ARE WE BECOMING PAGANS?

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13726, 16 April 1908, Page 6

ARE WE BECOMING PAGANS?

REV. W. BEATTY'S CRITICISM RESENTED. SOME PLAIN SPKAKIXtJ, TO TUB EDITOR. ,_ '• St*.—The Rev. W. IWtty'* censure t m kfe brother ministers is entirely uncalled fa t and savours of imp*"rtii!<»r;ee. His -*h ***■*§! sumption of superior or to his cleric*! ' brethren it almost a«ra»ing. Some of us h«r*'■■•'■■ been accustomed to ttrstlo at the **lJe*4t* '"■' infallibility," but oo Pope could assume & more lofty attitude that) that taken by tit* ? vicar of St. Mark's. Stiahop* and clergy arts all wrong, he, ii the one righteous penes amongst us. tie declares that minister- ru general m*k«* •' no attempt, to avail themselves of to.- opportrinities afforded under the present Education: Act for Scriptural teaching <mr«id» school hour*. Now, Mr. Beatty has sat in meetings of the Clergy Association for many veer* ■ past, and he has heard his brethren ossein . again Mild again their effort* to uso these " opportunities." He know* that there, it scarcely a man amongst us who has riot mad* earnest endeavours to teach children outsids, school hours. Ho knows that lommttteet have -oeieioite* refused as permission to i,.,-, ; school.-. He knows that whew permission has be. granted we have failed t:> secure the attendance of children. And he knn-** the rea«o?ts for our failure. We could never get more than an exceedingly small percent. age of th«» scholars before school ho««. When we have taken classes after the day's teaching the attendance has always Insert meagre, ami tho children generally too Utf-1 to give attention to Scripture lessons. Mr, Beatty knows that we have honestly tried to use t!n> " opportunities," and ha*.o failed through no fault of our own. Mr. Beafty seems proud of his own efforts to give religious instruction after reboot hour.-. He has very little to bo proud of. Can he say that 10 per cent, of t.' * State school child en in his respectable and wealthy parish attend his classes, notwithstanding all the means employed to attract them? I, for one, resent the arrogant tone Mr. Beatty assumes towards his ministerial brethren of all denominations. it is ait insult to men, at least as honest, as himself, to say " the agitation for the introduction of the Bible into schools is largely insincere and artificial, and has little honest, earnest conviction about it." Your report says, "big criticisms of ministers of religion were candid and trenchant." 1 venture to say that hi* criticisms show very bad taste, egotism), presumption, and an inexcusable contempt for the men of his own profession. Take hu closing ill-tempered snarl, " If the people are becoming pagans it is the bishops and clergy who are doing most to male them pagans." 1 will not comment upon this foolish, splenetic iterance. Fancy Mr. Beatty playing to the gallery in t'.iki way. St. Matthew's Vicarage. W. E. Gi&LAM. .Sir, The Rev. W. Beatty. liko the proverbial Irishman, is generally " agin the ('overmnent," and if hi.-* sermon of last Sunday evening is correctly reported tbi* is not an isolated instance of his faking tip an altitude antagonistic to his brother clergy —as also his Bishop. As a layman I beg to take exception to some of his remarks. "If the people are becoming pagans, it is bishops and clergy who are doing most to make, and to keep thorn so," he it* reported to have said. An old philosopher hits told us that. " extreme statements are very rarely true," and this savours of a very extreme statement. A. studied moderation would have expressed the truth that all bishops and clergy were not perfect, and hence were not always a shining example to those they taught. But an extreme statement such as quoted is of so sweeping it character that one marvels at it« emanating from an Anglican clergyman at all. It covers and embraces all the bishops and clergy in the Dominion, anil is just tit* kind of admission that every enemy of the Church hugs to himself with delight. Ho -peaks of the "want of confidence on the part of the public in minister generally." Yes, and what is more likely to increase it than portions 01 sermons such as this? II the Rev. Beatty was incumbent of a parish where several schools existed at. considerable distances apart from each other, it. is more, than evident, that ho could only Rive religious instruction regularly at some, be his zeal and energy ever s'j magnificent. The Church of England collectively, ami ministers of nil denominations, have always realised the difficulty in country districts ol doing all they would like to do. This is just what the Bishop has pointed out, from time * to time. Th*» latitude offered to ministers for Scriptural teaching in the schools outside school hours is a vrwy easy way for the State to neglect ibi houimen duty, and leave the deficiency to chance effort. The preacher said, " J. believe firmly that an education that, is deficient in the knowledge of God is essentially defective." Here some of us can meet on common ground, and feel we are in good company with the vicar of St. Mark's. And if ho really thinks this, surely our present secular system can scarcely satis* ty him? But apparently it, does, for he states that, "the agitation for the introduction of the Bible into the schools is largely insincere and artificial, and has little solid, earnest conviction behind it." This is a fairly good solid reflection on clergy and laymen as a whole, re their sincerity, and 1 prefer to believe that the Rev. W. Beatty is wrong in his conclusions. There is much that the preacher gave utterance to which appeals to our reason and judgment. But it seems a pity, when we laymen have to note from time to time an absence of that loyalty to the Bishop and diocese which, the Prayer-book enjoins. The Bishop of Auckland can do nothing right according to some people, its fact they almost appear to be looking for bones of contention! It is with pleasure one read th« manly and well-thought-out letter contributed by tho Rev. (.'ray Dixon. Jn conclusion one. can honestly share with the Rev. W. Beatty the regret he expresses that differences of religious thought hinder the promotion of a system of teaching satisfactory to all. In to-day's fljfiHAU) a cable announced that a resolution has been carried in Louden, in favour of a conference between member* of the Church of England, Nonconformists, and Roman Catholic* to adjust their differences, and maintain religious teaching in the national school system. Perhaps we may hop.- for a similar effort. being made in the Dominion, and when it, comes the least the clergy of the Church of England can do h io believe in the sincerity of each other. April 14. ' F. T. Jepkert.