WORSHIP OF LUCK

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22983, 10 March 1938, Page 12

WORSHIP OF LUCK

AUSTRALIAN WEAKNESS ALLEGATION BY BISHOP MENTALLY INDOLENT PEOPLE [from ottb own correspondent] SYDNEY, March 4 The Anglican Bishop of Gotilburn, Dr Burgmann, most outspoken of Australin churchmen, made an attack, in a remarkable address in Sydney-,v.on the "national weakness" of as shown particularly in almost univef3 c sal illegal off-the-course betting and the popularity of the New South Wales State Lottery. 'The nation is floundering like a rudderless ship," he said, speaking as a visitor to the annual Methodist Conference. "One of the greatest industries in the country is gambling. No Gover;irnent dares touch it. Can the Churches trfin the conscience of this nation? Government action against gambling would be useless. The people are drunk wil;h it; its lethal tentacles are Strangling the true spirit of sport everywhere. The opinion of the public is behind it, and even the churches make money out of it. General Business Ideals "The great god 'Luck' is .the one god whom the majority of Australians worship with genuine enthusiasm. The most fervent prayers are for the success of lottery tickets. The worst significance of this, I think, is the moral bankruptcy of our general business ideals. Quantity of cash is the thing that matters, not quality of service. "Picture shows are stirring the tastes and emotions of the people todfiy far more than the Churches. In sport there is much that is clean and wholesome from the national point of view, but there is far too much that is otherwise. It will be readily granted that the Churches' influence the opinions of many, but it must still be asked whether there are more powerful influences within the nation working in a contrary direction. Wastage of Youth "It is not easy to say whether the Church is gaining in its influence over the nation, or whether the secular forces in the national life are steadjjy transforming the Churches into ineffective relics of once powerful institutions. Is there any sap in the ancient ecclesiastical tree, or is * it becoming dead wood ready for the burning?" Dr. Burgmann said that, in spite of I the increasing quantitv of mechanical devices, the nation was normally incapable of using these things to the advantage of the people. "Our youth is wasted by the thousand in a rektirely undeveloped country." he said. " We cry out for immigrants, yet we cjmnot use our own. "While we should be moving to higher culture levels, education remains starved. Too many of our people are regressing to the state of nomadic hunters. We cannot organise our people effectively to the unlimited work that is waiting to be done, because we aie a mentally and morally indolent people. "AVe seek comfort in statistics because they seem to tell all the truth tc our minds. We lull ourselves to slsep with words that no longer mean anything. There is nothing an Australian hates more than to Ua forced to think."