THE GARLAND.

Otago Witness, Issue 3526, 11 October 1921, Page 51

THE GARLAND.

FOR THE QUIET HOUR No. 424.

By

Duncan Wright,

Dunedin.

WHY DON’T MEN GO TO CHURCH? The Governor of South Australia (Sir 1 Archibald Weigall), speaking at a gathering in connection with the Christian Re-union-Conference in Adelaide lately, said he had been struck enormously with one thing in Australia—and he had been impressed with it in England, too. Since his arrival lie had endeavoured to share, i so far as possible, the joys and sorrows of the people as a- whole. In that connection he had attended services at a good many of the churches. He had noticed there the enormous predominance of the fair sex. To every one man present there had been eight or ten women. That was not a true reflection of the relative proportions of the population. He had asked himself: “Why don’t men go to church?” The Australian rvas entirely jolly and hearty—he lived in surroundings which made for heartiness —and he steered off from anything that tended to depress him or shut down his natural heartiness. If they wanted to get hold of the men they must have short, sharp services and an air of cheeriness about the whole thing. To be: good did not mean to be dull ; one could be happy and be religious. He knew it would be said that surely they did ..not want to appeal merely to the emotions, and that, after all, religion was not a primrose path of pleasure, but that it was a drum of duty ! to which they had to listen. The Australian was a sentimental fellow if they could touch the right chord of sentiment. Some would say it was a matter for reason, and not for sentiment. But if they could apneal to the emotions rightly they could get reason afterwards. He might be wrong in his opinion, but what

he wanted to do was to get the men there. He knew it was useless to stand on a platform in a rarefied atmosphere while tlie crowd passed by beneatli and said the platform was not for them. There must be a ladder by which to walk down to the people, and it should have such an easy slope that the average man in the street would walk up it and join with them. All sorts of material things had been tried to get the men together, but they had failed. Did not they want now to get down to fundamentals, and show the people that, after all, their duty to their neighbour was very near to their duty- to their God ; and that if they did their duty to their neighbour they would go a very long way on the journey of making for the progress, prosperity, and happiness of all the people in the world. It was in that spirit- that he most heartily commended the whole movement to them. “COME YE APART.” (Mark vi, 31.) Have you and I to-day Stood silent as with Christ, apart from joy or fear Of life, to sco- by faith His face; To look, if but a- moment, at its grace, And grow, by brief companionship, more true, More nerved to lead, to dare, to do For Him at -any cost ? Have we to-day Found time, in thought, our baud to lay In His, and thus compare Elis will with ours, and wear Tire impress of His wish? Be sure Such contact will endure Throughout the day; will help us walk erect Through storm and flood; detect Within the hidden life, sin’s dross, its stain; Revive a thought of love for Him again; Steady lit© stops which waver; help us see Tho footpath meant for you and me. DO A KINDNESS. Do a kindness, do it well; < : Angels will the story tell. Do a kindness, toll it not Angel hands will mark tho spot-. Do a kindness, though ’tie small; Angels voices sing it all. Do a kindness, never mind, What you lose tho angels find. Do a kindness, do it now: Angels know it all somehow. Do a kindness, any time; Angels weave it into rhyme. Do a kindness —it will pay; Angels will rejoice that day. Kindly deeds and thoughts and words; Bless the world like songs of birds. Look we into the life of Christ, and we shall find it- the philosophy of the simple, the nurse of young men, the meat of strong men, the buckler of the weak, and the physic ot' the sick ; the book full of Divine instructions; fit- for all mankind. The noblest thing on earth is the man who rises to the dignity of self-mastery. The man who can refuse indulgence to a clamorous desire, can hold the craving appetite ungratified, and can say to the rising passion : “Peace be still,” is a hero above Alexander or Hercules. If thou desirest Christ for a perpetual guest, give Him all the keys of thine heart: let not one cabinet be locked up from Him ; give Him the range of every room, and the key of every chamber; thus you will constrain Him to remain. Grow in grace, because tnis is the only way to be certain that you have any grace at all. If we aim not at growth in grace, we have never been converted to goodness. He that is satisfied with his attainment has attained nothing. I had rather put my foot upon a bridge as narrow as Hungerford, which went all the way across, than on a bridge that was as wide as the world, if it did not go/all the way across the stream. Experience teaches, it is true, but she never teaches in time. Each event brings its lesson, and the lesson is remembered ; but the same event never occurs again. It is a common mistake to account those things necessary which are superfluous. and to depend upon fortune for the felicity of life which arises only from virtue. Fanny Fern’s last contribution ended with the line: “0 God. I thank Tlice that I live.” We speak the Word as He gives it ns, And God comes into the listening- heart; As an earthly King in his chariot rides— As the Sun in rays of no-ontide glides— As the Sea advances in moon-led tides— As Life in the seed and the acorn hidesGod doth, by His Grace, cl im--elf impart In the Truth of His Gospel glorious! With the Word! comes Christ and Bloodbought peace; The Father—from care to give release; The Spirit—all graces to increase; Yes! God gives Himself in His Word. William Oluey. WHEN THE CHILDREN ARE ASLEEP. By John C. O’Nr, iix. (Suggested by the picture by Thomas Fa-ed, R.A., in the Royal Academy, 1&53.) The long, long day is over—the toil, the care and sorrow, And silence now has fallen around the hearth’s bright glow, Anfl the woman's weary heart may lay down, till the morrow. That sweet yet trying burden which only mothers know ; For o’er the slum’brou-s eyes are the heavy eyelids stealing; The tiny pattering feet may no longer run or leap; And the laughter all day long that has rung from floor to ceiling. Has sunk at length in silence —and the children are asleep. So-, while the firelight flickers and tho ghostlike shadows gather, The. mother, dreaming, lingers o’er some pod S 8012££ 'flint tells how faith in Him, Who* is tho orphan's. Father, j Cun teach her noble* nature “to puffer and } be strong.” O, Iny aside your burden;?, y© toilers lowly st o oping, No lunger. O ye watchers, your weary vigils keep. But trust in Him Whose dews can revive tho flower low drooping, Whose eye is ever watchful when His , i children are asleep!