THE SUNDAY CIRCLE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18293, 9 July 1921, Page 5

THE SUNDAY CIRCLE.

RELIGIOUS READING FOR THE HOME. SUPPLICATION. Hold Thou my Land: The way is steep, by ills besot, Alas! J. so needy yet; Support me still, "lest I forgot.” Ro Thou my .guide : So Hindi of sin on every aide, .So many paths thin, wind beside The chasms deep, "with me abide.” Be Thou my light : The way is often dark and drear; My soul is quite aquako with fear; Illumine my way and send me ./cheer. Re Thou my shield : So many blasts upon the field. So many powers ill doth wield ; If thou dost help I shall not yield. Re Thou my hope : So many promises arc vain, So many plans that end in pain; Speak, Lord, I then shall heaven gain, Ro Thou my rest: >So many rtl’orts proved not best, So many ways Thou hast not. blest; For peaeo divine 1 am in quest. Re Thou my joy : So much of pleasure dearly bought. So many plans tiiat turn to naught; May the whole will in mo bo wrought. Bo Thou my call: 1

So many snares to cause a fall, Slo many joys that, turn to gall; Triumphant Christ, Thou art my all. Rev. J. A. Lttmlcy. A PRAYER OF THOMAS A. REMITS. Thou, 0 God, who giveth grace to the humble, do something also for the proud man; make me humble ami obedient ; take from me the spirit of pride and haughtiness, ambition and self-flattery, eonlideneo and gaiety; teach mo to think well, and to expound all things fairly to my brotner, to lovo liia worthiness, to delight in his praises, to excuse bis errors, to give Thoo thanks for his graces, to rejoice in all the good that lie receives, and over to believe and speak belter things o£ him titan of myself.—Amen. LIFE’S FRAGRANCES.

Little, nameless, unremembered acts of lovo; high and holy dreams of good; voices of the night touched with high mystery; golden glories of sunken suns; the pressuro of the hand of a friend when the tides of hope are running low; the response of a kindred spirit when the light on tho attar of tne soul is flickering; a wliltf of celestial air at eventide; u kind word fitly spoken in time of great hurts; moonlight shimmering in silvery silences on the lace of tho waters; Gods gentle voice floating down out of the kindly clouds; a vision beatific of tho outlines of the unseen; the trust of a little child; the warmth of tho breath of a great woman’s soul; the consciousness ot forgiven sins, of divine favour; tho rhythm of a high passion making music in the soul; the thrill of a great poem; the ecstasy of beautiful music; the joy of unselfish sendee; the experience of pease which passolh knowledge; the privilege of honest toil; the message of a great book entering an guest into tho palaeb of tint soul; returning health utter long years of infinite pain; the rustling of angels’ wings in some dread hour of temptation and awful loneliness— these are tho fragrances of life.— Rev. R. O. Lawton.

DR KELMAN ON THE RESURRECTION. Dr Kclman is preaching to large congregations at Fit ill avenue Presbyterian Church, Now York (writes a British Weekly correspondent). 1 heard Lirn on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, when tho spring sunshine and the exhilarating breezes were enough to tempt anybody into Central Park, and I found a congregation of nearly 700 people, which included many ministers, Christian workers, and visitors from Scotland. In the morning the church is well filled. Dr Kelman has recently preached a sermon on the Resurrection which the church has published in booklet form. The Resurrection of Jesus Christ, ho says, proclaims that God’s method in history and providence in very far indeed front being a smooth and unbroken progress. He works by constantly repeated successions of deaths and resurrections which may be expected continually, both in history and in tho lives of individuals. Hero in tho supreme revelation of His nature, He has, as it were, sot tho typo after which in His own inscrutable wisdom Ho lias chosen to operate all along tho lino. If wo can take to ourselves in on intelligent way this fart that death and resurrection is tho method of God, it will be of immense service to us. It will end our amazement and silence our futile rebellions. It will give us faith to watch calmly tho broken and often disappointing course of history, and it will give us faith also to endure patiently the experience of life. In both fields wo shall expect, and mast assuredly wo shall find, that it is through loss that gain must come, and life through death.

RELIGION AND MORALS. At the General Assembly of the English Prosbyerian Church, hold at Nowcastlc-on-Tyne, in May last, tho report on Religion and Morals occupied a very great deal of time, inasmuch as a long discussion, which eventually became a debate, took place. Largo numbers spoke, and sometimes feeling ran high. It was felt by some that, tho committee was not fully alive to tho social needs of our time, and had not grappled fully wth tho problems of Sunday observfc*o», Capital and Labour, war, and tho present unrest; but in tho end the report was received and adopted. Some very extreme utterances w'ere made on tho above subjects by a few of the speakers. The bulk of our ministers are fully alivo to the needs of tho present time, but the difficulty is to find a rc:d and satisfying solution to these needs—and wo are not helped forward by fervid addresses of an extreme Socialistic type, which evidently did not impress the majority present. The Rev. J. Rorko, tho convenor, stood by his report, and resolutions whiolt wore of a moderate and more balanced type were carried by a substantial majority. Resolutions wore adopted directing the week of selfdenial in aid of foreign missions to be observed in November: impressing upon members the supremo importance of observing the T/ard’s Dnv; commending the Bishop of London’s Bill on tho Criminal Taw Amendment Aot; enjoining noon ministers the duly of bringing before tho minds of young men and women the iirivi'ei*os .-md obligations of Church membership- and common dint*’ the proposals regarding a campaign for personal evangelism to all sessions and presbyteries. The matter of Sunday observance was remitted, on tho motion of Dr Ramsa v , to the rn' v ’mitteo, w'tfi Instructions to draft a earefidl v considered report on the subject for next year.

Tho Rev. Archibald Black, brother of Professor Hugh Black and of Rev. James Black, pastor of Si. George's United Free Church, Edinburgh, has been invited to the pastorate of First Congregational Church, Montclair. Now Jersey, of which Dr Ainory Bradford was minister for many years. Mr Archibald Black is at present associate pastor with IJr George A. (Jordon at New Old .'-'cuth Congregational Church, Boston, Mass. Owing to ill-health Mr A. C. Filield has disposed of his publishing business as a going concern I/) .Mr Jonathan Cape. Mr Fifiold commenced business a miblbliriin Fieot, street 20 years ago. Ho is a man of advanced social views, ami an associate of the Fabian Society, the “History”' of which, by its secretary. F„ R. Peace, lie published. He has made the entire works of Samuel Butler available, and among other writers of individual quality (he works of W. 11. Davies, the. poef and vagabond writer, and the plays of Brienv. Mr Jonathan Cane will continue to publish the complete writings of Samuel Butler, the. existing and fnluro work of W. H. Davies, and tho other hooks published by Air Fiiield. Mr Robert Service, tho Canadian Poet, divides his new book, “Buil-ids of a Bohemian,” into four nails Spring. Early Summer, Dale Summer, Winter. Mr Servile, who lias lived some years in Paris, here pivis ns, in verse and inter-blended prose, a series of vivid pictures of a poor poet’s garret, of Jnlot t lie Apache, of Montmartre, of tho cafes, the. absinthe drinkers, the boulevards, of tbe various queer neighbours of the poet-—artists of one sort or another, little sewing girls, cocottes, —of flic grisettrs. of many typical characters, and scenes of Parisian life. Then comes tiie war, the transport drivers, the hospitals, tho wounded, most of its varied a-necls, and in these poems Mr Service again shows the fine talent which lie exhibited in the “Rhymes of a Red Cross Man.” His new volume is larger than imv Mr Service has yet. published: it is full of humour, of pathos, of passion, and reveals tho genius of Air Service in many new lights that will charm his great popu-