SUNDAY OBSERVANCE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15613, 20 May 1914, Page 11

SUNDAY OBSERVANCE.

.ALLIANCE IN AUCKLAND. 'YEAR'S ' ;;INITIAL EFFORTS. BISHOP AVERILL'S! VIEWS." Tits/ first annual i; meeting of \ the', Lord's Day Alliance of :NcwVZealaiid: {Auckland: provincial. branch) wis held ■ at..'.',the Y.M.CA. Hall, last night, the Anglican | Bishop ■ of Auckland (Dr. 'A. , W.' Averilljj presiding. : : 'About■ 40 persons;were present- '» '"-;'' 'Xy.iv'.') '; ''''.:- . ■ .. ./ , ' 'The;secretary- (the Rev. ;A/ Miller) read report, ■ and moved- adoption. The I report:;stated : j that,; branch was formed oh May ; 21, 1913,/on;the initiative of the Aucklandr: Presbytery. •:;.;The/; Anglican Church-, arid the Ministers' J Association were asked ■;;to' appoint three representatives each, and did so::-The Roman' Catholic llishop of Auckland "(Dr/Cleary) / was also ;asked' to "appoint representatives \ and, though he did not do so, ,he 'wrote cordially. approving of.; the'- organisation, and promised to co-operate with,,it as occasion might. require. .. Other religious bodies had appointed : representatives, and membership cards had 'been, issued; '■ These;:■stated;that th* objects of the alliance were to promote a• better ; :. religious observance of the Lord's Day, and to.secure,it as. a day of rest 'for tho whole community./■ It. had not been thought wise to start- branches, but local ? secretaries had i been .appointed -in some districts. During the year /protests had; been made by. : the, executive against Sunday ■•; processions and ' union /luring the strike ; and ..the applications of Helensvillo and Otahuhu residents for mora Sunday -trains.: Attention, had, : also been given to tho' territorial camps. A member of the executive had written to the press protesting against a charge being made,for Sunday concerts at tho; Exhibition. Experience.in, Canada 'and other countries had shown that " the so-called "sacred concert" ' on, Sundav was 'one of the most subtlo and'_; insidious, _ means whereby, attack was ..made on the sacred character and religious value of the Lord's Day, ;What had..been dono during the year was not perhaps very much, but it would .'.-• serve ' to 'prepare the, way.for greater activity and usefulness.' ': Attacks :-. on the' Christian Church ."

. ■ Canon Haselden seconded the motion for the adoption ; ; of; the report," From .the vbry; earliest 'times, ho said, ; there had been, every, now and. then, . soriio. particular form . of - attack. :on the Christian Church, and its works/ The ■ attack ;at pVesentin New. Zealand seemed to him to bo \ /upon ;'■■' Sunday as a day .of rest and the day of . tho Lord. " It wartime to .be -up and fight against this attack. It was impossible for evil to prevail .against the Church, but its work was hindered ;by opposition, and what was done' to oppose it. "i There was. a tendency in, New Zealand -to. secure the Continental Sunday, and to play golf . and tennis and go; to pictures, but. this would not last. The '.Church would get greater and better power, and he though tho alliance would help in the work. ■, : The. report 'and treasurer's balancesheet, were ; adopted.

1 National Character and Well-being. v ( \ Bishop Averill, in', the.course, of an address, said that the alliance was; not a body of censorious people who wanted to criticise merely, . or ■. to'.' curtail • the ■ just liberties of their. fellow citizens. (Hear, hear). Neither • was it va body which wished to dictate, to - anyone in tho community. It believed that national character' arid - well-being : was largely dependent upon' the righti observance of the /Lord Day;*. (Applause.); Therefore it believed that.the observance of Sunday was necessary for. the highest material, : h'jral, social, and religious "well-being, .of . the community. If men /hadv.no regard for Divine law they would probably have little regard for human law. (Hear,; hear.) ■ R. would be 'comical,.were it not so lra«ic, to hear men in fairly high social positions finding'fault with.men in lower social 'positions,, as they .sometimes did, for a tendency towards anarchy, , when :ther themselves"were disobeying the laws of (Sod. Thev wanted the men high positions ...to >et /a/Rood example. He thbuitht- they believer] , that the : Bnsh character had' been built up on tne Bible and on Sunday. . (Applause.).

'."■ Demoralising to Work on Sunday./ i Sunday was' '!a 'necessary provision for man's highest welfare and his true recreation, proceeded the bishop To work ™ days a week to- earn his daily bread,was demoralising to a human being. One day s rest was absolutely, necessary ; for his •recuperation.' as .well as /for the development of his spiritual capacity. ■ ~. What'they had to! face especially , was the selfishness of- so. many, men and women, and the want of consideration for others. The latter was ono of tho worst phases of society to-day. Men and' women had no right'to. make others work cm Sundays to ' minister to. their pleasures.; '■-. . , Reform must begin at the top, the bishop ■ concluded.' Tho people who were doing the most' harm were those, who had plenty ■of ' time.for recreation on week-days and vet took it on Sundays. Ho appealed to •these 'people, first of all, to realise that this Sunday observance question was a question of right, of true patriotism, and .of'sacredness of responsibility.

Work for "the Organisation.... ■•■■• The Rev. h! Steele Craik made a plea for the better, observance of Sunday on the part of 'the members of/ the Christian Church. •:' ' '/;.,' ■■'' :'/:/■'■. '.' ; -'.'.. : '/. ■■■; The Rev. R.lnghs spoke in an interesting manner on the principles arid methods of the. alliance.. ,was..trying to preserve the Sabbath to the community, and union was needed. It would not do to tackle the question ■ with /a guerilla force,, but- with an army. Mr, Inglis gave examples .of what had been effected,by the abiance in Canada, Great Britain, and-, elsewhere. They were' not out for offence, but for defence, and their., main purpose was a. re'.igious one. .-/',.. , , ,' Election of Office-bearers. The/election of office-bearers resulted as follows • -President, ■ Bis hop Averill: vicepresidents, tho Revs. I. Jolly and George Bond: hon. secretary and treasurer,-.the Kev. R. Inglis. The executive appointed bv the various churches and ; religions bodies was announced as being constituted as. follows:-Canon , Haselden, ■ • and tho Revs E.' J.' McFarknd. A. Richards, R. liiglis, A. Miller. J. A.'Luxford, ;H. SteeleCraik, S. Jenkyn. Major Stone (Salvation Army), Messrs.. F. W. : Greenwood and ' George Aid ridge. - , '