TRUE MANHOOD.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXIX, Issue 7815, 7 June 1909, Page 3

TRUE MANHOOD.

There was a good attendance at the Church of Christ on Sunday afternoon when Mr F. W. Greenwood, evangelist, gave an address on " True Manhood." . rhe chair was occupied by Dr C. L. Handcock. Mr Greenwood, m his opening remarks, said tliat every Christian minister should lend what" "assistance he could towards laying the foundation of pure life. This being so he had hardly anticipated that a cordial request for his meeting to' be announced from other pulpits would have been ignoredIf the masses pointed the finger! /of, scorn at tho churches, and asked—-cis' the local and other papers had: —what the churches were doing towards their uplift, it was only what might be expected under such circumstances.' His mission was to do good, no matter what tho reform was so long as it tended towards a purer life; and this little rebuff Would not deter him. If the young fellows of Ashbitrtoii needed timely talks regarding' their behaviour towards the other sex, or their language and actions on tho street, Slid m the field. of athletics, he was there to give advice as to. how they might rise to and livo on the level of;true man,hood. Mr Greenwood then gave a very interesting, address on how to live a worthy life, what temptations to avoid, and how to avoid them, clearly denning the evil snares of city and rural life* and leading both young and old .by well chosen language to a knowledge of the right use of the gifts of God. We were fearfully and wonderfully made, and our debt to our Creator consisted m the right use of our endowments. The lecturer dwelt on several instances of fallen manhood, as observed by himself m Melbourne whilst labouring there, and of incidents of thankfulness "of young men to Mr Bligh. and himself, fir timely advice. Mr Greenwood described the anatomy of the human body, and dwelt on the advantage of pure blood, breathing, and exercise. ' Dr Handcock, m eulogising the advice given-by Mr Greenwood, said that parental _ responsibility was the crux of the situation, and if every parent took that resnonsibility upon himself or herself much misery would be avoided. He recounted his long experience m New South Wales, the average life of the fallen and degraded both through strong drink and riotous living, and advised all to avoid the quack, who traded on tho young. In New Zealand he had found the people more intelligent, up-to-dato, and less easily traded upon, but m New South Wale's quacks had built up a highly lucrative business; m fact, when a. restrictive measure was brought before Parliament, one firm alone spent £1500 to opnose its passage, but eventually th" Bill,passed, and fines up to £400 had recently been imposed upon offenders. Dr,Handcock concluded with a strong anneal to youths and men to respect Vfi-Hs and women. . Hearty votes of thanks were accorded to Mr Greenwood nnd Dr Handcock, on the motion of Mr Hopwood. During thp meeting Mr Geo. Osbome ■wig the solo "Throw out the Life Line."