The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED DAILY. MONDAY, DECEMBER 20, 1920.

Gisborne Times, Volume LIII, Issue 5665, 20 December 1920, Page 4

The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED DAILY. MONDAY, DECEMBER 20, 1920.

THE GROWTH OF THE RELIG'HON OF CLASS HATRED.

Itis perhaps not well-known to our readers that, in the Motherland, vigorous steps are now being taken to counteract the baneful effects arising from the growth of what may be termed the Socialist Sunday School movement. We doubt ? indeed, if there is as yet, a widespread realisation in this Dominion of the menace which such institutions are .becoming to religion and patriotism within the Empire. As far back as 1912 there were at Home some 217 Socialist Sunday schools with many •’• thousands of boys and girls in attendance and the latest Socialist literature records that, in recent years,, these institutions have grown very rapidly in numbers and in “popularity.” It is necessary that public attention should be drawn to this matter because already 'there are several institutions of the kind in this Dominion, although we cannot say that they are, as yet, conducted on exactly similar lines to those in vogue in Britain. What can, however, oe remarked for certain is that the children who do attend Socialist Sunday schools in this Dominion are not taught to reverence God,' nor tb honor their King and the Empire. On this important subject we have just received a copy of a publication entitled “Danger Ahead” written on behalf of the Anti-Socialist Union of Great Britain, with which are connected hundreds upon hundreds of leading members of the Anglican, Nonconformist aaid Roman Catholic churches. It certainly does reveal that the Socialist Sunday school movement represents a very sorry state of tilings, more especially for the rising generation. There is quoted, for example, a report which appeared in the London Daily Express, under the heading of “A Blasphemous Dedication,” relating to a “Socialist Baptism” which took place at Coventry. The proceedings had to do with the “baptism” into Socialism of a four month old girl who received the name of “Gladys Rose Wood” and who was “dedicated to the cause of. the Social Revolution” by one Julian A. Taylor, a leading Socialist of the city. The report goes on to say: “The baby’s sponsor was a child named Ethel Bates, who could not have been more than seven years of age, and who carried the child on to the platform, above which hung revolutionary messages. There, kneeling with the child in her arms, she repeated some lines and then handed the baby over to Taylor, who pinned a red token the symbol of the social revolution—on her breast, and after naming, welcomed it into the ranks of Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity.’ Taylor then proceeded to compare the ceremony with a Church baptism and said, ‘We want our children to grow up into free thinking men and Women, untramelled by priests or the Church. The Catechism teaches them to honour and obey those that have authority over them. Why should we honour and obey the King?’ proceeded Taylor, to a chorus of applause. ‘The King is no better or higher than anyone else, and we are not going to tell Socialist children to bow down to him.’ ” It may, perhaps, be considered by some of our readers that this may constitute a rare and very extreme case. But many other instances are cited in the publication to which reference has been made which prove that the religion of the Socialism that is being taught to-day is the religion of antiChristianity/ of disloyalty, and of class hatred. In a procession in Hyde Park lately. Socialist children even carried a banner on wlncti were the words: “There is no God.” We should Ik? very sorry' to see such a movement obtain a strong footing in this Dominion and, if such does happen to be the case, it will be on account of the apathy of those who should be the leaders of religion and sound citizenship.