COLOURED RACES.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 243, 14 October 1929, Page 9

COLOURED RACES.

PLEA FOR EQUALITY.

ACUTENESS OF QUESTION.

W T HITES SUPERIORITY-COMPLEX,

"God is no respecter of persons. The colour question has always been acute, and never was more acute than at the present time," said the Rev. J. Robertson, in preaching the annual missionary sermon at the Baptist Tabernacle last evening. The speaker said that the coloured races were awakening to a sense of nationality, and would no longer be exploited for commercial purposes. What would be the attitude of the Christian church to that demand for self-deter-mination '! How could the teaching and the brotherhood of men in the family of God be related to White Australia policy? He said the Church should make a pronouncement on the matter, and affirmed that no nation had the right to dominate the primitive and coloured races. A distinction had to be made between European ising and Christianising, he said. Civilisation had frequently exploited and exterminated coloured people. The white people should get the .-.uperiority-coin'pk'x out of their systems, and coloured people should be met on common, economical, social and commercial grounds in a Christian spirit. The day for sentimental reasons for missionary enterprise had passed, and the work in future would have to be carried on with a broader vision, and more intelligent purpose. "If Jesus were to come here again," said the speaker, "we would have to exclude Him under the Immigrants Restriction Act. This sufficiently shows the seriousness of the present position." The speaker's peroration was that the church should maintain the equality of men, irrespective. of their colour, and their right to a place in the unity of nations.

BIRKENHEAD GOSPEL HALL,

THE OPENING FUNCTION

The opening of the new Gospel Hall at Birkenhead took place on Saturday afternoon. The building, which is oi wood, with a seating accommodation for 150 people, was well filled.

Mr. R. A. Laicllaw, who presided, said a band of people who had been working together for so many years in the district had laid a sure foundation, and the progress made warranted the establishment of a_ Gospel meeting hall for worship and also of the opening of a Sunday school. These had been decided on, and the provision of the hall had been facilitated by the generous gift of the site by a lady worker in the cause. Addresses were also given by Messrs. David Templeton, Robert Laidlaw, senr., T. Cairns, Forbes McLeod, H. Yolland, T. H. Salmon and B. Rout. Tea was held from 5 to 6 p.m., and the gathering resumed for evening worship at 7 o'clock. Yesterday the services were well attended and also at the opening of the Sunday school in the afternoon.