CHURCH AND WAR

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2752, 22 April 1916, Page 13

CHURCH AND WAR

AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND FORCES SERVICE AT ST. MARGARET'S, •WESTMINSTER. 'A special service for members of the .Australian and New Zealand Forces tvak held on February 16 at St. Margaret's, Westminster. There were about 800 6okliers present, including 500 Australians under Colonel Abbott and 300 New Zealandcrs under Major T. H. Dawson. There was also a largo Httendanco of the public, every available seat being occupied. Among those present were the High Commissioners for Australia (Mr. Andrew Fisher) and New Zealand (Sir Thomas Mackenzie), the Agents-General for New South Wales (the Hon. B. R. Wise, K.C.), Tasmania (Sir John M'Call), South Australia (the Hon. _ F. W. Youngs, and Western Australia (Brigadier-Gen-eral Sir Newton Moore), Sir Henry Craik, M.P., the Countess of Hardwicke, Lady Eramott, Mrs. Joseph Chamberlainj Mrs. Andrew Fisher, Lady Mackenzie (New Zealand), Lady. Moore (Western Australia), ftus- ! sell (New Zealand), Sir James Mills (New Zealand), Colonel Buckley (Chief Staff Officer, Australian Military Ad- ! ministration), Major Weddoll (Austra- , lia), Captain T. E. Donno (New Zealand), Mr. E. M. (New Zea- | land War Contingent Association), Mr. P. J. Holdswortli (Australian War Con- ! tingent Association), Miss Hilda Williams (New Zealand Soldiers' Club), Mr. E. Rayment (Assistant Superintendent, Australian Emigration), Mr. E. A. Box (Private Secretary, High Commissioner for Australia), and the secretaries of the Government Agencies for the Australian States. The service was oonducted by Canon Camegio (rector of St. Margaret's), assisted by the Rev. Jocelyn Perkins. Oanon Carnegie, in extending a welcome to the members of tlie Oversea Forces, expressed the hope that they and "their friends and relations in England would regard St. Margaret's as their parish church. It was also the parish church of the House of Commons, and_ he knew that he was voicing the opinion of the m embers of that House, and," indeed, of the whole _ people of this country in convoying to the, self-governing Dominions their sincere appreciation of what those Dominions had done, and were doing, for us in this great crisis. He believed that in the history of this war there would be found no episode more_ inspiring that the magnificent way in which the Dominions had rallied to the support of the British Empire and all that it stood for. Notwithstanding a certain superficial sense of degeneracy this nation had proved that it was sound and true at heart, while the devotion of our kith and kin overseas had expressed itself in annals of warfare. We knew now that the British Empire was a living organism. Its unity had been subjected to the most strenuous test. The ordeal had aroused us to race consciousness and Imperial consciousness. But much as had been done there remained the task of organisation and administration in the future. We were rather accustomed in.England to "muddling through," of allowing things to take their course, and depending upon the unconscious processes of growth instead of conscious design. But we should have some clear conception of the ends to be gained and the moans of gaining them. The conditions prevailing in England at the present time seemed to provide such an opportunity in a special degree. A largo proportion "of the most vigorous and virile young men of. Australia,' New Zealand, Canada, and.the other Dominions were passing through hero, and England as a whole, and London in par, ticular, was becoming for the time a microcosm of the whole Empire, including not only the soldiers, but numerous representatives of every class and interest of the great Dominions. As -ipportunitj was afforded us of knowing and understanding each other such as we never had before. It was creating an atmosphere of mutual trust and sympathy and understanding which wo should find-invaluable when we came to undertake the great Imperial work in front of us. In that work it was hoped that St. Margaret's Church would play no unimportant part as a kind of head centre for the Oversea Dominions, and as _an influence for the promotion of unity and cordial co-operation.

"KILLING GERMANS."

FATHER BERNARD VAUGHAN AND HIS CRITICS.

Bernard Vaugban lias sent to tho "Daily Graphic" the following reply to criticisms passed by the Rev. F. B. Meyer and the Rev. j. H. News-hpm-Taylor on his speech at the Mansion House on the killing of Germans. The clipping contains letters from the Rev. F. B. Meyer and tho Rev. .T, H. Newsham-Taylor, blaming me for advising our troops to kill the enemy insfoad of being killed by him. Truth to fell, till I read Dr. Meyer's lettor I had no notion that we considered it a "misfortune" to kill Germans. In my stupidity I had always felt it wa6 a misfortune to miss them; I had no iHea . that soldiers in war were to he regarued as police on their beat; in my simplicity I was under the impression that our troops had gone to the front, not to take up and handcuff the aggressor, but, on the contrary, to wipe him out and do for him. Indeed, in my reading of tho situation, I had never regarded the enemy in, tlie light of a burglar bent on "swag" only,-but rather as an assassin under orders to murder, massacre, and mangle widows and_ children, leaving them nothing but their eyes to weep with.

Of course, if Dr. Meyer's contention is right, I must confess to being quit© wrong. In other words, if our artillery is not out primarily to find tho range for killing our foe, but onlv to shoot or frighten blackbeetles, rabbits, and mosquitoes, my advice to kill Germans iB altogether out of place. If our gunß do happen to riddle and kill the enemy, then we can always say, with Dr. Meyer, it was a "misfortune," and wb no more meant it than the Germans mean killing übl

As for our friend'the rector of St. Peter's, Hatton Garden, the Rev. New-sham-Taylor, and his rooted conviction that it ill beseems ecclesiastical lips to advise killing Germans, I must make bold to say to .him in reply that the only reason that I can discover for the unseemliness of such advico is that it is unbecoming a minister of religion to speak the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

In a day when the nation is economising in tlie truth more than in anything else, the eloquent rector -will probably charge mo with belonging to an old-fashioned Church which refuses to compromise where principle is involved. But I cannot help it. I.am built and trained on those lines; and, to be candid, as an Englishman and a patriot, I much prefer to he set down as a publican and sinner tliau as a Pharisee and hypocrite.

Sir, -with Joffre and Kitchener, French and Haig, I beg once more to raise my voico reminding my countrymen that victory can be ours in one way only: by - artillery-attrition. And I find that the chief reason why our war lords to-day are so sanguine about peace Tooted in triumph over the foe is that our artillery is now better than his. As a plain, blunt Englishman, I understand this to moan we can kill off the enemy quicker than he us. If our Nonconformist ministers had onlv Bxhorted their followers to join

the colours in. the language of Joffre and Roberts instead of in tho hesitating terms of Meyer and Newsham-'i'ay- • lor, I venture to think we should now still he under the voluntary system instead of saddled with a Compulsion Bill. , Sir, unless our troops are out at the front to kill Germans, let them come home and get killed ivitli Us. They won't have to wait long. JERUSALEM AN ARMED CAMP. "One of the missionaries who has recently returned to llomo states that i an English colleague, who was with him in Syria and who has probably now returned to England, saw very important i preparations at Jerusalem and Jaffa i'or an expedition against Egypt under the direction of German officers," says the "Telegraph's" Milan correspondent, "A double-track railway line has been constructed from Damascus to Jerusalem and Ghaza and some distance beyond' the ancient frontier line of Turkey and Egypt to the Isthmus",of Suez. Jerusalem is transformed into an armed camp, defended by trenches and containing 100,000 men. All the convents have already been converted into hospitals, with Turkish and German staffs, and the inhabitants are" under strict supervision." A WONDERFUL YEAR. Hie Scottish correspondent of tho • "Christian "World" writes: "A glance backward upon the year 1015 shows that tho churches generally have proved themselves surprisingly equal to a great . occasion. It has been a 'wonderful year' for them. Many of them have been subjected to a strain which might well have tested the most remarkable powers of endurance. Some have been deprived of their ministers. None have escaped the drain on their manhood. Surely without exception the claims on their generosity have been untold, and theso have met with an amazing response. Tho amount of work don© by the women of the churchea and forwarded in the shape of comforts of all kinds to the men of the Army and Navy has passed all calculation, and still in by far the majority of cases the ordinary ministrations of the cliurohes have_ been and continuo to be well maintained. Tho men and women of the churches, aliko have served their King and country in every available way. The Church has made the nation's cause its own." DR.'KELMAN ON "PEACE AT ANY PRICE." The Rev. Dr. Kolman, preaching in St. George's TJ.F. Church, Edinburgh, to a crowded audience, took occasion to deal scathingly with those who aro for peace at any price. "The pcace of God has ever been drawn from deep wells of blood and tears. Peace is not a luxury floating down from heaven on angels' wings. . . . Christ was offered the kingdom of bread, the kingdom of fame, the kingdom of power. All were easily grasped, and each would have brought peace, but peace by compromise, the peace of the status quo. Ong should never be at peace to the shame of his own soul. . . . What is Jesus' estimate of peace? It must be countersigned by God, sealed with a red seal, the blood of His Cross." ARMY CHAPLAINS IN BELFAST. Speaking at the weekly intercessory service, in Assembly Hall, Belfast, the Rev. J. Esslemont Adams, 8.D., of Aberdeen, paid a high tribute to thv two Irish chaplains. Revs. D. S. Corkey and W. J. M'Conncll, with whon) he had been associated at the front. He also heartily congratulated Dr. Simms, who was also a member of tho Irish Presbyterian Church, on his promotion to the rank of Major-General. Mr. Adams said Dr. Simms was a man remarkable for his sagacity and statesmanship, of high and noble character, of great spiritual power and organising ability, a man able to make all his men efficient by • securing confidence in his sympathy. He 'had'now over six hundred chaplains under his charge on tho Western front. Mr. Adams emphasised the importance of prayer—prayer for their troops and themselves as a nation and a people. They had come to see that the true basis of character was faith in Jesus Christ. As truly as tlieir hoys were in peril at tho front, they themselves were faced with the perils of modern civilisation. Things unintelligible before the war had become plain, 'l'hey understood the meaning of sacrifice, of substitution, of atonement, of redemption, of the just suffering for the unjust.