Dr. Roseby on New Zealand.

Auckland Star, Volume XVII, Issue 98, 24 April 1886, Page 4

Dr. Roseby on New Zealand.

The ex-pastor of the Moray Place Congregational Church of Dunedin has beon enlightening the Ballaratarians on the social, political, and religious condition of thiß colony. We make a few extracts from his interesting paper: — Federation is not popular in the colony. New Zoalond plays for ita own hand. The Australian connection is only one of several. Tho New Zealand colonist is making more and more of commercial and political relations with the Islands ot the Pacific and with America. A glance at the map will explain this ambitious feeling. The dream of New Zealand, with its glorious climate and its wonderful resources, is of the New Britain which is destined to become. Even the annexation of adjacent islands is regarded less from the point of view of federation than as a possible aggrandisement of New Zealand. It is impossible not to admire these aspirations so characteristic of the Anglo-Saxon race. The Political Feeling of the colony ia very advanced. The Premier of the colony, Mr Robert Stout, ia an ardent discipline of John Stuart Mill, and very much in sympathy with the views of Henry George. The veteran statesman and administrator whose nameis a household word throughout the colonies—Sir George Grey —is more pronouncedly radical still. I confidently expect that New Zealand will take the lead in substituting the leasing of the public estate for its sale. I should not wonder if the colony does not make arrangements for tho gradual resumption of land already alienated. I shall look with the greatest interest on movements of this character, with which I am in the strongest sympathy. If we say that the tone of political life in New Zealand is Radical, as it is, we must carefully distinguish. It is not Radical in the sense of legislation being dictated by the working man. Its Radicalism is doctrinaire. I use the word in its best sense. There is an attempt at least to carry out political change on a reasoned basis. There is a political philosophy regulating the statesmanship of the colony. The social legisation is progressive. The Drink Traffic is being hemmed in with restrictions. Licen ting committees, annually elected, have complete control over the retail traffic, and a triennial popular vote settles the question of new licenses. But legislation is almost in advance of popular feeling, and in so iar it is ineffective. Rollgi^n. I should speak of the people as, on tho whole, deeply and soundly religious. The churches are well attended, and tbe ordinances of religion are well maintained, and with the growth of population the churches fairly keep pace. But, as far as my experience goes, the prevalent type of the religious life among the intelligent classes and in the ministry of the churches is what would be called broad. There is indeed a large class very sensitive to such influences as cluster around modern evangelism. And this evangelism sometimes takes on a form which it would be easy to criticise. But criticism is disarmed in the face of sincerity and zeal, however sometimes misdirected ; and the great majority of the colonists, even thoso of the broadest school of thought, are commendably loyal to the churches. They read the ' .Nineteenth Century,' and repeat the responses of the Liturgy. They condemn with unsparing bitterness the silencing of Robertson Smith, and yet throng the ministry ot the worthy and orthodox pastor of the Knox Church. And in the churches themselves there is a tolerance of differing viewß no less com--1 mendable. A man loses nothing oi his influence in the Church, and hardly suffers least in reputation, because he is an sivowed evolutionist. It is found that a man may be a firm believer in the doctrine of continuity and a devout and humble Christian. The leaders of religious thought in the colony, so far aa my experience goes, are men whose sympathies are very much with the sohool of Dr.Moorhouse. Zet, as showing the real catholicity of this feeling, there is a widespread sympathy with the ' work of the Salvation Army, It is a fact 1 which might strike a stranger as remark--1 able that the Premier of a colony so pronouncedly religious should be an agnostic; 1 and the wonder is not diminished by the discovery that his moat ardent admirers and 1 supporters are the Presbyterians of Otago, But the fact is, that a careful and just dis--1 tinction is made between the agnostic and th,e man. Mr Stout is a disciple of the school of Spencer and Mill. He ia a philosophical sceptic, but he is a man of blameless persona! character. He is trusted for 'his impartiality. Possessed of great capacity and dauntless courage, he is still a man of extraordinary kindness and generosity of disposition. He is an ancient social reformer, and, next to the pastor of Knox Church, I should say the most popular man in Otago ia Robert Stout. Of sympathy for aggressive Freethought there is really very little. The ordinary meetings at the Lyceum in Dunedin are not largely attended. The "douce" citizen smiles at the zeal of those who have got hold of the new " Eureka," and goes his way. On the 1 whole, I must speak highly of the religious life of New Zealand. It is intelligent, has backbone and strong muscular fibre ; it is 1 active, with no lose of the devotional element. The pulse-beat of the Church of Christ in New Zealand is strong; it is catholic, but it is first Christian.

Religious Teaching in Public Schools.

In the primary schools they have to grapple with exactly the same religious difficulty as meets us here. The education is not, indeed, wholly secular- as it stands it is far from godlesa ; but the Bible is not read in the school. And I cannot say much for attempts fitfully made in New Zealand to supplement the defect by tho method resorted to here in Victoria. We tried that method in Dunedin. It was a miserable failure. I doubt if it has had much better success elsewhere in the colony. The classes dwindled away to nothing, and the effort waa given up in despair. Iknow how decided my own judgment on the matter was, that that is not the solution of religious difficulty. We could not compete with the playground. ,The attendance of the children was of course purely voluntary. We had no effective means of securing either punctual or regular attendance. The whole thing, after a year's trial (and a good deal of energy was expended in the effort), simply collapsed. I favour myself tho reading of a portion of the Holy Scripture in the school as part of the school work. The Bible, to say the least, is a great English classic. He is an ignorant dan who does not know it; and Earn perfectly convinced that all this talk about the danger of leaving the Book in the hands of the teacher ia simply nonsense. The teachers are, on the whole, a body of inteljligent and God-fearing men. The Book is I perfectly aafe'in their hands.