"BRITAIN'S DANGERS AND BRITAIN'S NEEDS."

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXIX, Issue 7825, 18 June 1909, Page 4

"BRITAIN'S DANGERS AND BRITAIN'S NEEDS."

The Rev. Knowles-Smith, of Dunedin, delivered an address at the Primitive Methodist, church last evening on "Britain's Dangers and * Britain's Needs." There was a good attendance, and Mr W. T. Lill presided. In speaking of the conditions of life m the Old Land, Mr Knowles-Smith said that he would have to say some very strong things. He had not come to talk about Dreadnoughts, for he believed that Britain was menaced by j far greater evils than those which her navy would assist her m preventing. The speaker then dealt with what he considered Christian England's greatest enemies—the idolatory of Ritualism, the antagonism of Socialism, immorality, the congestion of wealth and the drink traffic. In dealing with Ritualism, the speaker quoted largely from Mr Walche's book on the subject, and said that there -were institutions conducted m connection with the State Church m England, the teaching of which was Roman Catholic. These had taken a great hold upon the country, and were causing great anxiety to those who had the welfare of the Church at heart. Speaking of Socialism, he admitted that Robert Blatchford, with his paper The Clarion, was, today, the greatest power .m England among the working classes. His teaching was preferred to that of the Church and many parents took their children from Sunday school to send them to Socialistic schools. Yet Blatchford's teaching was false and injurious. He taught fatalism, and made men believe that they were not responsible for their actions. He (the speaker) believed m the New Testament, • but he did not believe m the Socialism of to-day, and urged that all men should treat their wealth as though it were not their own, but given to them merely that they may do good with it.

In referring to the congestion of wealth, the lecturer said that the revenue of Great Britain 'was £1,000,000,000, and it had been estimated by statisticians that out of this amount £235,000,000 was saved, but by whom? In London there were at the same time 80,000 paupers, and many thousands of people were starving m England to-day. Thousands of working people m England did not know where to lay their heads, and yet there was so much money saved up. They could not find a remedy m Trade Unions, which only made the sufferings of the worker more acute, though he was prepared to admit that Trade Unions had done something for certain sections of the community. They could effect a change only by acting upon Christian principles. He denounced much of the legislation for the alleviation of the sufferings of the poor, and condemned the practice of sending men to prison. He believed that the only way to bring about a change for the better would be by following the lead of men like Mr Oadbury and Sir William Hartly, who practised Christian communism. The speaker touched upon the drink traffic, the immorality associated with it, and the army of inefficients it produced. In referring to gambling, Mr Knowles-Smith said that they must | make it impossible for the King to spend thousands on race-horses as he does to-day. There was no doubt that the gambling spirit had taken possession of the people, and its evils were widespread. . ■■■■ '\ The lecturer was ligtOftefl to very attentively and was applauded at the close of hjs address, receiving also a vote of thanks.