SIR ROBERT STOUT AND CHURCH OBSERVANCES

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 7209, 18 August 1910, Page 3

SIR ROBERT STOUT AND CHURCH OBSERVANCES

(To the Editor "5.7.. Times.”)

Sir.—Onr Chief Justice surpassed hi’iiself ill his sennon last .Sunday on Al . lteli?ion» Under the Sun. it " a 7•• l.it! subject—but then — no subject is tv» vast; for Kit Kobert Stout. 'I ho one pity u that ho «.nW .not have boon spared from the JJoiniruou for at ItJ-d fiv-o vears looser on holiday. if; JiVioAi views would then have ripeuf somewhat. Wo all abnor the hast., i adamant of the superfieral traveller " ho posfM as an authority on all things vidblo and invisible. Sir Itobert treads l>ovond K t.lii> sacred precincts of law. In rrvfirf'l/i.iis o ucst ion l ' he gf-is oat of depth, though ho” never gets any further than lh The U Chh.r’.Tustice has (frost admiration for Buddhism. So have some of the ■natives of met. In. tact, he called on several Buddhists in Cevlon and told thorn plainly (in judicial hinfruayc) v.hat lie thmiffht of them. lie , u| ? b dHne tliom for not oreachuiß sound doctrine. 18, insisted that they did not appreciate ecu nine Buddhism. Bow they mils, have - mil"d audibly at Sir Bobert. W e next (iml Sir linbc'rt in a Greek ehumh at Port Said. It was unfortuna.o tn.it lie should iiave seen three men eamll&s. Be learnt (who . told him.) ■‘that the enhanced value cl the eaiKlies u-a.s duo to the fact that they had been hlcts-vod bv a priest.” What twaddle. How rim pie—how {gullible some people are. Uis merely traveller's hearsay or gossip not-. Greek theology. Sir Robert was .'.hocked 100 at the "noise made by worshippers within tho church. I QI " haps .Jus nerves were a little out of order. Wliy don’t those Eastern people wear rubber heels? Some noise is music.

"To them f lie burning of a caudle was equal to tho offering cf a prayer. Quite so. ' It may be a way they have. Lip worship is not tho only iorm oi praver, though it is common enough among-1, young people. . , \ man an prav standing on ins head. Brchablv those Greeks used candles bo-em-.-i. Uiev had no electric light. Sir Robert then set out for a .Mohammedan mosqno. He was much struck by tho “air of quietness. Ono can have, the same experience In a padded cell. Tho Chief Justice does not like ritual and candies. That is exceeding strange, because there is no place ou earth so ritualistic as tiio law court. Then u Chief Justice has to conform to tilt, existing ritual—especially when Chinamen take the oath by striking matches! Sir Robert then beat a hasty retreat to Switzerland and Trance. Italy is not eve.ii mentioned. Why?

‘■Tu Franco the services did not differ much (of course not) from tho services held in Catholic churches in the Dominion.” That is no new discovery. Still i.fc is rel-rcsJung to find # that onr 'Chiei* Justice has been attending Catholic charchc-s in New Zealand. Ho :<> only iaking after tiio late King Ihlwaxu YiL, who often attended Catholic services in England and abroad. Sir Robert gives us one item cf news about France "what struck him most was the paucity of the congregations, in which there were four or five times as many women as men.” I remember once upon a time a traveller came to Wellington. By accident, he cot into a mothers’ meeting or hen convention and afterwards told his friends quite seriously "I was much struck by the paucity of men.” 1 would ask Sir Robert Stout a very solemn, simple, straight question —What hour did he rise (especially on Sunday mornings) while on the Continent? We must know that important point, as a good deal depends ou it. W hat hour did he attend -'divine service” and how often. As a rule a traveller can not spent! much time in one particular spot. Catholics are up before cock crow. It has been their way for nineteen centuries. Now, S*ir Robert Stout attended church either on/co only or several times. If •once only, he cannot, speak on the subject; ii' several times, there must have been some special attraction about the Catholic church for ait least one man of importance I Now, we come to England. Sir Robert found ‘'nothing distinguishable between the High Rituals and tho Pontifical Mass.” What on earth does ho mean?

Are Pontifical Masses said by priests or lias Sir Robert ever seen a Pontifical Mass? lie is slightly mixed. A little learning is a dangerous thing. Our Cliiof J usrico was scandalised to learn that "AGOO was spent on b. font.” "Why could it not be given to the poor?” Judas once asked a similar question. Sir Robert found very little ritualism in Scotland. No donbt, the reason is that they liavo not been keeping house long enough to know the real needs of tho household. The Chief Justice learnt from a 'Tootling commercial man in London that business men in the bulk are indifferent to religion and seldom go to church.” Tho sanio can bo said of the horses and cows in New Zealand. —I am, etc., STAY-AT-HOME. August 17 th.