A CHALLENGE.

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 18724, 22 June 1926, Page 9

A CHALLENGE.

CHURCH AND LABOUR. TRADES HALL SUGGESTION. The meeting of the Council of Christian Congregations had before - it last night a' request from the , Trades Hail Propaganda Committee to appoint a speaker to discuss. the question: ."la the, Christian ■ Churoh Anti-Labour P" at a meet- -. ing to he held in August. The request wm- not acceded to, the majority thinking that it would be difficult to set one speaker who , could adequately represent the views of tiie Church on the sub- . jeot. The chairman (Ven. Archdeacon P. B. Haggitt) said that it was felt that it was not only a ohallenge, but a , great opportunity, and he was very keen that they should send a man along bo that the real Christian viett of things could be presented. He thought that there should be some amongst them who could undertake to do so with advantage to the listeners; and to the Church. "It is a great opportunity," he added, "and we should pick out the best man we can and ask him to go along. - I think that we ought to believe that they are thoroughly in earnest. If you read ,thfl 'international Sunbeam" [a copy was sent with the letter) there is a ring of earnestness about it—that it what struck m=>—and there is real Christianity m it, and a great deal of misunderstanding as to what the Churoh stands for." He suggested that'the iter. J. F. CoUrtey should go and represent the Council. "If Messrs N. M. Bell, Page, and company wish to hear'the attitude of the Churoh on the matter," Said the ' Rev. 0. A. Fraer, "the* eanttot do better than go to Church And hear the various speakers speaking, earlier than eight, o'clock on a Sunday evening. They are not likely to get the attitude of the , Chufoh m one address. Nodoubt it would be good, for them to have an etpwtum of the Gospel as it bears on such social questions as they are but that they will receive that ' etfpositron- best from'a member of this Council I have my doubts. I don't think it quite oon-, eerng us to take up this challenge. The way is open to them to know what the attitude of the Christian Churoh is." The Eev. H. L. BfemifeV suggested that the Rev. W. J. Williams, or tne Rev. A. Liversedge should represent the Council. The Rev« W. J. Williams askedii "Who is going to undertake to represent the view of the Churoh on the Labour question P What man is going to vbk , unteer who would be accepted by the 'Trades Halt as a representative of'the Church P" He added that the* knew of ministers who could speak with a great deal of sympathy on Labour questions; they also knew of others who took quite an opposite course.' It Was a big and many-sided question, and he did not think that anything Satinao- , tory would oome out of the acceptance " of the challenge. Mr W. Dobhs, suggested Professor Cdndhffe to represent the Council. - , The Rev. J. F. Course? moved i' "That the Council, of Christian Con- , gregations does not consider that any , one speaker is capable of expressing . -the various points of view of the Christian churches on the Labour question; it regrets that it is trouble to ■accept the invitation of the Trades ' Hall Propaganda Committee, and .suggest* to it that it should approach individual \ members of the Churches, who might be willing to give their personal views of the matter." He remarked that Labour was. now political, and there were several planks in the Labour platform with which he desperately and strongly disagreed. One was that education should he kept separSte. The Church was not anti-Labour in" the true sense of the word, but'it was snti-political Labour. Mr C. Barrell seconded the motion. The chairman thought that the motion would fill the bill. The motion wae agreed to _unan>raouily.