ST. PAUL'S CATHEDRAL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18051, 27 September 1920, Page 6

ST. PAUL'S CATHEDRAL

DOMINION DAY.

Preaching last night on "Tho Ideals of Douunion, ' Canon iNovill spoko of tho -wonderful i.O years from 1840 to 1920, a period when New Zealand had grown from a whaling station to a nation. Yet it was well for them to remember that a country's luturo did not d-pend on its wealth or bpoin would bo tho miatrese of South America to-day; but it depended on tho depth and conviction of its ideals. So Jeremiau presented to tho Jews God's moral aw for their acceptance. Homo's idoal was law and order without meroy; ahe perished. Greece, with her ideal of pleasure and beauty -without morality, becanic a powerless phantom. Modern Germany's ideals wore world rule- without God, and to-day Lrormany was tho outcast of the nations, ideals not only come out in individual uv<_-s, but ,n education, laws, even oomrnorcp, and most of nil in a man's religion, ras desire towards God. In education our mainspring was tho old British lesson not only how to rulo otbei-s but how to obey as well. That was the only training- worth calling education. The education which aimed at money, and nothing clso but money, was no education at all. Nowadays everyone wanted to make their babies baby plumbers or baby editors, or baby millionaires, without any idea, of what education

really meant at all. Education's aim was to create a better, nobler man by teaching them how to discipline themselves. Tile commercial unrest after the war threatened tho very foundations of government. It nvas not discontent at hard conditions—New Zealamd was the most prosperous country in the world, dt was a want of real education. Democracy did not mean that only one class should bo haopy—the workers— and all tho rest miserable. The highest ideal, the davino ideal, was the law of discipline, of self-sacrifice. All round us today were shouts for higher wages, better pay, and prices rose in a vicious circle; but scarcely anywhere were voices raised for self-discipline-, stricter sense of duty, I yet the whole people suffered because of this one-sided gospeL In South America, where work was abundant and wages higher than in any part of tho 'world, a vast Anarchist propaganda, leading to murder, existed, aimed at all law and security. To a certain extent New Zealand and Australia had the samo menace to their security to-day. Yet Now Zealand had done great things. In 80 years she had built universities in all hor frreat cities—a splendid System of schools from tho primary to tho University, —hospitals everywhere, a Medical School in Dunedin second to none; magmfieent organisations for the care of women and children, and, most of all, for child life, orphanages, and children's convalescent homes. Besides all this, she had a high standard of comfort and Intelligence—more people read ibooks and magazines here than in tho Old Country,—an able and educative press, holiday crowds, as well behaved M any crowds in the world; and, finally, moral conditions in most of our cities far ughor than in cities of the earns size in Be Old World. And could we not also say »p-day she had a place in history among >ne nations, won, not by wool and mutton, >r oven money, but by undaunted gallantry tnd endurance, by a courage that had writxn a, page of the great war on which wo :ouM look on Dominion Day with justifiable >nde as the reward of our ideals of life?