FRIENDLY SOCIETIES' CHURCH PARADE

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 104, 3 May 1926, Page 3

FRIENDLY SOCIETIES' CHURCH PARADE

A special church parade of the Independent Order of Rcehabites, the Independent Order of Good Templars, and the Sons and Daughters of Temperance was held on Sunday evening at the Church of Christ, Vivian istreet. Bro. W. G. Carpenter, D.R., occupied the pulpit, and Bro. H. Goodhall, P.C.R., read the lesson from the 13th chapter of Ist -Corinthians, after which a male quartette, "Fight-the GooJ Fight," was rendered very acceptably. Bro. Carpenter spoke on the text Isaiah 00, 8, "Let Us Stand Together," and after dealing with the historical setting of tl>e text pointed out that it was. a message for to-day and for the future, as Well aa for those to whom it was .first spoken. He welcomed the lodges that had assembled for divine service, and reminded them that the various friendly societies had played a great part in) the. nation's history, and yin its political and social life. There was apparent on every1 side to-d.iy a weakening of the moral restraints, and there were forces at work that tended to | weaken the nation. The liquor- traffic, against which their efforts were I'hiefJy directed, had. now become more than a moral question; it was an economic problem, and must be dealt with as such. It was all very well for them to attend a church parade now and then, but' how much were members of their respective lodges doing individually and collectively to achieve the purpose for which, they were banded together, i.e., to make the world a better place for the .genecation that was to follow? It was not a time for lukewarmhess and apathy, but- for_ aggressive work if the principles for •which they stood were to be extended. Finally, they should stand together in their relations to that particular branch of the church to which they severally belonged and strive to promote the cause of < righteousness and truth in the community.