The Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. WEDNESDAY. A FELT. 5. 1905. TWO NATIONAL SINS.

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XII, Issue 2021, 5 April 1905, Page 4

The Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. WEDNESDAY. A FELT. 5. 1905. TWO NATIONAL SINS.

It is a sign of the times when ministers of the gospel get out of the theological ruts and on to the hard roads of every-day existence, with its trials, tribulations and temptations. Tiiis thought must have struck those who listened to the able discourse of Bishop Wallis at St. Peter’s Church on Sunday evening, who, in mentioning the sin of drunkenness as one to be guarded against, added that a man might give up this habit on the solicitations of his friends, on the latter pointing out to him that he wan ruining his health and wasting his money by following such a course. Bishop Wallis'practieally contended t hat t his man’s regeneration wan not complete even if he had given mp his habit of excessive drinking. This is no doubt true, but the path towards complete regeneration is made much easier to travel on if the curse of drunkenness does not bar the traveller’s way.

Some plain speaking was also indulged in by another pillar of the same denomination, namely, the Rev. C. 0. Harper, who in t he course of a discourse at All Saints' Church, Palmerston North, (he same evening, spoke on the (cadency of the age in regard to self-seeking and resultant evils.

Instancivo the f,[licit of the employees relationship to his employer he asked : Was not tlie'prodomiwaut motive of that, relationship nowadays the performance of the service only for the pay it weald bring, and not as it should he from principles of duty ? Again, lie asked, were not public positions more often than not tilled by men who were actuated in their service

not by the pure desire of doing their utmost for their country and tlieir fellow creatures, hut by motives of self-interest or self-advancement in one form or another? Why was it, also, he proceeded to ask, that employers of the present day were adopting so many and such careful means to prevent themselves from being defrauded by those in their employ?

Gash registers, lie said, might he used, or patent tills, or elaborate systems of checking, but whatever the means adopted, the object \\ as the same. Did public opinion condemn the man or woman who in minor matters defrauded those who employed them ? On the contrary, it was recognised to be perfectly just ; it was a case of perquisites, and if anyone did happen to be found out, public opinion was quick to condone the offence and blame the employer for not being careful enough in his system of safeguarding his interests.

Mr Harper then went on to speak of gambling. He said he was not going to define gambling, but the evil of the practice lay in a man trying to become rich without the •xpenditure of hard labonr. Gambling was pervading the whole of the British nation to-day, and menacing the greatness of a people who owed their splendid position to the hardworking members of the community —the yeomanry. The nation, he said, must work for its money if it wished to be the same in the future as in the past. This week in Palmerston, the preacher went on, races were to be held. Many people wonld be hacking who could afford to lose the money, but many others would be using funds that should go to [iay the butcher and the baker, expecting to make twice as much as they spent.

Ip a man’s conscience did not prick him for gaining possession of inoacy to which he had no shadow of right he at least should consider the question of|the result of his actio nnpon the rising generation No mail had a right to bring up boys and girls to look npon such pleasures as legitimate. Yet to-day the prevailing topic iu trnm and railway carriage was racing and hacking, and the all important question was in regard to the sport itself, bnt “Did you win ?” The Vicar continued that h-j knew lie was speaking in a most unpopular way but lie felt lie had a message to deliver, for he was sure that if the Master were here He would condemn tlie practice. In conclusion the preacher called upon men to work hard and show that they had the grit of real manhood in them, and that every piece of money they obtained was got by honest toil. The question, he added finally, was were they going to follow the teaching of Christ or that of the Devil.

The question is one of great moment to the people of the colony as a whole, in view of the everlasting trneisin that" righteousness exnltcth n nation,” mid is worthy of most serious consideration by those who desire to see this colony become truly great in the scale of nations.