THE PRESENT CRISIS.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XII, Issue 243, 27 September 1922, Page 3

THE PRESENT CRISIS.

“THE CROSS WORTH FIGHTING FOR.” ADDRESS BY REV. FEILDEN TAYLOR. There could be only one subject for thought, said the Rev T. Feilden Taylor, at the mission service at the King’s Theatre, Wellington, on Sunday evening, an<l that was the present throat of war with Turkey. If the British Empire could with honour avoid war it would. But if certain things happened then we would have to tight. If these things happened he would give up his mission, dear it was to him, and go again to war, leaving others to carry on his work. He had made up his mind that if the present crisis developed into war it was going to be one of the most terrific conflicts of history—a religious war. On the one hand was the Turk, whose religion was that there was no greater virtue than to shed the blood of Christians, whose atrocities were so well known. India and Egypt also were watching the present events. In point of numbers the Mohammedan religion was stronger than the Christian. Mr Taylor had no doubt that the Turk at the present moment regarded his victories as the defeat of the Cross, and the triumph of the Crescent. He believed that the Turk dreamt of the Crescent conquering the world. But what was the history of the Crescent? Was it not a rule of torture, rapine, bloodshed, and the commission of atrocities too awful to mention? No one could point to a single part of God’s world benefited by the Turk. It was this religion which challenged the rest of the world. That to him was the position in the present crisis. He believed the Dardanelles and the Aegean Sea were comparatively small factors in the scale of things; the greater question was: Should the Crescent enter Europe by fojrce of arms? And surely every sane man who studied the question would reply no. He would lose his life and all that was nearest and dearest rather than see the Crescent established in the Western world. He hoped everyone would see that position in that light. Between the Crescent and Christianity there seemed to be an enmity which wa« undying. Probably many of them would think that he ought to preach the doctrine of no more war, but he asked them, as thinking men, whether they would be prepared to hand the Western world over to the Turk, flushed with victory and with the Cross in the* dust. His one hope was 4 hat if war was to come it wouid come quickly. War was so terrible that he would rather do his .share now’ than leave it to the coming generation to undertake. Let us rather hand to the young people coming on a world with the Cross victorious. He was one who said that there was no crisis or danger of which we need be afraid if we were true men and women. A true man could look death in the face, and ev6n defeat, knowing that in a battle such as this, victory must be won in the long run. There could bo only one thing to do , and that was to be true to our honour. We hud to remember India in this too, for India was not yet able to govern herself, neither was Egypt; ami we had also to remember other smaller powers. He wanted the people to think there was nothing to fear. There was no danger to our honour, judging by the voluntary enlistments. There was also no danger of us rushing unthinkingly into war. If war was necessary let us rest in the shadow of the Cross. ‘ ‘ i want you to feel that the issue nt stake is a great one, that the Cross is worth fighting for. You are saying: ‘I pray God it may not conic.’ 1 am saying: ‘Pray God it may not be patched up/ ” The Armistice had been patchwork. Ke did not like to hear people say: “1 hope it will be settled somehow.” If it was to be war on the issue of the Cross and Crescent let it come at once. If wc were true men and women we would set out teeth and and go forward to our duty, remembering always those who were to come after us, tho»e romping, happy, children they had seen the night before in such large numbers at the Town Hall. The British race was not an angel race, but we did believe in truth, honour, and justice, and so long as we did that, we would still be better fitted to govern than the Turk.