NOTES AND COMMENTS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21926, 9 October 1934, Page 8

NOTES AND COMMENTS

AN EAGLE'S FLIGHT Mr. F. Fraser, Darling, writing in Nature, records some observations which lead him to believe that an eagle flew at the rate of 120 miles an hour. The eagle rose from behind his house (altitude 1000 ft.) at Dundonuell, Wester Ross, and was followed by two peregrine falcons. He glanced at his watch, taking the position of the second and minute hands, and focused his stalking telescope on the soaring eagle. She rose to a height which he estimated at 4000 ft. The falcons were still stooping, but never actually struck. Having reached .her height, the eagle made another sweeD, and- lnniled on a buttress cliff at an altitude of 2000 ft. The time taken on the flight was lm. 455. and the distance as measured on an Ordnance Survey map was .'H miles. The eagle therefore flie'w at the rate of 120 miles an hour, twice* the speed of an express train, with a net gain in altitude of 1000 ft. Ihe falcons were left far behind on the downward sweep. FILMS IN GERMANY The difficulties of the German film industry under the National Socialist regime, says the Berlin correspondent of the Times, are reflected in the returns of films passed for exhibition during the 12 months ended June, 1934; 117 of these were German and 104 foreign, as against 133 and 72 respectively in the preceding year. The main difficulties arose from the elimination of practically all Jewish players, directors, scenario writers and camera men, and from the restricted choice of subjects. Many themes, once chosen, were found to offend current political feeling in one way or another, or were not portrayed, even by the newcomers, in an acceptable manner. This has had a curious result. The film makers, in their efforts to avoid anything that might lead to a ban, and finding the public satiated with patriotic subjects, have had recourse to classical comedies and stories of the past century. A new type of film is being evolved, which diligently avoids all contemporary allusion and studiously concerns itself with the good old times. Thus one firm, clearly determined to be on the safe side, have produced "Charley's Aunt." This has proved so much to the taste of the public, exhausted by months of propaganda on the screen, that the laughs aroused by the ancient jests and business of the immortal Aunt drown most of the dialogue. Another venture in the same direction is "Little Dorrit." "BELIEFS OUTWORN" Speaking at the Modern Churchman's Conference Dr. Barnes, Bishop of Birmingham, said that throughout the world at the present time reaction was either insurgent or dominant. Quiet thought, good sense, the patient examination of problems, persuasive efforts toward adjustment—such a temper of mind was out of fashion. In its place alike in Church and State they saw approval of violence or illegality, the cult of irrational enthusiasm, a blustering dislike of reason, and a refusal to entertain unwelcome truths. That temper at the moment showed its absurdities more crudely in Central Europe than at home. But politics and, still more, ecclesiastical opinion in England were not free from unwholesome infection. English modernism was wholly alien from unreason or violence. It sought to join religious enthusiasm to truth, to persuade men that faith was the stronger when it was freed from beliefs that were outworn. "As modernists," Dr. Barnes concluded, "we sa> that ultimately it will be disastrous for the Christian religion unless an adjustment is made which harmonises the new understanding of the way in which God acts through Nature and man with our faith. This adjustment we try to make. Already we have so far succeeded that certain elements in our message have spread through the Church, but much remains to be done. People wrongly think that we have created the difficulties which, in fact, we try to surmount. They foolishly believe that if only we would be silent the new knowledge of our era could safely be ignored. So we are attacked, distrusted, feared. But we shall win because our work is needed." THE BIBLE "An intelligent and devout use of the Bible is a valuable part of education, and no other book can take its place," said Dean Inge at the Modern Churchman's Conference. "At the same time I do not wish to seem to advocate a return to the old uncritical and undiscriminating use of the Scriptures. Much of the Old Testament has very little religious value for us to-day, and we are so far removed from the manner of living and from the thoughts of the ancient Hebrews that a great part of their sacred literature is really unintelligible to the ordinary English readers. Much harm has been done and much infidelity manufactured by the untenable attitude which many oldfashioned people still suppose to be obligatory upon Christians in dealing with the Old Testament. I think extracts from it are better than the whole book. I have never felt happy in teaching children the so-called historical books. They contain attractive stories delightfully told; but how much they contain which is by no means wholesome reading'" Referring to the language of the Psalms, he said that the Jew was a terrible hater; he often was so still. There was an Oriental ferocity about many of the Psalms which "made them quite unfit for use in public worship. They were' not recited in the synagogues now. The superstition about verbal inspiration of the Bible was Jewish. He said he had been brought up in a Tractarian family, and the High Church party even then was supposed to be less uncompromising about inspiration than the Evangelicals; but he was certainly taught that the whole Bible was literally true. As late as 1864 Pius IN. condemned Bible societies along with Communism and Freemasonry. The majority of Roman Catholics to-day were, he believed, almost incredibly ignorant of the Bible. Commenting on certain Old Testament books. Dr. Inge said that Proverbs were collections of popular aphorisms which assumed the existence of God and that honesty was the best policy; Job contained the finest poetry of the Old Testament; Daniel was deservedly popular, but not ast history; Ruth was a very charming "pastoral symphony"; Jonah had no historical value; Esther was a very interesting story, but God's name was not mentioned in it; and the Song of Solomon was not a religious book at all, but a collection of love-lyrics, probably to be sung at marriages. It was not written by Solomon.