PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

Evening Star, Issue 21878, 15 November 1934, Page 14

PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

LAST WIGHT'S SESSION OF ASSEMBLY The sessions of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand were continued in First Church last evening, the (Principal J. Dickie) being in the chair. ST. ANDREW’S COLLEGE. In pursuance of his notice of motion given during the morning session in reference to the teaching at St. Andrew’s College, Sydney, the Rev. E. J. Tiplei\ (Auckland) moved “ That the motion passed regarding students attending St. Andrew’s College, Sydney, is not intended to embarrass the church in New South Wales, nor to pass judgment on the case, which is still under consideration by that -church.” Mr Tipler said that the motion passed that morning,was intended to meet a possible danger of students being transferred from their own hall to St. Andrew’s College in Sydney. He did not think it would require wise men to see that sensitive brethren across the Tasman might regard their action as in some way passing judgment on a matter that was still subjudice. Also, some of their Sydney brethren might feel embarrassed over the fact that they were not prepared to allow their students .to go over - there. The position that undoubtedly would arise would be that the Assembly here would be declared to have concerned itself with business outside its own bounds. There was another matter which appealed to those who had opposed the motion that morning and who had voted accordingly. It might be reasonably inferred that those who had voted against the motion were ranging themselves alongside the doctrine to which exception had been taken. They wished to repudiate any suggestion that they had ranged themselves alongside a man in Sydney (Dr. Angus) and to make it clear that they wanted the resolution carried so as to give them an opportunity of righting their position in the eyes of the church. The motion was seconded by the Rev. J. O. Smith and carried unanimously. INTERNATIONAL IMPLICATIONS. The Rev. F. H. Wilkinson (Wellington) moved the adoption of the following recommendation:—-“The Assembly should enjoin on ministers and missionaries the urgent duty of constantly instructing their congregations on the international implications of the Christian faith, awakening them to a sense of the sinfulness of the attitude generally adopted to people of other nationality or race, and calling on them to seek in all things the righteousness which makes for peace.” Mr Wilkinson explained that the purpose of the motion was not that the church should consider what it should do in any hypothetical circumstance that might arise, but that it should deal with the general attitude towards people of other nations. That attitude, unfortunately, was essentially critical and suspicious, and was often filled with a sense of fear and hate. The intention was for the church to realise that it could not be satisfied with anything less than bringing the

Christian ideal into their conception of other .nations. Tho church had a largo responsibility in adopting the right attitude that should exist between their own people and other nations.

The motion was seconded by the Rev. J. Baird (Timaru), who remarked that the motion simply indicated the implications of the Cross. Dr J. Gumming thought the resolution was too sweeping. He thought that the word “ frequently ” should be substituted, for “ generally,” which really was not in accordance with fact. Mr Wilkinson agreed to this change.

The Rev. J. 0. Duff (Wellington) moved as an amendment the deletion of the words “ awakening them to a sense of the sinfulness of the attitude frequently adopted to people of other nationality or race.” The amendment was seconded by the Rev. W. A. Paterson (Wellington). Mr L. Stoddart said that part of Christian work was to promote peace and also to preach the Gospel pf Salvation. He also believed that it was not part of the church’s work to prevent Britain from protecting herself against attack. ■ At this stage the Moderator ruled that Mr Stoddart was not speaking to the motion.

Mr Wilkinson explained that the purpose of the motion was to stress the attitude that the church deprecated the application to people of other countries such terms as might be regarded as contemptuous, siich as a “ sniffing ” at the name “ American ” or a reference to “ those queer people, the Chinese,” who more often than not were known as “Chinamen” or “Chinks.”- The idea was to do away with such expressions as “Japs” —— Voice: And “Dagoes.” Mr Wilkinson: That is so. Second voice: And “niggers.” Mr AVilkinson: That is perhaps the worst of all. The amendment was lost and the motion was carried.

The following recommendations were unanimously adopted: “That the Assembly commends the League of Nations Union and expresses the hope that church members will link up with their local branch of the League of Nations Union, and that congregations will become corporate members.” “ That the Assembly appoint the first Sunday in September or other suitable day for general observance as League of Nations Sunday'.” EXECUTIONS AND PUBLICITY. Mr AVilkinson also moved the adoption of the following recommendation : “ That the General Assembly directs the Public Questions Committee to approach the Department of Justice of New Zealand, with the request that when the sentence of death is pronounced on any criminal in this country the exact day and time of the execution be not disclosed to the general public until the sentence has been carried out.” Mr AATlkinson said a custom had grown up of narrating in the newspapers the events that would happen and the. actual moment at which an execution would take place. This produced a wrong mentality on the part of a number of people and especially among young people. In support of this contention, the speaker related how, at the boarding department of a secondary school, at the time when a recent execution was to take place, the boys erected a miniature gallows, and at the exact moment dropped a dummy figure. All that made for this sort of tiring, he said, should be eliminated from the public life of the country. The motion was carried without further comment.