CANON SHEPPARD AND PACIFISM

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22319, 5 February 1938, Page 20

CANON SHEPPARD AND PACIFISM

TO TUB EDITOR OF THE PRESS. Sir.—Some weeks ago I was interested to see that you found time and space in a leading article to devote to the passing of that well-known Anglican, the late Canon Sheppard. When I saw him, heard him, and read some of his writings, 1 realised that he was ever on the watch to discover and point the way UJ . whi(s P the Church could attain a worthier*”destiny. He tried to look at her from outside, as the non-churchgoer does, and see what grounds he had for remaining aloof, as well as from pthor viewpoints. Like most other clergy and ministers, he began to take an antimilitarist attitude. While I admired him in other ways, it seemed to me that he was mistaken in this latter respect. The same I might say about other Church leaders. Some time after the Armistice, I attended a meeting in London addressed by leaders of a good many churches, with the late Dr. John Clifford in the chair. The purpose of the meeting was to ask the Government to put a stop to compulsory military training, which it did, not long after. However, I groaned in spirit as I thought of these Christian gentlemen doing what would have the effect of closing forever the gates that led to the open spaces, sunshine, physical culture, clean food, instruction in rules of health and sanitation good discipline, and the comradeship of men of a higher class to thousands of young men brought up in the slums of ull the larger English cities. In this country, as one church conference, synod, or assembly followed another, the voices of all the churches seemed to agree in demanding the same thing of the New Zealand Government. And all the time I could not help thinking that in most cases the delegates who go to synod or conference are persons very ardent in religious matters, but whose views on public questions are not true opinion of the Church they represent. The result of this agitation and indifference in almost every quarter has been that by about 1936 or 1937 our country had reached a state of almost complete defencelessness. However, the lesson of Italy and Abyssinia is something of a warning which has begun to arouse some interest in defence. With regard to the anti-militarist activities of the late Canon Sheppard, and of those in this country who get people to promise not to iom up ip His Majesty’s forces under any. conditions, the question I want to raise is. Did Jesus Christ carry on any such activities? We read of Him coming into touch with an-officer of the Roman army, whose astonishing, faith, which was only equalled by his humility, called forth the very highest commendation from the Master, far as I know, neither Christ nor His Apostles ever persuaded a soldier that his military career must be terminated before he could commence a life nleasine to God. Neither have I learned of any case of Christ or His Apostles inviting men to make Promises that when their oountry, the.r wives, their children, and then worldly possessions are in danger they will not lift a finger in their defence. To me it seems strange that Canon Sheppard and many lesser Christian pacifists could do that. To my mind these days present them with a unique opportunity We in New Zealand have contributed to those funds subsenoed for the relief of suffering and distress Would it not be wiser to get together those men who have for years ocen telling us the way to peace, and -end them to those troubled places whore their special gifts might be fu ..y exercised?— Yours, etc., E A D February 4, 1938.