THE SUNDAY CIRCLE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19347, 6 December 1924, Page 5

THE SUNDAY CIRCLE

RELIGIOUS READING FOR THE HOME. CREDO 1 Not what, but Whom, I do believe! That in my darkest hour of need, Hath comfort that no mortal creed To mortal man may give: Not what, but Whom! For Christ is more than all the creeds, And His full life of gentle deeds Shall all tho creeds outlive. Not what I do believe, but Whoml Who walks beside tno in tho gloom? Who shares the burden wearisome? Who all tho dim way doth illume. And bids mo look beyond the tomb Tho larger life to live?—■ Not what I do believe, But Whoml Not what, But Whoml John Oxenham. A PRAYER. Our Father who lovest us all, and who desirest to bring us all homo, wo thann Thee for that tender redeeming love of Thine. We have been foolish and wayward oliiidrou; we have chosen our own will and set it against Thine. We ary lost, utterly; and we have found the fruits of freedom most bitter. We are in want, and remember the plenty of our Father’s house. We have sinned against love and Thee, and are no more worthy to be culled Thy sons. Forgive us. our lather; take us back again and make ua nappy at home. For Jesus’ sake. Amen'. CHINESE GRANT TO PRESBYTERIAN HOSPITAL. The American Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions announced at its offices in tho Presbyterian Building, 166 Fifth Avenue, Now York, and Witherspoon Building, Philadelphia, Pa., that Sun Fo, Mayor of Canton, China, and son of President Sun Yat Sen, had notified the board ol a largo Government land grant to the Canton Hospital, enabling that institution to extend its buildings and enlarge its work. In a message to the board. Mayor Sun Fo says ‘Tn recognition of the distinguished services it has rendered to the community of the City of Canton, through its medical eslablisnment, the Canton Municipality has granted to the Canton Hospital a tract of government land to be used for the pro posed extension work of the hospital, in order to enlarge its scope of uselulness. In performing my official dutv in connection with this grant of land I take pleasure to avail myself of the occasion to add a few words of appreciation. “Through tho Canton Hospital, modem medicine, in all its branches, was introduced into the Orient. For 88 years, tho Canton Hospital has been an efficient medical institution, \yhioh has treated over two million sick and disabled people. Several hundred doctors and nurses, graduates of the medical and nursing schools conducted by this institution, are doing useful work and are respected members of the community. Public health and research work have been steadily pursued. “This Government has knowledge, m general, of the plans for the construction of a new plant upon the site granted by tho Government, with hospitals, and medical and nursing schools, staff residences and other necessary buildings. Those who. contribute towards these will bo rendering- a great service to the people of South China, who will have confidence in the Canton Hospital, the Chinese name of -which—Pole Tsai—is a household word."

CHINESE CHRISTIANS FIGHT OPIUM. Alarmed over the rapid spread of the opium evil in China in recent years, tho Christian churches of China observed the last Sunday in September as an anti-opium Sunday. Parades, demonstrations, and moss meetings were planned for in order to show apposition to the opium traffic. Tho National Christian Council distributed among the churches a number of suggestions to aid them in observing the day. Tho suggested text for addresses and sermons was from John ii, 15: “And he made a scourge of Cords, and cast all out of the temple, both sheep and the oxen; and ho poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew their tables.”

In the outline prepared by tho council it wag explained that tho recrudescence of opium in China (tho planting of the poppy was completely stopped in 1917) is due to overproduction during tho Great War, the surplus naturally seeking a market in the east. Also on account of the high price and the large profits of this traffic the local cultivation of the poppy was encouraged by militarists in league with bad merchants who are seeking nothing but civil war and gain. It was pointed out that China was not the only country affected by the opium traffic, and that the Chinese could stand with the men and women of Christian spirit of other countries to fight the evil until it is driven out. Christians were urged to co-operate with hospitals and the churches’ social service work in helping people break tho opium habit, to co-operate with all Christian and non-Christian forces in working to make their region poppyless, and to make known to the public the facts about their city, whether favourable or unfavourable, so as to arouse nation-wide pressure on the Government and local authorities to help China free herself from tho bondage of opium. A National Anti-Opium Association, supported by more than 30 Chinese organisations in Shanghai, among them tho China Red Cross Society, the Chinese Newspapers Union, and tho World Chinese Students’ Federation, has been organised to fight the opium traffic. PRESIDENT COOLIDGE’S TRIBUTE TO RELIGION. While President Coolidge refused to go on speaking tours in tho interests of the candidacy for re-election as President, he played a prominent part in the political campaign in the reception at the White House of visiting delegations representing a wide variety of national interests to whom he has made short talks, by means of letters given wida publicity and through extended addresses on a number of occasions at Washington. The majority of these addresses have been on political and patriotic subjects, but in on address at the unveiling in Washington of a statue to Francis Aabury, pioneer Methodist bishop, he devoted himself to a review of the influence of religion on Governments. Tho United States, ho said, “is founded on religion,” and he called upon his hearers to remember this “whenever w© are seeking for social reforms. Uf course, we can help restrain the vicious and furnish a fair degree of security, and protpetion by legislation and police control, but the real reform which society in these days is seeking will come as a lesult of religious convictions, or they will not come at all. Wo cannot escape a personal responsibility for our own conduct. We cannot regard those as wise and safe counsellors in public affairs who deny these principles and seek to support tho theory that society can succeed when the individual fails.” Earlier in his address he said that the Government cannot bo depended on to do the work of religion. And recognising the right of religion to make itself felt in the legislative bodies of the country he added that an Act of Congress may indicate that a reform is being accomplished, but it does not of itself bring about a reform. “Tho Government of a country never gets ahead of tho religion of a country. . . . There is no way by which wo can substitute tho authority of law for the virtue of man. Peace, justice, humanity, charity —these cannot be legislated into being. They are the result of divine grace.” NEWS ITEMS. Mr Nolan K. Besr, editor of the Continent for many years, announce.'! his jesignation, giving as his reason a difference of judgment In regard to the departure of Dr Fosdick from the pulpit of the First Presbyterian Church of New York. Richard Baxter, the seventeenth century Puritan chaplain in Cromwell’s army, heard preaching in his days that aroused his ire. He said some of the tongues that spoke, in the pulpit of that time could ‘Tick a coal of Are until it was cold.” And he frankly considered such frigid preaching worse than none: “Such preaching it is that hath brought the most to hear sermons as they say creed and paternosters, even as a few good words of course.” Wouldn’t it be a wholesome curiosity if every minister even in these days should try to find out whether indeed his “few good words” every Sunday are heard by his people as if they were “of course”? The biography of J. H. Jowett, just published m England, relates that this great preacher, so recently a vital force in the religious life of both America and Britain, was turned from his settled purpose to become a lawyer by a Sunday school teacher who besought him to choose tho vocation of a gospel minister instead. Think what a tremendous influence thqt teacher to the service of righteousness when lie—or she—pressed that pica on an impressionable boy! Not many persons in the same generation can have done more for Christ I than that Sunday school teacher.