RELIGIOUS WORLD.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 230, 28 September 1929, Page 2 (Supplement)

RELIGIOUS WORLD.

PRESENT-DAY OUTLOOK, (Contributed.) JBXBLE CLASS MOVEMENT. SPEECH BY THE GOVERNORGENERAL. Every available seat in the Wellington Town Hall was occupied last Sunday afternoon for a "rally" of members of Bible classes and kindred Christian organisations, at which the chief speaker ■was his Excellency the Governor-General (Sir Charles Fergusson). The gathering wae held under the auspices of the Wellington Inter-Bible Class Council and its many affiliated bodies. Those present included representatives of the young men's and' young women's Bible classes of the Anglican, Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist, and Associated Churches of Christ, the Y.M.C.A., Y.W.C.A., Student Ohrtetian Association, and members of the Toe. H movement. The Mayor (Mr. G. A. Troup) presided.

Spirit of Co-operation. The chairman of the Wellington Inter Bible Class Council (Mr. M. A. Treme wan) said it was a great thing to tliint that the demonstration wae not limited to one denomination, and that all the many denominations represented had their organised youth movements. The youth movement in New Zealand numbered 30,000 young men and young women. The individual movements were developing side by side with the best of good-fellowship between them; they u-ere growing up in a spirit of co-opera-tion. They wished to thank his Excel- • lency for his presence, and it was splendid to eee in the chair the father of the niavement—his Worship the Mayor. (Applause.) There wae a great future ahead of the movement. Activity and Service. The Mayor introduced and welcomed the Governor-General, who said that he had' been told when he was asked to address the gathering that a message of inspiration before he left New Zealand would be appreciated.' He took that as a great compliment; it was an invitation he was only too , happy to accept. He was bound to say, however, that he found. it : somewhat difficult to know what that message should be. If the message was to stick it had to be on the right note—r-not a sarmoii. Anything in the nature of a sermon from a layi'n&n was out of place and iii'ltatilig. It must , have some connection with the religious activities at the back ■ of the many societies represented that afternoon. Their aims were all much the name. One of their objects was the promotion of activity and service. That was, the great connecting link betweah them all. Activity and service were words they should always keep in their minds. All people who engaged in religious study, or who made any sort of public profeesion of interest in religious thought, exposed themselves to same danger, and to eoffimente and criticism from people who did not understand their work. Criticism arose from the fact that often the idea was abroad that any people engaged in religious thought, religious feeling,, and religious. study,and «.v,en those who connected themselves with religions, were people who lent themselves to ..eharg'ea.i.tif. dentinientali'sn"f; or to use a 1 colloquial expression j "goody goodlness" and "wislty wti&hlneen.'' People looked on thetn as .idealists; dreamers, selfM-igliteoue 'and self-satis-fied, and the ordinary man and woman had a , contempt for that, aifcl dMpisiJd, and rightly so , , anything that favdwed of cant. ' ' ' '"'

Religion Not a Barri6r, "It would be terrible/ , his Excellency proceeded, ,: if religion separated u# frorii other people, if it acted as a barrier. The very essence of religioiw teaching is' Hot to separate us. but to equip us to enter into riiOi'e intimate association with otir fellow-creatures, to understand' theni better, and. so be useful in the. com* iiiunity—usefitl because we , exercise eo much influence upon them. fieligiOil is something , to be promt of, and for you to show . your pride .in .without outward show Or ostentation. You should bd tieOplft recognised as an influence for good among all wliom- you come in eontact with. Influence is an extraordinary

thing.. Whether we wish-it or not, We exercise influence for good or for evil with every single person we come in contact with,, ybit must be people who are and-who wield a real influence for good in the world/ , The flrbt thing., that they had to redOg.itise. wa« thai;':: great truth—that their work, to be aiiy. godti in tlie world, must be ,God-dire{jted'work; further, that all :;Work wfs God's Work. Those, he thought, were/the two spars tor keep them up to.the niark in all their activities. To be happy they had to have Ood-direaitcd'lives; that was the secret of countless great lives throughout the .ages. Think of the great men of whom they had read, and in 99 caeee out of 100 they Were religious men who read and thought about' religion. Tile caay ■way w&§ not generally the right way.