“THE GOOD OLD DAYS.”

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19947, 15 November 1926, Page 7

“THE GOOD OLD DAYS.”

A RETROSPECT OF FIFTY YEARS. THE CHURCH AND THE FAMILY. The Hon. G. M. Thomson, speaking nt the services in connection with the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of the present Knox Church, presented a survey of the past half-ccntury, doing so as a lay member of the church, who took part in the opening services and had been more or less actively concerned in the work of the church until comparatively recently. In the course of his address, he said; I wish to preface my remarks by the statement that those last 50 years have witnessed the most remarkable revolution in tiio world's history since history began. I do not refer to the war, ghastly, terrific and destructive as that was. beyond all wars ever known before. The changes I speak of aro chiefly due to the extraordinary discoveries and developments of biological, and especially physical science, which have largely revolutionised our modes of life, and which are rapidly affecting all the nations of the world. On November 5, 1076, I walked from my homo at Belleknowes, halfway between Mornington and Roslyn, to the opening service in this church, led the congregational singing, walked back to my midday meal, walked down again in tho evening, again led the service of praise, and walked homo again at night. Why? Merely because there was no other way of getting to and from church. I want the young people to try and realise what this meant, and to visualise tho conditions then existing. Fifty years ago there were no such things as motor vehicles of any kind, no tram cars, no electric lighting. Telephones had not been invented, neither had gramophones nor typewriters; X-rays had not been discovered, neither had radio-activity, hence there was no wireless and no listening-in. Look at your daily papers and see the columns devoted to these subjects. There were no picture theatres. Lister’s discovery of antiseptic treatment of surgery was only being made known ; appendicitis had not become popular. People took what was called inflammation, and died of peritonitis. We existed without knowing that there were such important things as vitamins. There was little of tho whole sale gambling which goes on to-day either under the name of sport, or in tire guise of art-unions. There were other radical changes, but I have cited enough to show how different things are now.

Now will the young people present, especially those born within this century, try to visualise a life without the things I have referred to? You may think what a poor time wo had in 1876. On the contrary, people had in some respects a deeper and fuller life than you have to-day. Not, I admit, so easy or comfortable, or so full of pleasure. But people hod to depend more on themselves for interest, occupation, and amusement in their spare time, and less on outside agencies on which too many are to-day dependent. There was practically no unemployment, and there would be little or none to-day, if people would be frugal when they had money, and had not accustomed themselves to the pampered life of the with its football and other games, its billiard tables, and its amusements, instead of the freer and more independent life of 50 years ago. Now, I am not making the claim which some old people are so inclined to make for the “good old times.” They were good in some respects, but life is easier for all today, and artificial conditions have lightened labour so as to give all more leisure and more opportunities for recreation. You may ask what has all tnis to do with the spiritual life and the life and work of the Church. I answer much, very much. Owing, _ no doubt, to the slower and more isolated means of communication people lived more at home, and home life was far brighter and more selfreliant than it is to-day in the majority of homes. There was more family reunion, more home amusement, more music (not gramophone, however), more reading. There are homes to-day where the members of the family are restless the moment the evening meal is despatched. They must have something outside of themselves to occupy —I was going to say their thoughts, but I mean tffeir time. . , Associated with this closer family life was the gathering together for a short period either at the beginning or towards the close of the day for family worship, the reading of a portion of the Bible, and the offering of prayer not only for the members and friends of the family, but for the Church and the community. How many homes of Knox Church members have family worship to-day? Yet nothing holds the members of the family better than the dailv recognition of God in the life. With this loss of family worship has largely gone the reading of the Bible, and I think the present generation is much the poorer for it. The Bible has been well termed “the most priceless part of our intellectual and spiritual heritage. Our whole religious and moral life is based on t’-.e Bible, and while the Church has clone something *o remedy the defect, it has not touched the mass of the people. Some people blame the Legislature for keeping the Bible out of our schools. Well, I am not going to discuss Parliament and its actions here. After all, Parliament is a representative assembly and reflects more or less accurately the mind of the majority of the people. But what about the duty of parents in this matter? Do you parents inculcate and cherish Bible-reading in your homes? Example is better than ptecept, and if you want your children to read and value the Bible you must give them a good example in this matter. Do you? Then we are in such a hurry to-day. We are so anxious to travel at 30 to 40 miles an hour that we have little time to think or observe. A man walking at three miles an hour can see and admire all the wonders and beauties of Gods earth as he goes. When he rushes along at 30 miles an hour he has to avoid the stones and pot-holes in the road, and has no eyes for the near-by things he is rushing past. Aren’t we doing the same in many other ways? We fill our hours with hurry to get here and there and everywhere but we don’t do any more serious thinking when we reach our destination. Seneca said, ‘ He who is everywhere is nowhere, which is very applicable to our modern methods of travel. Church-going was far more common m 1876 than it is to-day. This is partly due to the ease with which people can escape from town and get into the country for recreation, partly due to the loss of interest in religious matters, partly to the more easy-going view of life generally. I don’t say that people were better formerlv than now, for church-going was and still 'is largely a matter of habit and convention. Best is good, hut it is better to he in the good surroundings of the church than merely loafing or idling. Some people go to church as they go to other things for what they can get out of it. They want comfortable seats, a good sermon and good music, and they like these things with the warmth of fellowship added. Yet that is not the Christian ideal. It is not what you get out of it; it is what you put into it that _ is important. The principle of service is what animates all true work. If you come to church to help the minister and your fellow-members to worship God you will find that you get much more than you give. Christ gave himself —i.e., He gave everything -He possessed to the service of man, and in the measure in which we give ourselves to the same service we fulfil His injunctions. „ The Church to-day is more definitely organised for work than it was 50 years ago, but now, as then, everyone can find some field of activity within its borders. Even if laid aside by infirmity, age, or any other cause “they also serve who only stand and wait.” They can pray, a thine which so many have forgotten how to do. Tennyson has said; “More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of”; and to quote him again— What are men bettey than sheep or goats , That nourish a blind life within the brain If, knowing God, they lift not hands of prayer Both for themselves, and those who call them friend? For so the whole round earth is every way Bound by gold chains about the feet of God. One more point and 1 have done. Dogma and creed are hold more lightly to-day than formerly. We have relaxed in this respect, and I think wisely. We still teach the Apostles’ Creed in our Sabbath schools, and the Anglican Church still uses the Nicono Creed in the Communion Service, but the Athanasian Creed is now mostly left unsaid. After all. creeds are manmade, they aro not Divine ordinances. Christ formulated no creeds. When asked for a statement of the Divine law He referred His questioner to the earliest of all such statements, a Commandment earlier probably than the origin of the Jewish race itself, and this still stands as the first and hiirhost command: —“Thou ahalt love the

Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind” ; and “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” I have tried to show you, in the course of those brief remarks, what changes have taken place in all our lives and in our outlook upon life, but with it all let us remember that God never changes, Christ never changes, and our duty is still clear before us ns it was to His people even before Christ appeared with His Divine message:—“What doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God.” In the years to come the changes wrought by science will be even greater and more profound than in the half century just passed, but I hope that there are young people before me to-night who will come to worship in this church 50 years hence, who will be able to look back on these years, and to fool that God has been with them all the time and that His hand is still with them guidine their destinies.