THE SUNDAY CIRCLE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19802, 29 May 1926, Page 5

THE SUNDAY CIRCLE.

RELIGIOUS READING FOR THE HOME. THE WORLD’S AGE. (By Charles Kingsley.) Who ■will say the world is dying? Who will say our prime is past? Sparks from heaven, within us lying. Flash, and will flash till the lastFools 1 who fancy Christ mistaken, Man a tool to buy and sell. Earth a failure, God-forsaken, Ante-room of hell. Still the race of hero-spirits I’ass the lamp from hand to hand, Ago from age the worlds inherit “Wife and child and fatherland. Still the youthful hunter gathers Fiery joy from wold and wood. He will dare as dared his fathers. Give him cause as good. While a slave bewails his fetters, While an orphan pleads in vain. While an infant lisps his letters. Heir of all the ages’ gain. While lip grows ripe for kissing, While moan from man is wrung, Know, by every want and blessing. That the world is young. PRAYER. Revive Thy work, O God. So incline our hearts to Thy service that we may apply ourselves to all our tasks as men who do them unto Thee. Give to the preacher a vision of Thyself, which will impart a new interest and power to his preaching. Give to the man of toil such a sense of Thy presence as will make his toil a gladsome thing, free from killing drudgery. Quicken every heart with divine love, making men kindly and serviceable towards one another. Give wisdom and grace to the missioners who come among us. Sustain every evangelist and preacher of our own. and bless, 0 God, our missions. Wo need Thee- We cast ourselves on Thee. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. PROGRESS OF CHRISTIAN MISSIONS An impressive survey of the -dyarice of Christian missions during the past .25 years is afforded bv an article prepared by the Bishop of Salisbury (Dr Donaldson', which appeared recently in The Times. _ In 1800 throughout the whole area stretching from the West African Coast right across to China and the East Indies, and from Russia and Siberia in the north to the heart of Africa and the bounds of the Indian Ocean in the south, there were not a dozen missionaries of the Reformed churches. In those days, with few notable exceptione, there was no sign of missionary obligation throughout English or American Christendom. This was probably less true of the Rbman Catholics, but even their activities, now so strong and world-wide, were at this period comparatively weak, A nun dred years later, at the close the nineteenth century, 15,000 missionaries of the reformed churches were at work in Airion and the East. and. though statistics are not available, it mav be assumed with certainty that the Roman Catholic mis sionaries w-ere at least trebled in number. To-day the total number of missionaries of the Reformed churches in the mission Field is no fewer than 30.000. with a comnninicants’ roll of 5.500.000 and a -oil of baptised adherents numbering many millions more; and every year the rate ol increase accelerates. In India, and Ceylon to-day there are oyer 5700 missionaries, of whom 2700 are British and about an equal number American. In Ee-ypt there are 354 missionaries, of whom 236 are American and 102 are British, in the Sudan there are 80 Protestant missionaries, of whom 35 are American and 32 are British. In the rest of British territory in Africa there are neatly 4000 Protestant missionaries of whom over 20 0 are British and 664 American. Dr Donaldson reminds us that, nevertheless, “(here remains ver v much lard vet to bo posso^fd,” thp rhallfinco of the wond to the~ Christian Church in spite of a.l this lulvancn, hoinsr more insistent ano peremptory than ever. A SUNDAY IN EDINBURGH. A Sunday in Edinburgh, where they still attend church. Sunday morning was miserable as to weather, snow was falliiig, the streets were slushy and unpleasant, and it was not easy to leave a pleasant hotel. , Few Presbyterians visiting Edinburgh would miss St. Georges United Free Church. Did not Dr Whyte make it memorable? Hugh-Black and Dr Kelman have added to its lustre, and now, Dr James Black is preaching to a crowded church. It was the children's gift Sunday. What a sight to see the atmy of children march np the aisle and lay their gifts at the pulpit, so that on Christmas morning the loss privileged children in hospitals might share in the good things of the glad season. Dr Black has a charming personality, and the famous “burr’’ of the Blacks is not unpleasnlg. The preacher radiates an atmosphere which makes it easy to understand the growing peculiarity of the successor to the famous Whyte. There at least the attendance of the worshipper is not on the wane. The evening of the same day saw one at the famous St. Cuthbert’s. Shade of Jacob Primmer! One recalled the fuss about the ritual which drew forth the wreath of that earnest, if misguided man. The ritual has not lessened, but neither has the interest of the people. A beautiful church, capable of holding 2000 people, and nearly always crowded. The snow was falling in a manner most disagreeable, the weather horrible, yet between six and seven hundred people, mostly young men and women, came out to hear Dr Norman Maclean. Watching the virile face with the vision, like the look of the sturdy Highlander, and listening to the well-thought-out address with its modern setting, one felt that here again there would be no lack of interest, and no falling oft in church attendance. The Church of Scotland is not as dead as some of the critics seem to think, and while men like Dr Maclean occupy her pulpits, her pews will also be full. SCIENTIST AS PREACHER. Until recent years there has almost invariably been a sharp dividing line between the spiritual teacher and the man of science. Among religious people there has been an uneasy feeling that there is something irreconcilable between the findings of physical science and the tenets of Christianity. Direct attempts to harmonise them usually broke down, and sometimes led to ludicrous results. Efforts towards rapprochement almost came from the religious side. Now we are witnessing the remarkable spectacle of scientists—not by addressing themselves to particular grounds of difference, but in consequence of their investigations and discoveries in all branches of human research and experiment—moving towards tlie fundamentals of the Christian position, alike, curiously enough, in the interpretation of the universe and in sociology, broadly considered. Sir Oliver Lodge is a pre-eminent example of the physicist becoming in later life a spiritual teacher. No one questions his scientific qualifications, though many who respect his attainments and admire his spirit and aim. cannot follow him in his acceptance and reading of spiritualistic phenomena. _ For the Christian -believer, _ the signincant thing is that a scientist in the veiy front rank, whose professional work, to-day as well as in past years, is above criticism, is going into church pulpits and confessing his belief in the Christian Gospelon scientific grounds—and urging people to accept the good news —the Fatherhood of God, the value and purpose,of earthly life, the use wo should make of our opportunities. the glorious, illimitable possibilities of human destiny—brought to mankind by Jesus Christ. PASTOR’S PROTEST AGAINST CARD-PLAYING. Th t; minister of a London suburban church, the Rev. S. IT. Rebiro, of Plaistow, has resigned rather than acquiesce m worldly amusements being carried on in connection with the church. When bo accepted the invitation to the pastorate three months previously he stipulated that, nil worldly concerns should be eliminated from association with the work of the church such as card-plnvinv, billiards, and similar pastimes ’ ''’here can be nc middle course in the matter,’ he protests, “My experience is that these things are the true mark of apostasy, and are mere substitutes for lack of spiritual power. The spiritual power of the Church has hren lost, and to make it good carnal methods of carrying it on are being resorted lo." Under Mr Sobiro s ministry the congregations have increased, the church has become self-supporting, but ns he could not carry out his ideas ho has withdrawn. Ho certainly has the courage of h ; 3 convictions He announces that he will not take another church miles.) his conditions are accepted.