King’s Call to Prayer

Manawatu Times, Volume 68, Issue 210, 4 September 1943, Page 4

King’s Call to Prayer

There were few vacant seats in the Palmerston North Opera House yesterday when citizens answered the King’s call to prayer on the fourth anniversary of the outbreak of war. Rev. H. L. Fiebig, president of the Ministers' Association, presided and on the stage

were other church leaders, the Mayor (Mr.’A. E. Mansford), members of the City Council and leaders of other organisations in the city. Prayers were j led by Revs. Clarence Eaton and C. B. Boggis while the Mayor read a portion of Psalm 124. The two hymns chosen were “God Defend New Zealand” and Kipling’s “Recessional.” The address was in the hands of Rev. G. W. T. llercus who reminded his listeners that God had made the world to be worked out according to His own wise and beneficial plan and it could not be worked out in any other way. Right from the beginning man had tried every kind of plan but God’s one and the result had always been an appalling tangle. And yet man could help make the world the beautiful place God intended it to be if only he would remember that the world couldn’t be run successfully without God. The King’s call to prayer was a recognition that God reigneth and that man ’» destinies were in His hands. Rev. Hercus also pointed out that before the war could be successfully won man must win an-

other victory in the depth of his heart. Unless the whole soul of human society was changed, we might, win the war ind not tho peace—the foul thing we were trying lo destroy would grow again and more deadly poisonous than before. The debauching of youth was continuing shamelessly because the public conscience was dead. A new kind of moral lethargy seemed to have taken hold of the public mind and evil went on unchallenged. The chief contributing factor to the moral bankruptcy of so many was the increasing lack of reverence for the Christian {Sunday. Children grew up without example and encouragement and Christian training. What chance had children to learn to fear God if parents turned Sunday into a, day- of pleasure and prostituted it to tho service of the world? How could reverence for anything fine and beautiful in life and character, spring up if we didn’t value those things enough to give time and care to their cultivation? Was it right to respond to the King’s call to a da}’ of prayer and then turn a deaf ear to God's call every day of the week? It was not enough to admit the truth of those things and then go away and do nothing about it. ARMY PARTICIPATES | Well-attended services were also held | I yesterday by the Army at the several i i camps in and around Palmerston North. ‘ Rev. T. M. Cameron Hay, Chaplain to the Forces, officiated.