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Gisborne Times, Volume VI, Issue 268, 21 November 1901, Page 2

“THE ETERNAL CITY.” There is much controversy in England just now in regard to Mr Hall-Caino’s new book, “ Tho Eternal City,” the discussion raising many questions of religion. Tho writer declares that he belongs to the big church outside of the ohurches. “ The Christianity of Christ,” he says, “was above all olse, catholic, and in the Catholicism of Christ there has been no division among men except good men and bad men.” In this sentence alone there is plenty to give rise to a warm controversy, and to use'a vulgarism, the book will sell like “ hot cakes.” Mr Caine goes on to say, “ Tho Catholic Church is the Church of the poor, That ought to be its honor and pride. His Holiness saw this clearly: hence his encyclicals on the Christian democracy.” An explanation is then given of what is considered the Christian Democracy, which is thus spoken of : “ The Christian Democracy movement will revolutionise the nations and change the relations of the races. The churches could not afford to let it slip away from their tutelage.” After this comes a little more sermonising from the novelist: “ The Christian Church that casts its lot in with the rich and the great against tho poor and the lowly is a phurch built on' the sand.” Thus we have the novelist’s creed as stated by himself, and though the controversy that will centre upon the book will have the practical effect of ensuring for it a largo sale, we believe that the novelist is quite earnest in the espousal of such a creed, and is not merely taking it up for the purpose of advertising so that the book will sell more rapidly. Ere long the controversy is sure to be taken up in this colony, and when it does come we hopo that it will be temperately conducted, with a desire for good, and not merely as an incentive to bickering among people who have good intentions but aro apt to become too much engrossed in their own views of a subject.