RELIGIOUS WORLD.

Auckland Star, Volume LII, Issue 72, 26 March 1921, Page 18

RELIGIOUS WORLD.

The Right Rev. .lolm Manwaring Steward. Jii.hop of .Melanesia, is exliivtod in be in Auckland at an early .hire, and sails for the Man-Js by the. Southern Cross about the middle of next Illnlllh. Tn hi- "Seven Xeeds of To-day," Dr.! V !■' il.irton in.lndi'-. "The solution of l the indii-irial problem, the peaceful f..'-:l.-m.'i!t ..; Ireland, and the brother-1 li.n>.] hi nation* with the triumph of, Mr, Willi;,™ Mryee. M.P.. who resignedfri'in tin- Mineri."' Feder:uio:i to become I.:i'iMUir adviser to the Minister of Mini-*, i- a liaptist. ;\ local preacher,' ami has been in many strenuous cam-ji.-iiifn- fur tree Church cause*. i The Fl'inn Mission Fund of the : M-:hi>Ji-i Church in Xew Zealand, like. ih.i: of the Foreign Mif»ion departi.ient. has had a record year. The total ii-K-om? amounts t-> £in..",75. leaving a , -,-cclii on the year of £10-3. This sum \\ iil he used in the carrying out of a| progressive policy inaugurated a few : years The estimated income for ; the current year is £io.So!>. and the] c-timuted expenditure £10.S:il. ; In the "'History of Independent I Methodism." Mr. Vickera points | flit that an unpaid ministry is the out- j .-t;in.ling feature of that branch of the j i hurch. lie argues that an unpaid j ministry, excludes "huckstering." tne j monopoly of good preachers by rich | churches, a "une-man ministry." and j similar evils. Some advocates state that | equally good results could be attained by s'inie system of pooling salaries —and j ministerial talents. The "Baptfef has a Boston letter by I ("has. H. Watson, which, touching upon -i he question of church union, quotes a statement by l'hilip Brookee thirty years ul'o: "Church union will come when it must. When some vast emergency impends that puts in peril everything that we cherish in common, then only will v.v know how profoundly we agree, and how superficially we differ." Touching upon a recent conference Mr. Watson states: "When the answers were nersonal expressions, they were broadly I'athoile, but when they had to be ecclesiastical they were either diplomatic or loss convincing." A striking illustration of the value ot Hie local preacher in the work of the ■!Methodist Church -was narrated in the recent conference. Two years ago one of the southern goldiield townships, with i\ population of two thousand people, had to be left without a ministerial appointment on account of the scarcity of men. But two local preachers, resident in the township, had, while earning their living by daily toil, kept the church open, preaching once a Sunday during the whole two years, and were still carrying on. And a recent visitor to the district testified to the fact that he found there the largest week-night congregation in all his tour. Christian brotherhood marked the departure of the Rev. R. B. Hill upon leaving Tuatapere Presbyterian Church, He was waited on outeide the building by representatives of other denominations, and presented with a cheque as a mark of the esteem of the donors. The speakers referred to Mr. Hill's broad Christianity, which had endeared him to all classes' of the community. Mr. Hill said he appreciated the kindness, coming" as it did from his Church of England, and Roman Catholic friends and residents not attached to any church. He was glad returned soldiers were also associated with the gift, because he had been so long associated with the Army. Inter-denominational camps are being held during Easter week under the control of members of the United Evangelical church. One eanfp is at Ngaruawahia, and th% other at Blockhouse Bay, Avondale South. The camp at Ngaruawahia i- th 3 larger one, being attended by young men and women from all parts "of the Auckland district. The Raglan County Council has granted the use of a site for the men at the junction of the Waikato and Waiapa rivers, and tlvj women are accommodated in the school house. There are special meetings for Bible study, and gatherings in the evening are addressed by ministers and laymen. Easter' Monday is visitors' day. It was announced at the closing session of the Methodist Conference in Melbourne, that Mr. F. J. Cato, of the well-known firm of Moran and Cato, had donated bonds to the value of £20,000 to be distributed as follows: — One-tenth to necessitous Methodist ministers and. widows of Methodist clergymen: two-tenths to the Victorian auxiliary of the Methodist Missionary Society: one-tenth to home missions in nid of the su=-tentation fund, to be used in the augmentation of the stipends in Victoria; one-tenth to the Methodist homes for children: one-fifth to Queen's ' (illegn for scholarships: one-tenth to Wesley" College for scholarships; one■tenth to the "Methodist Ladies' College for scholarships, and one-tenth to the Kpworth intermediary hospital. . The Methodist Conference has nrade several changes in its Auckland ministerial staff. The Rev. E. T. Fox, M.A., i- to go to Gisborne, and the Rev. F L. Frost, of Lyttelton. will succped him at the Mission. At Devouport, the Rev. W. •1. Elliott, who i< appointed to New Plymouth, will be followed by the Rev. ¥.. V. Blamires, a good organiser of young people's work. The Rev. P. R. Paris, of Dominion F.oad. will take charge of the Sydenham Church. Christehuxch, and his place will be taken by I!ie Rev. F. Copeland, a missionary en-thu-ia-t. The Rev. W. H. Specr will >». succeeded at Franklin Road by Rev. T. Conts-worth. and the Rev. W. G. Slndp, M.A.. will be added to the staff of th.■ Auckland East Circuit. The Rev. •>. Parsons, of Mount Eden, is resting "•for a year on account of ill-health. Mr. H. A. Mess. 8.A.. of the Students Christian movement, in a book, "The Fa*t« of Poverty," refers to the bad effects <ii slum life, the weariness ot spirit produced lfy miles of mean dwellings, and the spiritual loss inflicted on people who are completely divorced from nature. lie em|.hasises that there is little in slum* to compete with the lure "f strong drink and the fierce excitement nf gambling. Evidently, from the point of \i;,v i,i the ( hisreh. the prevention oi Miline in Lhf»e i;.-w lands i< of paramount inijMjrtiim-e. The late R. .!. Seddnn, when Prime Minister, evidently recognised the fact that rows of meanlooking dwellings were a mistake., for he ■insirtwl on the worker*' dwelling* erected hy the Government ljeiri"- ot Taxied designs in the same row.