CORRESPONDENCE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XIX, Issue 6289, 13 January 1882, Page 6

CORRESPONDENCE.

• BIBLE BUNS. CONSCIENTIOUS CAKES, PIOUS PICNICS, AND RELIGIOUS ROMP 3. TO THE ED ITOR. Sir, —Now that the so-called Sundayschool treats are rife in every direction, I deem it my duty to briug beforo the public, especially that . business portion of them represented by the great bulk of your readers (with whom the matter can have but little, if any concern), the'question whether it is a fit and proper thing to encourage the young in their attendance at Sunday-school by such means—bidding, in fact, for their spiritual attendance through the medium of their stomachs. lam acting thus. Sir, not with any desire to stop the enjoyment of my little friends, quite the contrary, for I am neither a bilious bachelor, nor a member of the noiay, if not numerous, sect of " Cantankerous Christians " —but I wish to push the fault-finding of such persons as your late correspondent " A Churchman " to its extremist limit, and then perhaps people will generally feel inclined to give to suv.li turgid utterances their proper worth. To the public at luge such questions can have but little interest, and my only wonder is that your readers do not recent the wasting of space in which individuals, belonging to any particular body, are thus "washing their dirty linen in public." Surely, if a member of a Church disagrees with the view taken by that Church in any matter whatever, the presbytery, session, vestry, or similar place,' is the proper one in which to rectify the error, a*.d not the columns of an undenominational, and indeed (very properly) purely secular newspaper. Again, if the opinion of such persons as your correspondents are worth anything at all, they would have more weight if the writer's name were appended, instead of a )iom-de-plum':, which may disguise a world-known sage, or conceal an egregious ass. The question raised by your correspondent (who is doubtless one of the former category) seems to lie simply contained in a nut-shell. The teachers uaut occasionally to amuse the children an well as instruct theai, and to show that the interest in them is reality and not a sham, they, therefore, take them to some pleasant spot and give them a day's thorough treat, whereby all—giver and recipient alike—derive much benefit. Good women do work for a religious object, as Dorcas did of old, and kind ladies do now for our orphanages and destitute homes, lying-in charities and the like. A greater need than usual arises—some ehurchwork, or kindred object—and, forthwith, these ladies combine to work and sell the produce for the good of the cause. The bazaar is thus but an extension of the former good work and labour ot love. It is mixed, perhaps, with a little harmless fun, and why not ? Man is the only animal than can laugh ;is he not to use this faculty ? Do your correspondents consider the use of this God's recreative gift—wicked ? or do they not possess it being —, well! bflonging to the second before-mentioned category. Supposing that that terrible enormity, "a raffle," is indulged in, well ! it is but the same principle as that by which the members of the highest Courtof one of ourreligious bodies is chosen. If their Book of Laws is examined, it will be'found the very ecclesiastical judgesthemsel vesare appointed by radio. We all need recreation sometimes, aud if of a proper and harmless character, surely ir can be recognised by the Church. In earliest days "The Church had all things iu common." Surely our common amusements, then, may be recognised by the religious bodies to which we belong. But, sir, because this is done, is it not monstrous to designate these recreations as " religious amusements," as though the two things were amalgamated because we enjoy them" together as members of the same body ? Is it not absurd to speak of " Church shops'' because articles are being sold at some specific place for the good of the body? Money (which is needed for the maintenance and furtherance of any work, religious or otherwise) is called " filthy lucre," and "the root of all evil." Are we, therefore, because we musthavc it even for religious purposes, to know it, when thus applied, as '' the filthy lucre of the faith, "or " the religious root of all evil," or "meritorious Mammon ?" If the tiling be not too absurd, we shall be adopting my heading, and talking at our treats of "Bible buns," Sec. Of what these entertainments are to consist is another matter, and one that must be left, first, to the feelings of the denomination that provides them ; and second, to the individual conscience of those who indulge in them. For my own part, I would far rather trust ray young people in a well-lighted roomful of their friends and neighbours, witnessing a properly supervised theatrical performance, than in the bosky shades of evening, on the borders of the Domain, in such rough-and-tumble sports, if not worse, as kiss-in-the-ring, and kindred games. However, this, I suppose, may be left to taste, only don't let's us have humbug and hypocrisy about it. Lastly, Sir,'l would suggest to all your correspondents to do their duty to their respective Churches, each in their own sphere and way, and to leave others to do the same, else will they rind many become like themselves, »aly on the other side, Fkkvip Fault- findkrs.