MARRIAGE LAWS AND LABOUR PROBLEMS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 633, 9 October 1909, Page 4

MARRIAGE LAWS AND LABOUR PROBLEMS.

—» ———' , ; ■ The. charge delivered by tho Anglican Bishop of Auckland (Dr. Neliqan) at the opening of his Synod yesterday, besides reviewing the internal affairs of his own'diocese, dealt with at least two'questions of great importance to the Dominion aa a whole, namely, our laws i and the attitude of organised Christianity to modern industrial problems. Ihe. llishop makes it quite clear that his views on these matters have been largely, influenced by the discussions, that took place at the recent Pan-Anglican Congress and the Lambeth Conference, and .here we have an illustration of the farreaching effects of those two great gatherings., The ideas and suggestions then put forward by. leading authorities on the're- ' ligious aspects_ of some of tho most important scientific,' philosophical, ■' social, and industrial questions of the dayi have been-carried-by the delegates to. their homes in various parts of the world and are'now being expounded and discussed in many' ways,and. among: many / peoples.' There can be no doubt that the Anglican Church, more especially in the Motherland, has of late years been giving a great deal of attention to these intellectual and social difficulties,'and : the same remark applies in a'greater or less degree to all the religious bodies. At tho two Conferences already referred to such questions were given a very prominent : place: on tho programmes. Indeed, ideas ion social problems are moving so fast, especially among the younger clergy, that even the Bishop of Birmingham (Dft. GoRE), who is himself a Christian Socialist, and holds advanced views oh industrial mattors; recently found it necessary to warn, his clergy against, committing the. Church to the opipions of any political. party. The present outlook is well stated by a French writer, who. refers to the Lambeth resolutions in the following words: "That which is to be noted # in this social and intellectual position is tho eagerness to assimilate to itself all new ideas, all human movements, i i order to show that they belong to Christ, and this note is evident in all tho-'problems ■ before the Anglican Cliurch."

As regards tho very difficult; and delicate question of marriage and divorce most people will cordially agree with the declaration of tho Bishops at Lambeth that'"tho purity of ftiarriago life is the Iv.sis of all national stability; and it is the function of ffic Church, not only to bless marriage itself, but to giiard theiritcgrity of the family in all its stages." JSo sane man wants to sec divorcc increasing or the braking up of family life; hut plain facts, which lti ie sheer folly, to disregard, have forced many of tho' moat

cautious andi conscientious minds of tho ago to rccognise that there arc circumstances in which divorce becomes a practical necessity—the less disastrous of two evils, but still a necessary evil. It ! 3 qu'tc possible, indeed it seems almost inevitable, that under modern conditions tho rigid enforcement on the whole community of tho'marriage law of tho Church a>. cxpoundedtjjy Dr. Nelioan would give I r u C 'u ) , m ° r f far-reaching evils, than those attributed by some people to the existing facilities for divorce. However, there is rv> general desire among responsible peoplr to extend these . facilities, though' there may be a good deal to be said in tavour of wie proposals recently put forward in England by Lord Gorell to place,rich and poor on an equal footing in this respect. The State does not, of course, oompel anyone to take advantage the divorce law. It is permissive, not mandatory ; and the Church has a perfect right, to insist upon a higher standard for. its own members than that required by -tho State. That is a question foi each religious body to settle for itself, and there need be no conflict between VvtiUrch and State in this matter. The Rev. W, . H. . Frews, a distinguished Anglican writer, who .has made a special study Of these questions, points out that a course of action may be opened to a man as a citizen, but remain closed to fcini as a Churchman.. There ia no question or the Churchman being in antagonism to the civil law; he can be at once a' loyal Churehman and a loyal .-.citizen." In New Zealand Churchmen and citizens alike, apart from a stnall group, of "responsible iconoclasts, arc anxious to preserve the sanctity, of family life, and, tho average man will go a long way witli Mr. Chesterton, when he demands in his characteristic fashion .the liberty to bind himself. If. I vow to be faithful." he writes,. I must be 1 cursed when I am un.'taitbtul, or. there is no fun in vowing, ioi tho purpose of even tho wildest romance results must be real; ' results must, .be , irrevocable. ; .. Christian marriage is thogrcatosfc example of a real and irrevocable result,; arid -that'is-why u is the chief subject and centro. of all our romantic writing. And I should.ask, and ask imperatively,'of any social paradise to bo Kept to my bargain, to have my oaths and engagements taken seriously; I,should ask Utopia to avenge mv honour on myself." . ' ■ In his treatment of industrial problems 'Dr;; Neligan gives expression to interesting ideas,' characterised on the. whole, by sound oommon sense, and he speaks with characteristic couragc and forco. Ho is strongly of opinion that the Christian Chureh ought not to enter into entangling alliances with either organised Labour or organised Capital: but,should stand apart as the free, and inao,pen dent moral critic of both, pointing cut the duty: of each to tho other, and of,both.to the community as.a.whole. He thinks that it is a healthy evidenco of vworous religion when, in its organised form, it dares to stand alone ana insist i«j[ion the application of Christian principles alike to men of capital and labour; If organised Christianity allows itself to crme' undeiv the domination of either, of these forccs, it may, he says; "for a time fetain its organisation, but to'a certainty ,it will lose its Christianity." - j'Thesc words well deserve yery careful consideration at the, present time. The Bishop'ssympathies, however, go out to the manuaMabpurer,; and he, denounces "sweat-' il'g ■as a discredit; to the whole social tabric and a serious indictment of our teaching of the religion of tho Incarna■tion. ■; - but he goes .on to sav that to use is; understood ln thfe Old Gomitry to 'doscrihc the condi-pf-a- ' blame-. mnltr. raC M J M', , lns ' "P° n the i 0 tllo purchaser, and contends that cheapness is not the only- thing <to-he ; hut that the buyer should make inquiries into tho his--tory of , the-articles he buys.- However good, this advico* may be in theory it is not easy to see how it could be put in general. practice. Db, ,Nelioan also lays stiess upon the responsibilities of inves- > r f e^ S > social .and spiritual viflfaro of the, men and women ' 'engaged in the industries from '■ which their (the lriyc^tors) income is derived; and he sees more danger in the "hideous materialism, tho.direct product of.luxury and wealth,'! religion is sary, than in the-attitude of • organised .abour,. which sometimes assorts that 1 rcligion, is incredible.' He denies that the fTirflT 1 ' as_such,;is antagonistic to Christianity, and states that, both in England and Zealand (especially in country-districts) some of the most loyal Churchmen belong to the ranks of labour.. lbe Hlshop takes-a more optimistic,-view than most people regarding tho attitude a I VC J' V lar S fl Boction of tho ; & ;p .°P u ? tlon to the religious bodies, ihe Anglican Bishop of, Birmingi/. or . ', nst ?" CB ' emphatically de\iftbtki ? /[ rc! ! , ls " nofc in touch with the mass of : tbe labouring people," fh ,n : f'r 10 £ f ys ' #>■ tho chief test of ,the vitality- of a Church that it should represent thoso who:live by manual.labour. Ho goes on to stato that "tho question which ought to hold a prerogative ?fnw & the , lnt " CEts of Churchmen is, How are we to roturn to a condition of th ngs nearer to, tho intention of Christ or revolution, but, if not, then, anyhow to return 1" frnm° V f rj *i words coming AnS;„ nf greatest minds in tho , Church'of the present day.' The .indifference so prevalent among-the ChurehM ° t0 thc a PP eal of-; the istin vi™ an t rf° Erowth o£ tho materiali lVl£ r ° w °* ! lf . e among rich and poor ™ „ - c certainly very serious problems. i- ho T' er> no n «ed to be unduly pessimistic, for many careful observers' T?,w e - lßns a .bettor time coming. a sp . lcilci cordial for drooprini ; cortainjy the, Christian li-l ll P a Ssed,through greater crises w;ir^ p uf nfr ln its 'ong.career. 'It will no doubt, once moro orove its vitalfm.' °ufc a Christian solution r.r«M intellectual, moral, and -social L! s r° , a S £ ; and the efforts of those leaders of thought, who, like Dr. h..H^ A! !,\, ! i' re , Etr v in S to bring about a ■ 1 8 between Labour and Capital, and to secure from both a t ' lo 6 reat ethical P™ c ?P, lc ?. of . Christianity, deserve the sympathetic consideration of. all ricrhtthinKmg people. , ■ ' ;'' ■ . '