OBITER DICTA.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19156, 12 November 1927, Page 16

OBITER DICTA.

[By K.] The sermon with which Dr. Barnes raised such a commotion was printed in summary in The Press this week. So far as I can make out, Dr. Barnes holds that no religious doctrine is sound unless it can be tested with litmus paper. And if there is any Christian belief which does not satisfy the Inspector of Scaffolding or which conflicts with the fifth proposition of Euclid Book 1., it must be dismissed as counterfeit. In fact, Dr. Barnes believes that religion is, if not bogus, yet at least mixed with chicory. It ia not surprising that everybody is wondering why he goes on dealing in it. But I mention Dr. Barnes and the controversy he has aroused only as illustrating the distance which the Churches in Britain have drifted from the realities of religion. What those realities are the New Zealand public was reminded this week. Rum, of course, is one of the cardinal things in theology, and important also are dances, women's clothes, and horses. But the foremost problems for the man who is religious are the tin hare and the Sunday bowser. The attack on the tin hare was entrusted to the Auckland Presbytery, which "viewed with indignation" the proposed introduction of this interesting animal, and "deplored" the fact that certain named persons were introducing it. One or two members suggested that there should be no reflections on individuals, but they were not listened to. As the: Rev. L. H. Hunt said, the Presbytery would be failing in its duty if it did not publicly brand as sinners, and name by name, those not of its way of thinking. The Church, he said, would gain more respect if it were more outspoken. Yet such is the perverseness of this wicked generation that the Rev. L. H. Hunt is certainly wrong, for most people hold the silly idea that bad manners is not good religion.

As for the Sunday petrol, the issues involved are hopelessly difficult. Some of them could be decided only by the ancient Jewish teachers of the Law or by the modern interpreters of the rules of golf. It was the Christchurch Presbytery which attacked the Sunday bowser while the Auckland body was holding the fort against the tin hare. Its protest—it "viewed with alarm'%— was, so one of its members explained, rather against the sale of, petrol on Sundays than against Sunday travelling. As the protest was directed against "desecration," this distinction is too subtle for me. Then the question arose whether it was desecration to fill up the tank on the way to church, or whether the gas was unsanctified gas only if it was used to propel a car to a picnic ground. The general sense of the Assembly was, expressed, however, by the member who said that the sale af petrol on Sunday was "absolutely unfair, quite apart from the Sabbath Jesecration." This recalls the warning given by a Judge to a witness whom ie suspected of perjury: " You are not )nly imperilling your immortal soul, rat you are also rendering yourself iable to six months' imprisonment." Of the desecration of the Sabbath. I have lothing to add to what I said, last week. But like everyone else I rejoice that ;here is very little likelihood that the Churches will be obliged, like the boot factories, to put their hands on short ;ime. When all the registered cancers jnawing at the vitals of the nation have jeen got rid of—beer, t Sunday golf, tin mres, petrol, shingled heads, dances, rad horses—Satan will find'some mis-

chief stiU f OT alarm. y **Hj li o not believe «ii «. I Providence is dririnr^^, nations m^Z^K MP., but Mr &?& complete with JgSl those decimals long smce and lost rl him lisping in numbed The State- CWm tio»i totalled 56,<W V, S«kiu of State * £ second preference toVlSli Prohibition vote\&*?»wl creased by 19,600 vSV 1 * 2 vote reduced 'by handicap impo Bed b u *« therefore ft*,' handicap of 55-45 sTL^M new Bill is 67,500 total vote, W 10 £2 Eg* I should no more dream of the arithmetic of this |HS metic of the men whoZi' write strange letters d ' that Bonny Kapito's.hJS have been 4 yards belifoaS having run ninth to Child iffi the 4.26J class in HokiangaS Wednesday, too, when thei 2 ping was so and so. The ftSaj ists, however, will undenfoj? Combs's decimalised drink ft swear by him, ' ™ For he by geometric i«|i. ' < Can take the. rii« «t A** And wisely teU what VoM«'s t The clock doe> strike b",l,s Most of us have foolishly bdfojj the only handicaps upon M are, first, that it ts.ProhibiS .second, that it cannot get onoiT, to believe in it.; But that'js J here nor there. The thing to {,, congratulate the on finding his Arithmetio Booh * Bachelor of AriUmelli And tins is charitable in-m»,a| mark of a great soul, becawa t emerged from the Parliament in »| Mr McCombs does his long fa sums an unpleasant reflection aptu moniker. Mr Waitc, the meaAttl Clutha, speaking on the propyl some turbulent clergjfman or 1 )! should be charged with "In® privilege," in that he said things about members,iquotedtsi of one Floyd who many ye&rt tot brought to the Bar of the K Hbwh poor wretch's sentence was thttbt incapable to bear arms as a gfflUe that he should ride lory with his face towards thokn tail and holding the taihht hiilm that he should be branded-withililf ter "K," whipped ; fined £SOO and be imprifoWufc gate Prison for.life. He <lmi, all, no doubt, but naturally thaw eo no applause* in this"column fori treatment of "the letter TE*?jjjii dignity equivalent to the often. I it does not grievfi'me to inow U\ the pohipaipjfr eyen then oonnoW absence c( veneration tot them. S indeed, that bur politicians did nofd up very well in their treatment t/l clergyman's abusive words.'"to contrary, they treated him wild dignity, and humour--*too*J»» ing me to pass some retrospecurtW lation, cancelling all the irreyejii* paraging, and calumnipus reww l our Parliament that teve'apjg these notes in the past. BnWiW" reflection—. " ' -,7 •