SUNDAY CIRCLE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24421, 5 October 1940, Page 15

SUNDAY CIRCLE

BELLS Bright, silver-paved Strong waters lit with stars; a quiet sea; One misty glimpse, A mirage of the voyage; what life might be! Storm, dark-swathed, Sweeps o'er my barque, my Soul; winter, water, tide, Allies torrential Reject my timorous strength; my toils deride. Bells, gentle notes, Ring o'er the foaming waste; a Christmas peal Walks on the waves ■ And bids their striving cease; the clouds reveal Bright, silver-paved Strong waters lit with stars; my Soul, storm-free, Rides Homeward-bound; Because, oh! need you ask? Faith walks the sea. A. Graham Hart in the British WeekLv. PRAYER Send Thy blessing, O Heavenly Father, on this our beloved land. Increase in our own and every nation, the Spirit of truth and justice, peace and godly love. Turn the hearts of all men unto Thee, and so hasten the blessed time when the kingdoms of the world shall become the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ, in Whose Name we offer these petitions, even the same Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen. WHAT IS YOUR ANSWER? 1. Where do we find one of the most glorious declarations of loyalty amid a record of names and other details? 2. Which of the Epistles of St. Paul opens on a vote of censure, instead of the usual commendation or thanksgiving to God? 3. Which two men receive the title of "martyr" in the New Testament? 4. When did women give their mirrors to God for His service? 5. Who was blessed because the Ark of God was in his house? 6. When did some women find, on "looking up," that their difficulty was removed? BIBLE SOCIETY ANNIVERSARY It has been the privilege of the Bible Society to celebrate year by year, at the Guildhall. London, the anniversary of its foundation, but this year, owing to the war, this happy gathering was held at the Dome, Brighton. The great hall was filled with children of all ages. The birthday cake, with white and oink icing, adorned the platform, and was cut up and distributed among the guests before they left the meeting. Two blind children read portions of Scripture, and Scouts and Guide?

of the Brighton district presented a pageant illustrating the reconciling Dower of the Bible. The six brief episodes were introduced very helpfully by the Rev. P. Campbell Morgan. WORK FOR CHILDREN This year has seen the twenty-first anniversary of the Save the Children Fund, which helps children abroad as well as British children, without distinction of race, nationality, or creed. That was the ideal of the founder, the late Miss Eglantyne Jebb, who later embodied it in the Declaration of the Rights of the Child which became the charter of child welfare of the League of Nations. The fund has carried this ideal into practical effect by relief of child distress and the promotion of child welfare in most European countries and in the lands as far afield as China and the West Indies; it is today engaged in extensive work for war refugees, for the victims of the earthquake in Turkey, and in social welfare work in Hungary, in supporting a pioneer hospital in Jugoslavia, promoting nursery schools in the distressed areas of England and Wales, and in other ways. In its 21 years the Save the Children Fund has collected and spent over £2,500,000 in carrying out its obligation to the world's children. DISCOVERIES AT BROUGHTON Broughton Church, in Oxfordshire, must be added to the ever-increasing number of those which have yielded notable discoveries of wall paintings within recent years. The church, one of the most interesting in a district particularly rich in ecclesiastical architecture was gradually rebuilt during the first half of the fourteenth century and. unlike so many other old churches, suffered comparatively little at the hands of the Victorian restorers. Indeed, Sir Gilbert Scott's restoration was, on the whole, an admirable one. Many years ago extensive remains of mural paintings were discovered, some of which have subsequently perished. Further discoveries have been made during the past year, and the subjects formerly revealed have been successfully identified a s a result of careful cleaning. The most notable survivals are in the chancel, where the north wall retains a large part of a scheme dating from about 1340 and depicting scenes in the life of the Virgin as recorded by the Gospels and tradition. The work is of very high artistic merit, and. though sadly mutilated by the insertion of mural tablets and the renewal of the plaster, is of much interest and value. HELPING HOMELESS LADS The Fellowship of St. Christopher, for homeless lads, is continuing its useful work, and, in spite of the war. was able to end the year with a balance in hand at the bank. The Fellowship cares for boys in body, mind and spirit, and it is natural to read in the quarterly paper that in all four houses they began Christmas with midnight

Mass and ended by going to the Palladium to see "The Little Dog Laughed" on Boxing Day. Admissions to the houses have increased since the war began. At the Denmark Hill house, the autumn was chiefly notable for the great number of old boys who called before going to join the forces. At the outbreak of war a number of boys from the provinces, who were working in London and living in rooms, found themselves suddenly thrown out of work, unable to pay their landladies and even their fares home. Without such help as the Fellowship offers they would not have known what to do. Of the thirty boys admitted to the Hatton Garden hostel since the war. only four have absconded. A NEW WAY TO REUNION It was remarked, in a famous work of English fiction, that when a baronet played skittles with his tenants, "the country was coming round again as fast as it could come." By so simple a device, says The Guardian, was the chasm between the classes to be bridged. Other chasms, it seems, may be approached, if not completely got over, by other simple means. There is Christian disunion, for example, and towards healing it a step at least has been taken by "Catholic Reunion Photographs," which has explored a new avenue towards unity—assisted by a camera. " To have before one's eyes," we are told in a circular addressed to "Dear Father," "a photograph of the Pope and the Archbishop of Canterbury united will help to concentrate the mind . . ." towards reunion. "We are not told where, when or how the photograph was taken; we are assured that the photographs are "real," but we had not he?rd of any meeting between the Primate of All England and his Holiness Pope Pius XII. It is a very silly project (though we are informed that copies of the photograph —l3s a gross—can yield a profit of about 50 per cent.). What we protest against is that so sacred a cause should be thus exploited." CHRISTIAN SCIENCE CHURCHES. "Unreality" is the subject of. the lesson-sermon in all Churches of Christ. Scientist, to-morrow. The golden text is, " Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the Lord He is God in heaven above, and upon earth beneath: there is none else" (Deuteronomy, iv: 39). Among the citations which comprise the lesson-sermon is the following from the Bible: "All Thy works shall praise Thee, O Lord; and Thy saints shall bless Thee. They shall speak of the glory of Thy kingdom, and talk of Thy power." (Psalms cvl: 10, 11.) The lesson-sermon also contains the following passage from the textbook of Christian Science. " Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," by Mary Baker Eddy. "Of a man it hath been said. As he thinketh in his heart so is he'; hence as a man spiritually under - standeth. so is he in truth."