THE SUNDAY CIRCLE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18673, 30 September 1922, Page 18

THE SUNDAY CIRCLE.

RELIGIOUS BEADING FOR THE HOME. W’E GO THIS WAY BUT ONCE. We go this way but once, O heart of mine. So why not make tho journey well worth while, Giving to those who travel on with us A helping hand, a word of cheer, a smile? W 7 e go this way but once-. Ah! never more Can wo go hack along tho self-same way, To get more- out of life, undo the wrongs, Or speak love’s words we knew but did not say. Wo go this way but once. Then let us make The road we travel blossomy and sweet With helpful, kindly deeds and tender words, Smoothing tho path of bruised and stumbling feet. —Florence Jones Hadley, in the British Weekly. PRAYER. O Lord, we pray for one another, for all our brethren throughout the world who, in every place, call upon tho name of the Lord Jesus, their strength'and ours. W r e beseech Thee that the ignorance and the misery and the sin and tho hopelessness and the tumult of the Godless men and of society may bo cured by tho entrance of that word which gives light, by the rule of the Lord, Who gives righteousness and peace and joy. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.. THE COPENHAGEN CONGRESS. The Congress at Copenhagen under the auspices of the World Alliance for Promoting International Friendship Through the Churches opened at Copenhagen on August 5 last, when the Committee of Management issued the following declaration: —“On the occasion of its visit to Copenhagen, August 5, 1922, tho World Alliance for Promoting International Friendship Through the Churches reaffirms its profound conviction that tho only path to true reconciliation and peace amongst the nations lies in the application of the spirit and teaching of Jesus Christ in all human relationships.” Describing tho opening of tho conference tho Rev. Thomas Nightingale, secretary of the Free Church Council of Great Britain, writes: “Wo are gathered togo.ther from 25 different nations to pool our thoughts, to try to understand each other’s point of view, to suggest further lines of action, and to urge ‘that tho organised forces of religion should be applied to dealing with problems that threaten the world of to-day.’ V>o have seen what organised butchery can do, let us now see what organised brotherhood can do. Amongst the nations represented are Britain, America, Austria. Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Spain, and Turkey. The subjects to be discussed are: Racial and religious minorities; disarmament; the duty of the church with regard to reconciliation and reconstruction. “The difficulties are enormous—political, diplomatic, racial, and economic. To overlook these difficulties is to render tho cause of peace no assistance. Troubles arise through misunderstanding, fear, ignorance, and suspicion. It is only by getting together in this way that the path to peace is rendered smoother and the goal brought nearer. To leave it to statesmen i s to shirk our clear duly.” On the first Sunday morning of the conference Dr Jefferson, with great acceptance, preached in tho cathedral from the words: “If a man have not the spirit of Christ he is none of His.” He argued that the spirit of Christ meant brotherliness, service, and sacrifice, and applied tin’s great truth to a man, a nation, a church, and a government. We must cross national frontiers with the spirit of forgiveness and helpfulness. The world was torn by the evil spirits of suspicion, fear, greed, injustice, and revenge, and these must be cast out. Not one nation, but all nations, must cast down their arms Tho united church must say this, anti say it with holy passion. It was a great service, nearly 3XO people being present. In the afternoon «i reception was given bv the Danish Committee of the World Alliance. Then came tho mass meeting at 7.30, over which Professor Amundson presided. It was intimated that a letter had been received from Mr Charles E. Hughes, who wrote in the name of tho President of the United States, which closed with these words: “Being, however, in hearty sympathy with any movement that has for us object the advancement of good understanding among the peoples of the world, and recognising the great influence of the churches in the promotion of universal good will the President has for the Copenhagen Conference none hut the best wishes Addresses were given by the Archbishop of Upsala, Dr John K. Mott, and tne Bishop of Oxford. The Bishop of Oxford said that for 400 years statesmen and jurists had been trying to settle international duferencfis without resorting to physical force. We came in to do what international law had failed to clo-to assert the Christian conscious. The united witness of Chnsrcn dom at this moment is urgent and vital to the peace of the world.

THE PROBLEM OF. SUMMER SERVICES. AN AMERICAN EXPERIMENT. Writing from Northfield to the London Christian 0 World Rev. Frederic C. Spurr says: “In the summer time many American churches close down, or ‘run on slow tune, as one gentleman phrased it. I preached to a congregation that was comprised of two Presbyterian and one Baptist congregation The three churches united for the summer months at a morning service only. Once a day is considered sufficient for summer time. One enterprising clergyman of Philadelphia, however, determined upon something now. He purchased a farm of 45 acres a few miles from the city, so that the artisans of his congregation, sorely tempted to slackness during the summer, might spend a week-end in conditions that unite recreation with church worship. A considerable number of his people avail themselves of tho opportunity to go out into the country undeiMhis regime. From Saturday to Sunday night or Monday morning, whole families, together with single persons, leave the city for the farm. The men and boys sleep in tho barn, the- women and girls in a house kept by a coloured man and bis wife; Food is taken picnic fashion under tho trees in the orchard. People do their own cooking. Swings are provided for the children and a swimming pool for youths. Onlv eight miles from the centre of Philadelphia, the farm might be buried in the heart of the country, so tranquil and rustic js its sotting. We motored over in Mr Pierce’s car to “assist’’ in the service, which was held at 4 o’clock. Some 200 of us gathered under the apple trees. The padre was dressed in a lounge suit, and wore the air of a business man. A piano provided the instrumental music, and the singing was Pd by a really fine choir of 28 voices. Tho service consisted of the Creed, the Lord's Praver, four short collects, two anthems, beautifully rendered and worthy of any city church, a duet, and a most ingenious address on a handful of stones. The proceedings lasted about 50 minutes, and wore marked by the utmost reverence. Then tho meeting broke up into groups, some for swimming, some for the swings, some for games of ball, and some for the ice cream stall. Mr Steele, the rector, has been sharply criticised for his unique week-ends, but the success of his novel plan is jits justification. He has solved, in part, the problem of summer services.” NEWS ITEMS. The death took place on Sunday night, August 6, at the age of 83, of the Rev. James Iverach, D.D.. Principal of the United Free Church College, Aberdeen, ami Moderator of thel United Free Church Assembly in 1912-13. Rev, R. J. Rees, M.A., the new sunernitendent of the Welsh Oalviuislio Forward Movement, is of opinion that the time of “digging in” is over, and that the movement should now really move, lie is planning new churches and missions in nu-nv areas, Mr Rocs intends also to try to stimulate the work of existing churches, especially in the direction of meeting the new intellectual demands of the ago. lie would like to make the movement a kind of laboratory in which the younger ministers might get into first-hand contact with the social and intellectual problems they desire to solve. .-jb-.W. 11. Jude, whose death on August I last-. ; s announced, at the ago of 71, was very,- well known ns a musical evangelist. He was '.invited by Rev. Thomas Law, on hfhali of Ifl-jo National Free Church Council, to conduct missions, and was acceptable both as a_ '-speaker and musician. He, had the gift of ", potting' hymns of an emotional character to melodious, if somewhat florid, tunes, and sni;, w n ( j,j s tunes have found their wav into recent hvi-in books. His accompaniments were rich, ana’ tAmwed that ho had studied whh profit the mm modern com nosers of song music. Tie edit:-;.’ a volume of organ music, and published a book of his own bvmn-tmie oomnaaitions, some of which were introduced to the nnbiio by Gipsy Smith. Tin put warm feeling and good taste alike into his singing ami playing, Mr Henry Ford, the famoua Dotvoit mcUw

manufacturer, has been explaining his religious views to an American interviewer. Ho finds all he needs in tho way of creeds and ethics in the Sermon on the Mount, arid believes that religion the best which is expressed in service. Mr Ford gave an exr ample of service as ho conceived it. “There is t! o Lincoln Motor,” ho exclaimed (referring to a company he has just bought tip for a huge sum). “I do not need that concern, but I am going to buy it to save it from being wrecked. That’s an instance of the Sermon on the Mount. Muscle Shoals is another one. Uf course, it looks like a business matter and nothing more, but I don’t need the Shoals. All I want with that ' undertaking is to show how waterpower can be used to make the people more prosperous. My method is to express my religions convictions through constructive industries —to create more opportunities tor piufitable employment.” The scale upon which religious work is undertaken in America makes an Knghsliman gasp. No denomination in England can boast of such buildings as the Presbyterian' buildings in Philadelphia and New York, or Temple University in Philadelphia. The Presbyterian building, with its 10 or 12 storeys occupying an entire block dwarfs even the Anglican Church House m London. It contains some 200 to 40l rooms, many offices, several elevators, an auditorium, and a wonderful book room, Temple University—a Bantist foundation—is «■ blond of Polytechnic, Metropolitan la’ernacle. Bristol College, Church House, and Mission House. When it is completed it will be one of the most wonderful blocks in Philadelphia. __ , Principal 11. B. Workman, of Westminster College, who was preaching at HoUy Park Wesleyan Church, recalled in the course of his sermon on a recent Sunday morning that when ho was a boy there was but one '-'announcement” —that of the weeknight service, coupled occasionally with the notice that the stewards would be in attendance in regard to sittings. Now the notices took five or more minutes to read. Indeed, at one church lately he listened to 27 annoinvomcnts! They were all very good notices too, notices of all sorts of things ior all sorts of excellent objects, all right and true and proper in their way ana place. Whatever justice there might have been in George Eliot’s accusation of “other-wordh-noss” in relation to tho church of her day, it certainly had no application at the present time. The church to-day, at any rate, was not dwelling in oioudiand; the groat demand was for sein onc dealing with the difficidiTe; of to day and the outlook fer to-morrow. Yet it remained true that tho essential'thing to he realised was the consciousness of tho unseen, in which was to be found tho real motive power of life.