Civil Authority and Religion

Manawatu Times, Volume 66, Issue 142, 17 June 1941, Page 7

Civil Authority and Religion

SERVICE AT ALL SAINTS’ | A special service was held at All | Saints’ Churcli, Palmerston North, on f Sunday evening when the Mayor (Mr. s A. E. Hansford) and members of the S City Council, the Hospital Board, the = Foxton Harbour Board and the E Manawatu-Oroua Power Board attend- ■ E ed. The Lessons were read by the | Mayor. The vicar (Canon G. Y. Woodward) E welcomed the members of the various E local bodies on behalf of the parishion- § ers and said that their presence in | church reminded us of the great truth, | recognised throughout the Empire, that | religion and civil authority flowed from | the same source and that ecclesiastical f and civil government helped society the | more effectively when they invoked the | blessing of Almighty God upon all their 2 administrations. Preaching from the text Ecclesiastes | 9: 15, Canon Woodward took the | little parable: “There was a little city E and there came* a great king against it, E and built great bulwarks against it. 5 Now, there was found in it a poor, wise | man, and he by his wisdom delivered | the city, yet no man remembered that E Bame poor man.” The vicar explained S the parable. The little city might well j p apply to the town in which we lived and i E like those of all other places was be- 5 sieged. The great king represented the 1 1 vast combination of destructive causes, | in the language of the Prayer Book, s 11 the world, the flesh and the devil. ’ ’ E The parable asked the question who | would save the city, and gave the E answer, “a poor wise man.” The word S “poor” simply meant a humble person, | one who acknowledged the illimitable E greatness of God and relied not only on s his own strength but en the power of | God’s Holy Spirit. There was here a | message to those who had been elected jto the various offices of public service. § The little city would moan Palmerston | North and, like the rest of the world, it = was attacked by the forces mentioned. | It was by lifting the inhabitants to a S higher standard of civilisation, by the | hundred and one privileges the mem- e bers of the local bodies gave us, that E mankind was able to get into closer S touch with ®2ld. Civic work was public | work and public work was God’s work e as e found in the words of Christ when E Ht said: “Render unto Caesar the | things that are Caesar’s and unto God | the things that are God’s.” The last = : part of the parable gave the human | touch—“yet no man remembered that S same poor man.” Gratitude was not | always given to those who had earned | it, and to-day public work did not = always receive the thanks of the people. 5 Those engaged in it had to remember | that public work was God’s work and it E was done to Him. will get an extra room. Whakarongo.—The Department noti- | fled approval of a subsidy for the erec- E tion of a swimming pool, including the E cost of the artesian bore. ( = j Maintenance—The secretary reported 1 1 ! that the maintenance account was in [ E credit, but the state of affairs was not j | likely to remain for long, as the board ; p I was pushing ahead as quickly as pos- i sible with maintenance work, j Hokowhitu.—lt was decided to ask ! [ the Department to make a grant for = I repairs to the ashpkalt damaged by the j E flood in May. i Vacancy on Board. — July 29 was flxed = as th£‘ date for the election of a board 5 member to replace the late Mr. Bailey. e Mr. W. G. Black was appointed to the | finance committee in Mr. Bailey’s place. E | Rangiotu. —The secretary reported to S 1 Mr. Mudford that the Department would | not consider a grant for the new Rangi- 5 otu School until a title to the site had | . been secured and that matter had still p

to be finalised. j Painting by Tender. —“In calling for | ' tenders for the painting of four school 5 , buildings in the Palmerston North area, f not ono tender has been received from H any of the well-known firms. The | ' quotations which have been received are = j from people unknown to me, and before | II can make any recommendation as to | 1 the acceptance of any tender it will be £ necessary for me to make inquiries as £ to the ability of these people to execute = the work,” said the architect, Mr. E. = •R. Hodge. Mr. Brown stated that there | were several smaller firms which could = give satisfactory services. The secre- = tary (Mr. G. N. Boulton) said tenders | had been advertised but the smaller £ firms had not tendered.