A PROTEST.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 19775, 13 November 1929, Page 9

A PROTEST.

SUNDAY EXCURSIONS. THE PRESBYTERY INDIGNANT. Tliat this Presbytery enter a strong protest against the policy which the Government it adopting in connexion with our railway* in seeking by San day excursion! and the advertising propaganda therewith to break down the legal and traditional view of Sunday as a day of rest. The above motion was carried at a session of the Christ eh are h Presbytery yesterday morning, following on a report by the Rev. Dr. Erwin from the Public Questions Committee. The proposal was, originally, to run two train* to and from Timaru each Sunday, said Dr. Erwin, bat he understood that only one train had been run each way. It waa a new development, and a* such he thought some form of protest should go out from the Assembly. Such exeursiont were against the policy of the Presbyterian Church. Some very subtle propaganda waa being carried out in furtherance of these excursions, which was reaching into the schools. Such advertising of the Sunday excursions in the schools was to be strongly deprecated. They had been given an assurance by the late Prime Minister that while there wm no great demand for these Sunday trips no efforts would be made by the Department to popularise them. It seemed that the department waa creating the demand in order to meet it. There was any amount of legislation for the protection of the Sabbath, and prosecutions against people wording on Sundays had recently been instituted, but the Government was not only injuring the moral question of Sunday observance, but was breaking down the legal tradition also. He then moved the motion given above. It was supported by the R< v. J. Dickson, who characterised the Sunday excursions aa a growing evil. The Presbytery had once received a letter from the late Mr Massey intimating that in the matter of Sunday observance the Government Departments would set a good example. Mr Coates. however, had said that if there was a demand for Sunday excursions the Department would run them. Day by day the practice was growing, and now the Department was holding out faeili- ; ties for and encouraging the desecration of the Sabbath. The sooner the Presbytery registered its riews on tbe question the better. The Rev. L. Me Master: 1 think it would be illuminating if Dr. Erwin could girt us a specific instance of advertisj ing in the schools. Dr. Erwin: My attention wa.* called by parents to the fact that these an- ; ncunrements were made in our own j schools. The notices must have been 1 sent for the purposes of announcement, i That is all I know of it, tut the information is quite definite. | The Rev. F. J. Tylee said that the Presbytery was getting no sympathy from the Government, and so it would not be out of place to ask the ministers to make an appeal to their congregations to stand by the traditions of the Church in the defence of the Sibbath. Dr. Erwin's motion waa then carried.