"CANTING BOSH."

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 11856, 21 May 1909, Page 2

" CANTING BOSH."

■ ■ , : - ■ - ... * ' . <"■ ; ■ Some veiy plain words were used by the Rev, Dr. Gibb when asked by a Domiiioh reporter for his opinion of the sentiments expressed by the ~ Commonwealth Premier in his address to -the:recent irieetiiig of the Presbyterian General Assembly of Australia. "My comment on those sentiments," said. :Dr Gibb, "i* bosh? and canting bosh at, that. It is time "tind more than t^fie that ministers off religion spoke out- plainly when palled'- on tp vindicate the Church against the. aspersions of critics of the Socialist type, , whether high-placed, men like Mr • |"iaher or hoodlums like' -those that have. ) turned at ieu t st. tyi'b recent meetin'gs in tl»s city mjo a "'veritable bedlam. If. I have any adequate knowledge of the", situation, the Church ha? been for some time) past, ; very vigorously telling the, rich man of his shortcomings' and the lack of the feeling iof brotherhood : it is time t^ie Church hud begun to tell the poor man that he may be as poor/as li<onllr himself Vand 'as Csejfisrh' as the devil. Socialism, may be right or it may b£ w/ong a& tyi* :fecohbmic theory-r-r think it is wrorig-e-but a >an may be a; goodl Christian aixd a -convinced But it wHlSfjot'- be the Socialism of ,' class j 1 hate and general yahooism. >: • The; Church has , been the friencl of 'Ahe poor, the genuine poor, ahd utihappily too often the friend of the poop 'whoa© poverty is. due to -their own thriftlessness- and worthlessness! It would' tsike a v long^ time to re^it© what is being done in thus city direo'tly. arid indirectly througli tlie churches to relieve suffering and help the helpless. > The Rev. Mr Mayer, the representative of the Barnavdo Homes, the^ otlier evening named a large number of the .leading philanthropists of our own and recent times, and every man and: woman of them were disciples and followers of Christ. And the .Church and Christiah men \w!jll' continue to be philanthropists. They cannot be anything else without denying the Christ, ; wlio was not ohly the Son of God, but' also the carpenter of Nazareth. ' Bu> if the Church takes up the political r role to Avhich Mr Pislier calls it, and begins to preach Socialism or any, otitt>r' *ism'v thftn the Gospel of the Grace ;<>f >Oc>d— the Gospel which is not; primnr^lly' bread and: butter, but righteousnes^the only reliable guarnxitee in tHo^ldng run even of ,'bre.nd and butter — then' her end' will be at hand.. There- will in this case be as few to mourn hen* -disap'pea ranee 'as thei^e' would be, t to jnourn the disappearance of some Labor agitatbi.s and the Socialist crank if they 'Avere to vanish v from 'the sum' total ' of crefi ted thing^," i 1 -