PRESBYTERIAN GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

Te Aroha News, 15 February 1890, Page 5

PRESBYTERIAN GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

OPENING AT WELLINGTON.

ELECTION OF MODERATOR.

Wellington, Feb. 12. At the annual General Assembly of delegates, from the various presbyteries of Now Zealand, divine service was conducted by the Rev. Mr Beattie, theretiring Moderator. Rev. H. B. Burned (Westport), was appointed Moderator for the ensuing year, and he delivered a long address. He thought, if he might interpret the mind of the church that their most intelligent people would like to see effect given to Gospel teaching in the training and upbringing of the young that they should early be indoctrinated with Gospel principles. That was the wish of the majority amongst them, and if there was any difference of opinion on the question it turned on the point how we are to do it. This would be the solution of the question of larrikinism. Besides that, this principle which the Presbyterian Church advocates, was confirmed by the statistics of the colony. As far as those statistics go, they showed that evangelical religion reduced the average of destitution and crime among the young as wellas adults, for out of the young committed to the industrial schools on various charges during 1888, there were bub 16‘85 Presbyterians, while other two principal denominations specified in the statistics returned, one 42‘63 and the other 34’74. While their percentage of the whole population in 1886 was 22'59, the other two, in the order he had stated above, had a percentage of 40T7 and 13’95 to the whole population. In point of number the Presbyterian people stood second in the colony, as 130,643 persons belonged to their church, or a proportion of the whole population of 22‘59. These were the numbers in ISB6. With respect to the average of the persons convicted between 1885 and 1888 there were bub 15"61 Presbyterians, which he pointed out was less than the average of several other denominations, so they could claim that evangelical religion tended to minimise crime. Referring to the recent labour disputes both at Home and in the colony the rev. gentleman said they thought there ought to be kindred ties between the labourer and his employer, rather than one in which money is the sole element. The employer should keep conscience toward his poorer brothers, remembering that he should not grind the faces of the poor; and the other side, that employed should render to his employer just service.