WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1888.

Auckland Star, Volume XIX, Issue 221, 19 September 1888, Page 4

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1888.

A special service at St. Paul's Cathedral terminated the sitting of the Pan" Anglican Conference recently held in London, when the Archbishop of York delivered a sermon on "the terrible problem of the poor." One hundred and forty-four bishops took part in the service, and a large number of distinguished laymen. •It is hardly possible to ; imagine a more impressive scene with more impressive surroundi'Dgs, and the .subject of discourse was also mjgst seriously im:fJr^S3,ive*i There was a^seippliiilld a large Cphgrfcgatioh composed of all the principal dignitaries of .the National Church of a great Empire whose territory ■-' is only co-terminous with the boundaries of the planet on which we livei and who. had been, drawn together from the uttermost paits of the earth to meet in solemn conclave and confer on spiritual and social matters of _the very.deepest importance to the nation. And ,the special.subject chosen for this special service was " the terrible problem of the poor."

This terrible' problem is no new puzzle;. maiiy. .philanthropists, many political economists, many, learned and able men have, and of late years very frequently, endeavoured to solve this terrible problem and devise means whereby the fearful destitution and appalling misery of the very poor might be alleviated, checked, and ultimately abolished. But never before have all the leading dignitaries of the great National Church of England_met together Ij discourse and meditate upon this vital matter. .Surely now if eveiv this problem -.will be solved, or if not solved such light will be thrown upon it as will guide earnestminded men to its correct solution and pave the way for patriotic statesmen to initiate such legislation as will remove once and for ever this blighting cUrse from our midst. But no, the anxious searcher into this problem will look' in vain for its solution, in the Archbishop's address. He related facts-^ terrible and horrible facts —but of remedies for the evil there were none. His only suggestion was " to consider the question deeply with prayers and tears, • with larger and more constant sympathy, and more actively amrm the doctrine of love to others." - This, no doubt, is sound Christian doctrine, and as such is to be commended, but it does -not by any means solve the problem. The, Archbishop quoted with approval the following words of Bossuet: " The murmurs of the poor are just. Why this inequality of condition ? Formed as we are '.-•_ out; of. the same ■" clay, 'there is no ; way of justifying this . except by saying that God has committed the poor to the ricfy and has ansignisd them thejr maintenance out of their superfluity." It would therefore; seem as though the Archbishop believed that God had ordained that there should be very rich and very poor, and that it was the duty of the former to .maintain the latter. ' The; Biblical ptecept* concerning this problem is ■''".. If;a man will not work neither shall he eat," which is not at all in accord with Bossuet's doctrine. The terrible problem of the poor is not a question of charily to widows, orphansj cripples, the helpless and the *. aged, but of providing remunerative'employment to the able- , bodied citizens of a free country who, from various -causes often outside their control, are condemned to idleness, poverty,' destitution, and hopeless (misery. I •*. *\ Thoughtless marriages, intemper-; ■aneei an<i want; of thrift," are, the j Archbishop says, " the chief causes of

the helplessness of the poor." But" increase and multiply " was the Divine command, and although under existing social conditions marrying amongst the very poor must lead to still deeper depths of poverty and misery, yet under more perfect social conditions the pleasures of married life and the happiness of a true home would not be considered as only, the privileges and monopolies to be enjoyed by the well-to-do, as they are now. The Archbishop pouching picture of the poor of London and New York; "The night-closes, "he says, "over the day of strugglej but rest comes not with the dark. Houseless wandereis are fortunate who can sleep unobserved under a tree; some have learned to sleep upon their feet, to them the doorstep is forbidden ; they are only allowed such sleep as can consist with moving on." How is it that the free citizens of a free country are houseless and homeless and kept, moving on, with eyen the doorsteps denied then.', and. sleeping |on their feet ? Is it because" the rich do riot mairitain them out ■ of* their superfluity ? Is it conceivable that the All-wise Creator ordained that a large proportion of His creatures should be absolutely dependent upon another section of His creatures for subsistence ? It is nothing of the sort. The Power that brought man ; into existence made ample provision tor the needs of each during his residence on earth. Then why do these not take advantage of the good things provided for them? Those philosophers who declare the laud question to be at the bottom of all that is wrong in Our social system would reply to this question that the poor continue upon the earth because human laws allow indiyiduaiss' to monopolise for private aggrandisement and wealth that which the Creator provided for the good of all. And undoubtedly this ■isj'a mighty cause of poverty and degradation ; of the aggregation of wealth in a few hands, and the crushing down of the masses; But'whitih we come to examine individual cases of poverty we find that this reply is by no means all - satisfying. That thriftlessness, dissipation and vice in one form and another, have much to do with the degradation and wretchedness of the people, is apparent. In a country like this, where there is still an ample supply of cheap land, and yet poverty and waiit of employment prevailj it is easy to see that, although the question of land settlement and tenure has much to do with the creation of conditions conducing to poverty, the land question here basjriainly a bearing on the subject ojf poverty in- the future, and other defects in our legislative and social conditions — chiefly, perhaps, the collapse fron- a. Governmental _attempt to create an artificial prosperity with borrowed money—-lie at thexoot of the problem. ' ; The' immediate remedy for poverty in the great cities of England, and indeed everywhere) must be the inculcation of habits, of self-denial. General ijooth had a clearer perception of the way to deal wltb the lowest stratum of tjie poor in great cities than have their lordships the bishops. He had come into' close contact witli; it;; and knew that the way upward was riot to be won by polished phrases and expressions which, although enunciating abstract truths of undoubted cogency, were yet powerless, to reach the minds,; mUch less the hearts, 'ot the masses in whose cause they were presumably uttered. The work done by the Salvation Army in improving the condition of a class in the modern Babylon which was once deemed to befarther removed from Christian influence than the Hottentots of Africa, is how acknowledged even by some of the strongest opponents Of the 'movement, and this ground alone it has large claims upon the sympathies of all denominations of Christians'. No doubt the series of meetings to be held in Auckland during the ensuing week, under the auspices of a son of the founder of this remlrkable' - organisation^ "will be welcomed by those who are interested in the problem of poverty and other social prbbieriiso of equal importance, as affording an opportunity of learning something that is worth knowing with regard to the current'of thought and philanthropic .and Christian effort in the -great cities Of the old land.' . ■-*..' •-•' ':-- ■' '"- •■ ■■■'■--- -*■- ■" .