1923

Maoriland Worker, Volume 13, Issue 2, 10 January 1923, Page 7

1923

REV. J..' H, £• CHAPPtB

FACE THE MW i'MR Bi 311?', BANISHMENT OF EEAit - The spirit of 'fear is • Ingrivned in mosc of us for from the cx*a.tJe te the grave fear dogs nes&rly all folk. Eve.i before tne eradto time th* avOrfige mother dread.a t through ecoi'oni'c reasons, the corning child. The extra. expC'iiso. and "'n.rjrease of responsibility under the metuife th.zi the expected cliihl w-*ll ho mors of a curse than, a .Messing. For forty wo.3ks prior to entry into life the?■*<• pec:.ant mother has the spirit of. fear m her soul. This .tsar later f"oe'i with us to ihe school, in _, perivetu&l £ea? ot tho schoolmaster. Laiter .yeprs .find us at work and with the continued dre&g of unemployment. If business is attempted,, theu we become the Victims of a bloodthirsty comp&t;:ko:-r xxiul the fear of bankruptcy looms up. When wo are wiiidir.g up thing?- on a rJc:athbod the end of life, after ihe doctor comes and shakes his head, iko si arson drops in and puis tiix* fear of the devil and hell into us. Yes, fear is in. the very web ;>nd woof of our system. But. usder Socialism most of. tho fears will -va-i-sb., for they (the v fears) aro tho result of a false sociology en the one hand and i-rj. equally false thcohigy on the other. For the year. 1923 Emerson speaks: "Neyior strike s-iij. to a fear! Sail into port greatly or sail with Cod the seas. He has noo learnt the lesson of. life* rightly who does not surmount a fear every- day!" Comrades! Never strike *-ail to a fsjar! FACE THE YEAR 1828 AS A REAL PATRIOT But not of tbe Horatio F.ek.toniley type. He. is in prison, but atker all he is only typical of the common patriot. Th*,-:So patriots of the I'arr-Pott-oivJsi.t sort do not direct tlieir gaze to '-the h'gh white star of Truth! They are without vision, both In politics and rolig-on. The spirit of Tennyson in the "Palace of Art" they do uo<„ understand: "I care not what tho sect:; may brawl, i I sit as God, Holding no form of creed \ But contemplating all.'' W';L'h. duo apologies to Tennyson: alter the words thus: I cat'o not what "nat'Jous' may brawl, % I Mt a» God, Holding iie> form cr "nationalism,"'' But contemplating all. No ou.o could Imagine Go*s as a "f-cctarian" or ;i "nationalist!" The old -world conception of the word " 1*030! Ly" is debasing and unchristian. It. is irreligious in tho extreme, in tho light of the Fatherhood of God and .tho-'-Brotherhood of Man. The word "Loyalty" conies from the French' "Lot": Law, power, rule, authority, dominion. But there is an evolution of words. To-day it means to Labour -people—devotion io Hum-a-uit.y. not Loyalty to -t.ny one Monarch/not devotion to any one- conntry. Thereby we rise to a finer ethic and live in a higher altitude than these sordid expediency-men c c .n cv.or reach through their Welfare Leagues their Pol'tical Protestant As-soeJa-iifms, t?.u<l their Chambers of Com*)'! ore*'-.. Without, the orthodox churclici?—-v/it'hoiit the Ck.p ; tallst Universities the labour soul has become nobler, and more compassionate by the more beautiful Loyalty in its wider horizons. John Moriey has in carved letters of stone, upon his chimney-piece. Bacon's fino words: "The nobler a soul, the more objects of compassion yi hath." This is a fine keynote for the New Year.. WHAT OF RELIGION IN 10331 Well the writer is supposed to have lion?. He has beem called a perverter of Gospel Truth. Well he is a tferverter of the Mammon:"sed Gospel of the day! He worship? no soi't of God who blesses either War ot* Militarism! Again-!; these things he is a rebel — a seditious person—an ecclesiastical outcast--one who has been imprisoned and made hhnself of n 0 reputation. But then so did the Carpenter of Nazareth!- He suffered the cross as a seditionist and a, blasphemer! As he hung upon the cross the helots of Capitalism twitted hint with these words: "If thou be the Son of God conao down from the Cross!" After nearly 2000 years, let the Industrial Agitators and the Conscientious Objectors recall these taunting words and report the truthful Christian answer—-hut coming down from the Cross is precis ely what a Son of God cannot do! Tho Churches have forgotten this, *in 4 it is a piece of irony that a heretic- and rebel should have to remind them. But it is the < "Spfalr. *" and not tho "Cross" thai has become

{' ' - I the appropriate si 6 _. _ j Faith to-day. So much so ~ I tho case sinco 1914 that one Kua.peaß - j Professor thinks .that : :i .p<x)ple wfli '. ! iiev,er be- religious.'ii Mii t-b.ey '.ecu ft ' l off going io church! The pily oi t i\ " j Certain it.ifi, that •milltitudcs oi" Ll-: dustrinlists -to-day never knew v,*>»t j "Idealism was until thoy quilted th**:, jkind of Iscariotisod Christisiniry _._■-. ! sigusuted by Marx as "Religion that id j the opium oi tho people.' - ' ! Let, 1923 be lull of Divine lde**** IWe may no-t be able to do much, hut' ; remember Browning's words: "It ir_" juot what-a man 'does' witiefc ex«Jte ,;> I him, but what a man would do!" Yety 1 may 1823 bring men like tin's: .- ■God give us men? A time like tb>«' !' demands ; Strong minds, gre,ax hearts, true fcotfe^ and ready -hands: J Men whom the Insf of office dee:- n#d>" . . Iriki; . ■'•■.'. I Men whom the spoils of office &sm~ | not buy* ! Men who possess opinions and a -vJlljk. (Men who havie- honour—mon who will' ! ' not. lie; .. ' '-I • Men who can stand before a denriH- ! 1 yoguc, jAnd damn his treacherous fltitr.cvfiesfk without winking! j Straight men; sun-crowned, who live*' | above the.fog lift public duty, and in prka'o thinking; | For while thp rabble, with {heie j thumb-wom creeds, • .Their large professions and .behr" j little deeds - Mkngle in selfish strife, lo! Frecdoia 1 i weeps, j Wrong rules the land, and waking I .Fustice sleeps'.