneficent reform is impossible, and in which greed and evil only can flourish. Civil law can‘ n-‘o ‘-1:0I1g0I‘ maintain order and peace and in the lawmakers’ extremity they appeal. to the chnrehes to come to their aid and save them from xthat which they are powerless to save themselves. Why i do statesmen and leaders Of the P 9091? lcontinne to bcfool themselves and to l hoodwink others? They cut the ground from under the churches by their inNstitution of the cult of ‘materialism and commercialism; they sought to build up the Empire by working and drivihg human beings much as they had driven their horses and donkeys, making of them little else than beasts of burden, and until they abandon their new-found cancerous cult. it. is worse, than useless to appeal to the ' churches, and we venture to say that Mr Lloyd George understands that more fully than we do. Materialism and commercialism are being allowed _ by parliaments elected by minorities to

[destroy :1 people that are innately loyal and patriotic to their Empire. |What is the use of appealing to the {Churches to rese.ue the people from what develish ctinker, while not one example for good is left them to point ilthe people‘ to? i"l‘here are men who yet believe "that. materialisni and comilllo.l'Cl2lllSlll can and will save society ifrrom revolution, but they display an Ecptimism that should impel them to [place sole dependence on their cult land not to make themselves ridiculous iby appealing to churches for assistlanee in their ofgy of crime. There is uncleni-able evidence (hat the masses ’of the people are loyal’ and patriotic at heart, but the evil influences of ';n'lzlterial'isnl and commercialism are Ejust as potent to sway the masses of [to-day as they ever were; fie-day they imay shout their {loyalty and strew palm leaves in tlle Way or their future lking and in a little while they: may ‘shout,. “crucify him.” In his dying ;houl‘s King Edward the Peacemaker saw and realised what Vhe greed of materialism and eomnlerciali.=znl would bring the Empire ‘to. It is reported that, as he gazed on his grandson, the splendid young man who has just completed :1, march of triumph through this Dominion’ he said. ‘‘‘The ‘last king of Engln-nd.” Only the most \~.'retClle(l. of tl‘~aito_rs can hope for the t‘ult'ilment of such :1 prediction; the m,a.~zses of the people have left no doubt about their overwhelming pre/t'erence for the limited molarcllialgov-oi-nn.-ent. A'l‘hey have pronounced :1 no

‘.111('n1--".'1in j11(lg111o11t on illaf 1111:1tfo1', leaving it no longer a. question. '.l‘}ley l1:1\‘o been gi.VOll ample opportuiiity to $11,161)‘ 31111 1c0111p:11'o British oollsfifll— goverllnlollt'. with all (1ll‘.(“1‘ nonsl'l'{‘n.’.'iollS uml l1:1v0 left" no .~:11:1(low of <loll'ot about wllicll they ‘pl‘Gfo'.‘. Yof I.loy<l G1?-o1'g(~ recognises with :1l:u'111 that .<olllCflli-11g is. (l+osl.l'oyillg flu-ir jllllg'lllmlt and Rapping their 1o_\f:1-l‘ry. H 0 is powel"lcss from 7110 5211119. <*:111so 111211 1-illlll'cllos are p(m'ol'less fo '.*o.<rllm 1:111: l<l111pi1'(= .firolll its drift lo\\(al'«l.S 1'm:o1u1io11. TllO love of onn’.< 1"1:1l'i\‘0; land is -an r:xto11.<io11 of love of 1101110 :111<l f’:lmily_, aim] it is logically 1.1-110‘ 111111‘ 1.110 1l(_~11;1se111en\f of one 1oa<l;~; fol 1110 <1(—*b:1.<01n011t of 1110 wlmlo 1oyal:11'1<l 1 I»:‘ll‘l'ioti<3 i.nsl'incl' in 111311, of wllicll 1-11010 is, 1111f‘or’r1111:1tol}', 31111310 proof.’ “So 1:11-1." .<:1i11 Mr Lloyd (“x(2ol'g'e. “we l1:lV(‘ avoirlml 111111’ 1-:1l:a.<f1'o1‘1l1o i-11 81-i-l min, but," 110 ;1(111o(‘1, “if was spl'on{l—l il:<,,-‘ 1‘l11'1')11gl1o111. 1110 \\'ol‘l(l', 111111 lllr-1 1'=11111‘(-1111.: :11o11(‘ ('(H1l(l 3:110‘ 1110 ‘peO[>lP; l'l~olll 1110 ('li.~‘ilsl‘Cl's \\'lli<-11 \\’0111'(l 1-1151101 ii’ :111:11‘c11y of’ will and 31111 10111111111111‘ to .<111'o:1(l."’ Wo mu_-<l.’ 11o\\'n\‘P1'. rt‘-:1l«l 199 film tl'u’rll Hl2ll‘ 1110 flll'L'o o:11'1'li11:1l vil‘lllo.< lmvre 111119; ago 110011 joHisolloll._

from the vtllfship of m:ltm'i:llism am! o<>nlln<})-cialisxn, mld that HlO masses of HlO ponpln are being rlrzlggml at the .‘:‘.'.‘l'R cut‘ that: ship ‘to whirlp«.ml.< of flo.<‘.’:".:':.‘_.i<;l;. W 110!) IzlV\'xll:lkel's: are no lwnrggm‘ zflfln to onm-1’ and o~nf’orc.c laws in uphold and maintain p<—‘§:lce in the ;_r_v~na{~ British family, if is waste of iimo Ifo appeal to the churches to do what pzlrliammts and Tawmakers so dis:lstl'ousl_v fail in. VVO appeal to our rr3a<"(Aol*s to ‘think out for fhomselves ‘rhose qurmtiowns which are frml9;}lt with so much danger to them. No [Lime ovor r.\.':-.s when there was so much need for thinking before acting.