That Audacious Proposal

New Zealand Tablet, 6 September 1906, Page 9

That Audacious Proposal

The Young Men's Christian Association accurately described, itself last week "to . the Invercargill City "Fathers as a ' purely denominational ' body. (We follow the report of ' Southland Daily News ' of August 31). It has formulated a ' forward fVnovement ' having for its aim the • physical, mental, and /""moral development ' of its members.-- For the which we , have^ only words of commendation; But we draw the line when this - l purely denominational . body '— repire- > senting a social activity of a group of Reformed Churches— asked to have its sectional ' forward movement' placed upon the rates to the, tune of £80 or £100, a year. For such is <■ the effect, of its demand to get,- at a peppercorn rental of £1 a year; a lease of corporation buildings v nav ing a letting value '- of £80. to £100 per annum-. The position is, in principle, on all fours with one that recently arose in * Malta, , v where a wandering evangelist secured , for a time the^ free use of the people's property for the purposes of a proselytising campaign, . in which the great body of the - population (who "are Catholics) were specially.in.vited to listen' to attacks -made upon their" own • faith from their own platform. The Invercargill -Council very properly refused to place the Young Men's Christian Association upon the rates. They decided to call 4 tenders for * the lease or the corpora- ■ tion building for a" term of years. And the V.M.C.A. are as free to tender as anySoHy else. We have already pointed out to "the V.M.C.A. in Invercargill the desirability' of letting their zeal for. . the physical, mental, and moral well-being of its . members take its normal path of discharge. They halve fa,tihereld a denominational or dnter^enominatibnal scheme, poured laudations upon it , and then (strange anti-climax -to all this paternal praise ! ) sought to pauperise it by placing it" from itsVbirth , upon the rates. If the Inveroangill Catholic Y;oung 'Men's Club had made such a proposal, the Y.MrC^A. would probably hay been among the first to order themi to step - into the Southern Ocean. The . V.M.C.A. remind one of Rousseau, who poured hot ex-, hortations upon the mothers of,- France to nurse their babies ■ themselves— while he sent ,his own brats to the Foundling Home. The Invercargill branch of the V.M.C.A.- should nurse their* own denominational offspring'—if • they think iV really worth rearing— and not follow the bad example of the heartless Rousseau by tlrf owing it, as a foundling^ upon the rates.