LABOUR MOVEMENT.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1054, 18 February 1911, Page 9

LABOUR MOVEMENT.

' -PAPER .BY, JHE.REV, J. R. : ] CLASSON. WHAT THE CHURCH CAN; DO AND '•.] • .WHAT IT CANNOT. 1 ..■ T7 - " ■ ''.v.-.- -'i Tho' Congregational-Union' ' Zealand, at its meeting at Dunedm on - , j Tuesday, discussed - tho question" of", "tho j Church in its relation' to Labour., .A: - \ paper. on tho subject by . the • Rev. J. " i R. Glassoii, of .Wellington, was listened \ : ] to with close att-ention j .. Mr. Glasson explained that he had j been asked to speak on< tho subject; which was one ho ■ would- not have j chosen for himself.: It was a verv large. . -j and complicated subject, • involving; the:. .j naturo and function of tho Church. He '! proposed to speak .on these lines: The' 4 i present situation, the present, attitude -:r-j of the Labour, leaders to the Church, a .5 definition of tho Church .and its racs-'.:-rJ sago and functions,': .what tho Church;- -1 could not do, and what the Church -: - j could, must, and ought to do if it were - - ' to fulfil its truo. mission in the world. - ' A few decades ago the difficulties were a • doctrinal, theological, and speculatiye.-.-Thcn there came a, lull in tlier purely-'; ! theological and speculative.storm,'.find- :• ; ing the old theological systems crumb-. - ling;:into.,tho dustibefore tho rising '.: tide of critical and, historical ravcstiga- v : .tion, and scarcely feeling. themselves; equal,to the great work' of reconstruct tion, men >turned to the more 1 immedf--atelv practical work of. trymg'to realise" ■ in human society .the principles :: and>--truths : which were - most surely held. -" ': This new spirit/ if.it was not indeed the .indirect outcome'of the democratic irovc-: ' i men of the times,, was, at any rate co-..: . 1 incident with-the birth:and progress,of:: ■■ j that movement.. The great Codv ot tie'v people; .becoming more ■ and more con- ;.] scious of the disabilities under whidr:' j they .laboured, vturned to t]ic Church ■< and demanded that- the Church should : ] seiriously.atteihpt to applv-to actual - 3 dustrial rid social life those truths ■ and - >1 principles' of; which it is professedly; the ■ ,i custodian and interpreter.' It was said l "■ j by and honest ministers; -f- ,i as well as lay. members) of the varjoutf churches,' that tho Church had too ; lons'g--:J neglected its duty,-in.relation.to:sociM w- 1 ] questions, , and tliev . set: themselves at ."'i great.personal sacrifice to do what- they ! could to'remedy the;evil. . But rt was :'.- -1 felt, even two decades'ago,'that :the. ; " :| , Church,- by her long indifference: and- - f -J neglect; had. so the working-;,-:;: j classes, that the': more: intelligent and-,■--] self-reliaut.bf-them liad'bccomo indiffon-' ■ i ent,-' if not, tpiA'q . tlio claims: of ; tho 7Chiirch. i-'They quite frankly.that' the Church.ivas late in' the Held. : : The tendency?.p.fi.thfejviid Labour- movement'-in" England, ■ the Continent, was iin - the .dircctioniof:'". 1 a complete. antagonism, to religion and .- ":3j religious ideals.' .Socialism; in', its : mofe ? tJ| populat . forms, had become ia "ii • and a religion of a-DroTibuncfcdlv'mater-"^ 1 ." lalistie typo; Beside -tho hope of ;■ #betJ-f. j *<i terinent and comfort which it holds.out :- :: before nien those of Christianity -seem unpractical and far- aivav, - and easily held no to ridicule. -It was said, how-i ever, that the -workers were not- • ail- . tagonistic to Christianitv,- but to> or- " '-' : ganished Chnstiamt-v asirenreseutod-bv-.i-. • r :tho • churches, v It-was : clear tho'--' : alienation of the-working class-fronrilfar'-v . Church was bevond.: disnute, and tho v: most significant and perhaps, ominous ■ fact is that the labouring class as a ' whole have-ceased to-feel any desire or r need of help or sympathy -the • - Church

.* The ChurchV with all iits v£yi' was the organ thfoßgh - carrying: forward His' great' rfidbihptivQ - purposa inutile - world. 'InVa-wordj'-it>-\:-' was hero to interpret'' mind, an 3 .spiriKof'Jesus;:Chrisfi. Glassriir'went; bn'to' poiiit ;Oqfe/that'ttbe>v' critic,losing;Jiis ' the great" y-roligjonsV-principles; yiVat - -.outlast; all * - ages,:;'and;.:carrietV,awaysby >the J gusii- o£s>J;i that; he discovers- 'ill' Christ' a .greafc.?.i;i moral reformer ..'The JeSus of jhistbry.fy was interested .pnmarily..in.iman!s ! .relar'ivii tionship ; to - -God: ->To - his> mind, ' ethical life';was? sitriply; God's will. ' The,CKurch,theu so far. as it catche^the'.inindof-, the Master, ' loyal will hold' aloft - this - message i tion. To' siibardulate primary 'message ta' any -passing danc scheme' forhuman : beitem.ent,yi? J to- court -disaster It- had been saul that the/ rich '> man'-was alsa •'alienatedt?% from ,thc Church.-- IF so, ■■ so much -the";' worse' for;"the-'ricE ! 'man. 'One : ''of ; HhejiVj what naturarmair:;iiiu3fcncce£sarily:be'-right,^ ; ;." factor in. the 5 Church's message to tTie :.i times. . If the Church takes that- as V its cue^'and'tries 'tb-adapt : to the tastes - and-' fancies of ;tho -unre-v;'-. generate multitude, • it : willv.s6on_;fail -//: toappeal, .authoritatively even. ■ to/.tlifc® multitude,' and-wi!lrspocdily pass; into ('-: oblivion) as it will deserve' to -'do; , ; Whatistlie.; Labour; movement' in 5 ; its'; essence?. asked.Mn'Glasson. Looked 'ai-.i

superficially,'; it' seems as. if the Labour ' movement was /merely an efFprt ,;oii; tlie'4.Jfj partof;the?w3ge-earningclassto.'get:a larger share of the product ; Now, this effort m's-mitself. quit&;'rea-7<'.?; ; sonablo and just/, and cbmmands/>Th'o>. - s sympathy of all fair-minded women;..-. But these rmatcriar. produt'tS-'!'; 1 exist for an end beyond-' themselves that end is tho largest,; freest, and richjivlfl est . life of which/tho ihdividuhl ■ able. , ' ■ ' v The' CHurchiSis ia: Church', could 'iiofc;,// touch'concretely; and; specifically the bour movement; without; becoming ppli-' ; tical and partisan.) It was ■ through; the' machinery of the, Statb that !tho : aimai-;| of tho Labour movement. and ments ; for r v social betterment, ,must'i>;;j achieve •' their end. - The ono; function"; :)] of the Church': to'-which allelse bo subordinate was neither political ; i!br .' : 'J social,; but;;tho..;appeal! to. sb'ulsV/withi the .message'of salvation. "The ! grander;* aiid first-object of; tho;Church; : is)thß;{'| Kingdom"jof God." -;The Piu'rch^could,^£l do• much," but' indirectly,'. by'; tho atmosphere in which the spirit; or;' social reform, of' whiclu.the : LabourjiJ movement is. only . a part, 'can ;livo ; but ; especially by. producing men and womea'i'g in "whoiji burns'. ' the . passion of social ";? ." service. Tho \ greatest contribution ;." ' which -the Church .could; tho K ? social • movement' was the contribution'- '

of regenerated personalities, of willswhich sct'justicc above policy and pro-: : fit,' and persons above property, and .of : intellects .emancinated from (Applause) i '• Some discussion followed, the reading of the!paper, which.was.referred to in... highly complimentary terms.; -. -