THE NATION'S CHILDREN.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16219, 23 May 1918, Page 2

THE NATION'S CHILDREN.

SERMON BY BISHOP JULIUS.

A special service for men, in connexion with the Dominion Conference of tho Church of England Mon'6 Society, was held in tho Cathedral last evening, and was well attended. The preacher was his Lordship Bishop Julius.

Basing his remarks on Isaiah ii., 6: "And tno wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and tho Jeopard shall lio down with tho kid; and tho calf with tho young lion, and tho fathng together; and a littlo child 6hall lead them," the preacher dealt eloquently witli the value of the nation's children, and tho importance of giving tho child a.chance physically, moraily, and spiritually. Wiiat incredible pains, said his Lordship, they should take that children might- have a good start in life. Especially to-day. lor all their hopes centred in tho children. Thoro was a time in ancient history when Hannah wept bitterly because 6ho was childless; of late years Hannah had wept bitterly because she had a prospect of a child. Race suicide had marked civilisation all over the world: it was the outcome of case and luxury aud selfishness. They could not have tilings as comfortable if they had a crowd of children, and they had kept the family down, had kept the country down, and fairly damned themselves. The war had shaken thom out of their luxury and selfish indifference. Their thanks should be given to tho brave young fellows who had gone to the front, many of whom had spent their lives for God and country. One saw those who camo back bruised and maimed, and lame and broken, and one knew what they had suffered for their country's sake. A generation was passing, a whole generation was practically skipped over, and because of that children became of inostimable value. The necessity for giving the child a chance in life, and the best possible chance, was of overwhelming gravity. They had to givo them a chance bodily- Ho acknowledged that New Zealand's caro of the children was very great indeed, and yet it appeared to him that tho number of institutions in the Dominion for the caro of children was out of proportion to the population. He spoke hesitatingly, his lordship added, bocauso ho did not have figures; but _ his j impression was that our institutions j were enormously in excess of our popu- ' lation. He knew from personal experience of tho enormous number of children there wero who were not cared for —deserted, neglected, ill-treated — who looked for some homo where thoy might bo kept, and who were out of '"proportion to the wealth of tho country, the easo of life, and the conditions of a comparatively small population. There was a danger, which was glowing steadily, and which they would have to face, and to faco quickly—tho danger of disease.' They must kuow as well as bo did that tney would have svphilis in tho country, and evils. What did that mean? It was bad enough for the innoccnt wifo; but what was it for the children yet unborn children who would grow up rickety, diseased, puny; children that would have no chance in life. They would have hundreds of. them, if they were not, careful. They would have to look to that, and never live in a fool's paradise. Then they must givo the children a chance morally. There was very little homo life. They knew that if they went along tho river banks at night they would eee a lot of young girls about—not bad girls, but girls who were extremely likely to go to the bad. They must know that the city was not a pure city, and that there was _an enormous amount of evil, a groat deal of it duo to the exccssivo freedom girls Lordship urged that there should be much moro civic care of our parks, public grounds, and places alone river. Another thing which his Loi ship said ho spoke of with a good deal of,care, and some hesitation and he was denouncing no one, except tlio devil—and that thing was the pictures. Ho was not going to run down tho picture theatres; they were run to pay. and pictures had to bo shown that would draw audiences and people who wanted to seo pictures eight days in the week had to be catered for. - He went into a tramcar, and _he heard: "Maria, have you seon 'Divorce Made Easy?' You should .go and see it." His Lordship wondered what happened to girls who went to such things. As far as he knew, he had given a fictitious namo to tho picture. Many pictures were not bad, but they werfl suggestive of beastly things." Yet they sent their children to see them. _ The pictures were., the most . magnificent things in the world if .rightly used— children drank in knowledge from them by tho oyc, but they were taking in many things that they did not at present understand, but which were bound to spring up in the coming years. They wore fools to let t 1 -sir children son them. "I am not blaming the men," said his Lordship, "they arc just supplying the demand; but we aro lotting that demand go on instead of trying to -stimulate a demand for something better. What is the generation to como to l>o if feed them up on trash of that sort? I need not sav moro about it—only this: I wish (if I could only trust tho City Council), I wish they would tako the thing in h»"d, and run p. few municipal shows. (Hear, hear.) That is what we want. I would have a municipal theatre, if I could «"vt it. and picturo shows, and I would then come down on the Mayor and Corporation if there was oin thing shown not St for n child to see!"

Sneaking of the spiritual neMs of the child. his lirdshin -remarked that attention to the child's sniritual skip was tho wholn# root and bottom of education. He was not saying a word aeainst the national system of education—as faAns it wont it was quite excellent.. He'cane upon n man who «ent his son to Christ's Collate becs'ieo he nn»roc : at»d the religious instruction i*ivcn; but the same man did not nnnrovo of the church orimnry schools his Lnrdshir) was endeavouring to establish —not in opposition to tho national svptem. b''t to help it. and to sho*v it wh»>t ; t shori'd be. Anpawit'v this w" that there lio one kind of oducntion for one r-lnss of the pomrannity, p"'l k'"' l for another plnss. H'« T.ordshin cfi-'l ho to HP<* why s]-|r\nlrj lie anv f ]!ff«-rnnce of this kind. The need for religions instruction "•-°s fh« "TPater. h^< , a" s e not, one fn+hor in fiftv o-lre'l -whoff-nr Ti is JonriprJ t>>e oF our Lord. ureao'""* iv commondincr wnrl? prnonw;t the <-.l->'Wr«Ti to mpinlmrs of fthe Church of Vn<rlnn#l V«n's Society.