RELIGION FOR MEN.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 729, 31 January 1910, Page 6

RELIGION FOR MEN.

WORK; AND PRAYER. VISIT OF H. S. WOOLLCOMBE. ;'"He's 'a daisy,; ain't hb,"; : was the' remark of a listener at tie. Town Hall on Saturday night, when /'the Rev. H. S. Woollcombe was. in the full' tide of humorous anecdote and breezy exhortation. Rarely, have .the' claims of religion been presented more; attractively .than. by this eloquent young leader of the Church-.' of England; Men's S°°i e ty- - He .preaches brotherly love and- drives homo point after point with an irresistible joko. . He mingles Scripture, with, slang, and is at once - witty and reverent: ;He has'' in abundant: measure the gift of-humour and .thegiftof speech, and he makes it very clear /that lie .takes and ;uses both;as "gifts of'the'Spirit",-Laughter and applause were frequent during, his address, but.it must have stirred many to serious thoughts. •'■.;.-■. 'The audience, in 6pite of the bad weather, and the fact that only'men were present, was large. The Anglican Bishop of.'Wellington . : (Dr. Wallis) presided. Bishop Julius, of Christchurch, and other clergymen supported, him. 'The chairman stated; that his Excellency the Governor had expressed to him his .great interest in the meeting, and his regret that;he could not bo present. The' Rev. J.,;D.; Russell, of Petone, /assisted .with the opening/devotions.. '■■•.';.-; ; -' .'•-•'■;

.'A...Breezy Opening. ;\,'\.. - 1 Mr.' Woollcombe," who was received with cheers, soon made himself at,home with his hearers. .'He ..did hot feel like; a* stranger here. > An uncle of- his,' known as "Daddy Woollcombe,'';was ;a; well-; known "settler; at ■ Timaru, ;and'..he supposed Wbolcombe.Terrace, in/Wellington, was named''aftei; him.;:;He had; hardly been treated, as a stranger; since he canie,for a' lady'at'the hotel; asked'him whether he 'was' one of -the waiters.' : ,"No, madam," -he'replied, "I have, hot that honour." -.Mr.; Woollcombe .went,'on to declare that he was not sent'"but"by the "toffs" of the Church, but by 80,000 '.of his ; ". fellowmen,'- the ■ '••'members of " the S.EiM.S./(Church of • England -Men's; Society).: He 'had : part' of;;the;'salary/they ' paid. him.'•, in his . pocket.';'; "If s -;4200.'- a year,",/he. > addedV/;/:Tou:may •.-.as//-well know. what; it; is';/ at; once. /'//.I .daresay you've been, -wondering.;/If s made up of sixpenny:bits and such-like. -It'doesn't come from.those who'can'easily give £25 fbr'Wc<illcombe'6:sala^.";v; : •.. :-;;;;;■-./;/ . -">'v_ : ■ : ;;;' ;; ■■-. Wbrk.and prayer /were.-the inain themes; of ;Mr. Woollcombe's addressl -No man had; a right to.blame God if the Church was weak.'-It' was./not..God's fault,, but 'man's inaariessj ence..." there,-: but/.'man's reoperation'was*'Wanting.,, Nor would/it serve to; say;that:one paid/the parsohifor looking ■ after religion. /'Each, one had a :plaoe,' like the;;different limbs and :bones in 'the > human body; /- -^ ~ •:■..- ';:,'■''■ '."You've' got- no /right,"'continned;Mr. Wobllcbmbe,' "to blame your parson because/.the-; Church..isn't....strong, unless ;',.lfs.not enough.- criticise the sermon when-you/come.but,.and say. you. could: preach' a l better -We iyourself.-Per-.hfips:you'-,TOi^d'.:''But,'wei'e;yoc sent'there pise- a ; thing,;if;'ybu'/love;''iyiand;try to make it better^bnt'ybu'musn't.'stop.there. Every Christian';must.be ;a worker./Thafs , "what'-tielChurchiibf-'England /Men's'; Someans.-" ; ''lt- is ', to'/ have;' •• in -every . parishjia. body!;bf;'Churcbiheh/banded/together- to' help" fofward-sthe. work .of.'the Church;; andto/'keep' in touch with ,God by means:'of '/prayer.'!.;/'Those j'are,.its ; .,two simple/iruha^^ork/:ah'd;:prayer.";, ; .; ;.• />. The /Liyman's'Advantage^; c ;'-,,;, :: ';■•''. •'-."(

~ They:had-made put in the Old Country 159.. different ways -in' which a man' could help '■■ forward I •:the work''of the.Church. .Could any':man,;here:.say.;,:he could not find, a, single .'one. of '.those! .he could do? He : would mention one which was :;veiy-; important : ."Wlioii ,thei-politician andvthei Socialist were ■;.al'why.i'weijer Christians'/so baikwar'd to speak lof faith It'.wris': because .they did .not'" wholeiheartedly 7 .believeX-ih"'. it. " -He woulcLnot.wish■■-.•men'- i to- speak' unseasonably ~,,buf;V. there ■must;.be many/good'opportunities fori everyi layman could-do :it moro:eft'ectiyely;than a'clergymanirbecause it,would'not be. said that, he was'■.'■"paid- for "the; job."'.The Church would'never'-'be.the power that .God meant it.to be.until .every ; :laTman had -it.'upon' his; heart, to! win- a■: man; for /.God and the:.Church.''^i:/'^-"-"'^'''V--^':''■' .' ■.- finths^ooi^-;'P}''~::}:xl : }]'':r:{' ■■■■■' : .

' Mr. Woollcombe '■ -went 'on' 'to; speak ''.of brotheThood'aß.tlie motto of the draroh 'of, England Men's'Society'.; v ;The badge of ,tae-.6ooiety found: a'man .friends,'in any part otEngland, and he-believed it -would he'a bigthing; Here; and 'elsewhere. -A final' appeal- for'work 'was pointed with, the . remark, '■ "li '■: you :'■; call :'yourself ■■ a churchman, ibe. ; one-4iot a humbug—not. a slacker'."' ■' He "asked ■■. them; to pray that his- visit; to-' :New.yZealaild.; -would" ; :be blessed.i;;f;.v\ ;; : v 'V,' '■■."]: ;■'•'::•;'';. : -v.'- ;; ■ '■.'• : ..: The -Bishop of:Cflrnstcburcn' also;gave a'-.-.breezy■ address,' urging all ,to';help.,,inthe: work. of ...the Church': in - one' way' or" another—for- there' were, many ways.'"He hoped a' strong branch; of the'; CEiM.S.. would be.formed in New/Zealand..-.,,.-'•>':./■..

.:;A collection of .£l7 ,6s. 3Jd. was: takenup;' and'the "chairman, "stated :that the amount. taken would; pay for the. ■ hire of the'hall'ahd leave-a:surplu3' to:go to the Church' of England; Men's ..Society at Home C:.--. ■..:■;: : - ■'~, -.-;.;. : : V-, ':>:■"'.

: : ;XAFTERNOON MEETING. ; v : .:; At' Mr. Wobllcbmbe's' afternoon meeting yosterday,- which was' presided lover.; by the Bishop .of Auckland; (Dr. ■; Neligan) there . was ;a very-, large, attendance of men,;- much" larger ~ than, ■■ on;; Saturday night. :■ The Bishop ;6f Waiapu, (the Et. ; Rey;. A:; W;, AvorUl)'' and i'a;number of Anglican .-'clergy were also,. on the platform.' -jMr. Woolleonibo; delivered'' an. ■ able address, brightly"; illustrated by .innumerable -anecdotes' from: life,-and;dwelt: in-; terestingly-upph such,topics as drinking, gambling, sweating;': ■-: The root, evil was the", spirit .of selfishness, -and. it: wasagainst .this ■ that, workers in - the; cause, of reform had .to concentrate, their energies. ..The 'speaker- also referred to the power' ,of; the, laity, ;who; must be : encouraged' to.: come forward and/to their .part. ; in the work of-the. Church.; The speaker :was:follow'ed throughout with the closest attention, and;interest.:;'.A striking::ad;dress by: Dr. Neligan also. 'riveted'. the' -attention of the audience,:and,the Bishop : of' Waiapu was 'equally successful in 1 his 'speech.; . It was', from start to finish: a most enthusiastic and, inspiring meeting.