C.E.M.S.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 16610, 25 August 1919, Page 8

C.E.M.S.

ADDRESS BY REV. W. BULLOCK,

There was a fairly large attendance t ! in Everybody's Theatre last night, ■ ; whcn the Rev. W. Bullock, late chapt jain' ain *<> the Forces and organiser foi .{•New Zealand for the Church of Engj land Men's Society, spoke on the re- . turned soldier, citizenship f and' bro- , thorhood. Bishop Julius was in tho » ™ajr and introduced Mr Bullock. Mr »i Bullock admitted that he was an "im- , j portation," as the Bishop had said, 11 but he was not such a stranger as they ( | might suppose to the life and the ideals • jol men who were, he supposed, tho best of New Zealand's manhood. He was sorry that the society ho represented was called the Church of England Men's Society, for that seemed to have a foreign sourd to New Zealand ears, but he had gretft hopes that its name would bo changed, in fact he thought he could asure them that jt would be changed. Nevertheless, whether it was called the C.E.M.S. or the N.Z.M.S. was immaterial; its ideals would not bo altered, for it stood for brotherhood and fellowship whether it was in England or in New

Zealand. Mr Bullock spoke of the trials of the soldier and all the hardships of war, but he said it was a great mistake to suppose that he had lost all touch with spiritual things, though it was'jtrue that he had altered his point of view and had learned the difference between real solid _ virtue and the paltry imitation which had too often passed for virtue in the past. What the soldier had learned to look for and to honour was tho friend who would pay the price of friendship. The men who had been through the . war had , been enriched and they would judge men and things differently—they would look deeper, and . their souls were

charged with a new sense of values. The church would have to give these nien an ideal, a cause, and an objective which was worthy, of them. Mr Bullock spoke also of the citizens' viewpoint, and lastly of the church. "The business of organised religion is this," he said, "to infuse into human .•iffnirs, iiito everyday life, the spirit of Divine Fatherhood and human brotherhood," We would have to get back to the basic facts of the life and gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.