The Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING MONDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 1911. THE CHURCHES AND THE MASSES.

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XV, Issue 4087, 13 November 1911, Page 4

The Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING MONDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 1911. THE CHURCHES AND THE MASSES.

The address delivered by the newlyinstalled Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand (Rev. G. Lindsay) at the opening session ot the General Assembly in Dunedin contains a. number of passages tha are of very general interest, as well as others which are more particularly interesting to members of the 11 es byterian Church. One of the most important questions touched on was the equipment of the ministry. Mr Lindsay declared that the Presbyterian Church had always stood' io r a well-equipped and efficient ministry. As part of this equipment there ought to be as full a knowledge ,of men and things as they present themselves to us in every-day life as it is possible to gain. The truth of this is indisputable. Profound learning and eloquence will not of themselves make a clergyman’s work entirely successful, but on the other hand a minister may achieve a very great measure of success who possesses no greater eloquence than to express his thoughts clearly and simply, but who possesses a knowledge of human nature. It is probable that, taking colonial clergy as a whole, lack of “knowledge of men and things” is their outstanding defect. The standard of erudition is sufficiently high, their sincerity and earnestness of purpose is unchallengeable, and the average clergyman’s power of speech is sufficient, but, although there are many clergymen of all denominations who supplement power and eloquence in the pulpit with a shrewd knowledge of human nature and how to deal with it, there are others whose atmosphere has been too detached and academic to permit them to acquire that “knowledge of men and things” which the present Moderator of the Presbyterian Church rightly deems desirable. Perhaps one of the outstanding merits of the system oi changing clergymen from one charge to another practised by some denominations is the effect it has m broadening the outlook of ministers, and bringing them into touch with and teaching them to sympathise with the ideals of different sections of the community. Valuable as the personal appeal is in any clergyman, it is of the highest importance in a country such as New Zealand, where so many clergymen must constantly bo employed ministering ho the spiritual needs of comparatively small and scattered communities. Another interesting passage in the Moderator’s address ,i as that in wliicli he referred to the relations of the Churches to Labour. lie said: "The impression that the Church is out of sympathy with the working man in his struggle for a readjustment of the economic conditions in which he finds himself has led many to seek consolation in trades unions and other social organisations outside the Church. So far

as our own Church is concerned, we believe that our ministers are anxious to see a better relation established between Capital and Labour, and that, if possible, a full share of the fruit of their toil be given to those who labour. As a. proof of this, last Assembly expressed ‘its deep anxiety for the removal of all .misunderstanding and alienation between Labour arid tiie Churches, however they may have arisen, and declared its sympathy with all workers in their rightful efforts to improve the condition of their fellow-men.’ ” We do not suppose that the passing of resolutions of this kind will of themselves be a sufficient recommendation of the Churches to working men, or that, under any circumstances Church organisations will supersede Trades Lnions, which are now more economic than social organisations. At the same time, the Churches may rest usured that the masses will respond readily to every effort put forth by the Churches (as such) for the relief of suffering and the uplifting ol the fallen. The masses do not expect to hear practical remedies for pressing problems offered from the pulpit, but they do expect to hear expounded the eternal Christian principles which may be applied to the solution of all problems, and they further expect to see Church organisations active in non-sectarian effort for the relief of suffering humanity. To any such efforts the masses will readily respond.