THE CHURCH AND THE MEN.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 104, 29 May 1909, Page 3

THE CHURCH AND THE MEN.

MR. WOOLCOMBE'S .MISSION TO THE ANTIPODES. AN APPEAL l-'Oll SOCIAL SEliVll'E. Loudon, April 2. The memorable appeal fo r personal service which was the note of the Inst Lambeth Coiiiercncc is already bearing fruit in the Anglican Church. The growth and activity of the Church J England's Men's JwTefy. which Ins branches all over England and in many of the colonial towns, is one of the signs of the times, and the forthcoming visit of the travelling secretary of that society to Australia, N'ew Zealand, South Africa, and India will serve still further t quicken the energies of churchmen throughout the Empire and draw closer the ties which unite the daughter churches overseas to the parent church in England. This mission to the colonial churches will be undertaken by Mr. 11. S. Woodcombe, who is resigning his position as Head of Oxford House, the well-known University Settlement in Hethnal Green, in order to devote himself to a worldtour of fltfee years' duration in the interest of the Church of EiiglanTl Men's Society. 'Mr. WooNcombe leaves London by the Oruiuz in May, and after spending several months in Australia he proeceds to New Zealand, arriving there about the end of the year for a three months' tour, before leaving for South Africa. I called on Mr. Woollcombe at Oxford House a day or two ago, and was rewarded with an interesting outline of the purpose ot his mission" and of the aims and aspirations of the Chinch in the direction of Christian unity and .social service. A PRELIM IN AliY CANTER. He modestly described his forthcoming tour as "a sort of preliminary canter before the arrival of the Mission

of Help." "In this way the precedent adopted in the case of South Africa will be followed." he said. ''To South Africa the English Church soil Cwo leading clergy to prepare the way. They went all over the country, preaching aiid telling the people what the Mission of Help meant—the revival ot Church life iiud the linking up of the old Mother Church with her daughters beyond the seas. Then came the Mission of Help from the Old Country, consisting of a large num-

lii'v of clergy, who devoted their time to preaching throughout the country. , "That is the idea tn<-.v have in view in Australasia. Hut I myself go out there primarily "nn behalf of the Climcli of England lien's Society. Whether a .Mi.-sion of Help will follow is not yet decided, hut my visit is to take place in any ease. The idea of tire C.E.JI.S.. is that men should he ready to pray and work for the Church. It endeavors to «<t men to realise that religion liienm giving rather than getting. We want to have a sort 01 'rally' all over the English-speaking world. We are Irving to rouse our men to realise that they are called to light for a great cause, which we helieve to lie the cause of prosperity' and progress lor tTie whlSo woiTTI. That'is the call of Chrst's Church. What the Church wants from its' followers is

active service. 1 am going out purely as travelling secretary of the society, with this idea of getting men to be keen, and arousing them to the realisation of the great brotherhood of the Anglican Church all over the world. This tour of mine, will prepare the way also for a mturc .Mission of Help from the Mother Church to the Church in the colonies - a. project which has already begun to nu talked ahout out there. "The C.K.M.S. has been growing in England with extraordinary rapidity. It was established about ten yeam ago, when Temple was Archbishop of Canter, bury ami Wilmington Ingram the liisliop of Stepney. We are getting about a hundred new branches a month siaVtcd all over the country. The idea of service is very much in the air at the present moment. There was the ljamuHli Encyclical—it needed that great appeal for service to rouse the Church, and this' is just the sort of opportunity to realise tin' ideal of churclimanship. A TREMENDOUS MESSAGE. "The Church is realising that she lias a tremendous message to the worfil. U'c have a very strong position, with imr national churches in communion wllh one another, each giving to the service of Christ its national characteristics and talents without interference on the part of the Mother Church. -While linked up with the Mother Church, cacH national Church will be. free to work out its own salvation and its own ideas'. 'That idea is capable of the utmost development. If i\ve' are to have a real Church in China and India, for instance, it can only be by planting our organisations there and uicn leaving them to work out their own ideas. And wiiat' is true of India and China is true of ,tlie colonies. We do not want to apologise for the position of the. Anglican Communion. We ought to be gloriously proud of it. It is !i splendid position. "And it is quite possible—it s on'y a dream at present, I know, but it '5 quite possible that the Anglican Church will lie ,n years to come the ultimate link between all the Christian Churches. The Anglican Church, standing between Roman Catholicism and Nonconformity, with one hand on the open Bible in acknowledgment of individual responsibility, and at the same time holding | fast to the idea of a continuous Church ! ' ministry and tradition, may pos'sibly 1 form a.link for ultimate reunion. Tint is a dream, but it is one which is quite possible and which may have an ultimate reality. And so I feel intensely that our Church has a message to the world as well as to the English-speaking races. "These two great ideas, firstly, that each Church must bring its' own glory and honor into the Communion, and secondly, that our Church is a bridge between Roman CathollcTsin and NoneonfornßTv—thiwc brouglit out very largely through the Pan-Ang*-can Congress." SOCIAL EVILS.

■'Undoubtedly," said Mr. Woolloombo, "all these social <H'ils in our midst need to be tackled with all the enthusiasm that Christian religion can bring to bear on the question. The danger is that the Church has got into back-waters a little. What 's'lie fias to do is to lling herself into everything, not'on party lines, but from the point of view of progress anil '.! i- achievemeliT of Div'fcc good by human means. _Tlie Church has a' side iiim-li deeper than that of party, ami thai is in her determination to see real progress achieved and justice done. It" has been said that the Church has been far 100 iiaelhvai'li; tfiiu she has held aloof instead of throwing herself into 1 lie life of tiie nation. We have" see to it I lint reproach can no Tonger be justly TeveT.'.

"This is ....... y.,. foul with regard to social service; you will never got the patience, the endurance essential to tlic -low nml gradual building up of a better social system, without the Terror of religion, drtviug out the spirit of • selfis?,ness in th,. builders. It is religion, and more parleularly the religion of Christ, which alone can give the power and the feeling which make social reform u reality. V„r. enn plan out the most magnificent machinery for renioviii" social evils, hut if it 'is' to succeed vom must have people to work it who 'are; really anxious to make the machinery l go -people whose desire it is'not to grind their own axes, hut help other people. It is not enough to have the machinery: it does not at all follow Unit it is going to work. Again, you "my have splendid machinery"anil 'tTi right people worßiiiL' it, liu't unless you can get the people themselves to make "" '; llorl - f" h -P iliemselves welf. not I'i'.Svn can "be done. X„ Act of Parlia-mi-lft w.l really help the working classes to lift themselves out of povertv and ignorance so long a« (hev throw | I ie,r inoney away ,'n 'l.oozin,,' .i,,d gam. tiling. There muss |, O an cllort on the pint o the people who need the assist- ;>«<•<■ ol _ the State if the machinery which the Mate may provTTlo ?s to he worked successiully. That is j. feature which lie cxtremo JMerimnisls see,,, to me t; L overlook. Heredity and environment account Jor a great deal, no doubt hut villi cannot nironTTa ignore the power "' ''""mil wiif: Von must have the will »s well 1( s t] u - wayr-Home correspou-