“THE GREAT UNWASHED”

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 591, 18 February 1929, Page 14

“THE GREAT UNWASHED”

WHAT THEY THINK OF RELIGION ‘ MR. SCRIMGEOUR’S ADDRESS J Telling what the great unwashed of 1 the city think of Christianity, the Rev. C. G. Scrimgeour entertained a ( packed audience in the Methodist Church at Onehunga yesterday afternoon. It was a special musical service arranged as part of the church’s annual harvest festival, and presided over by the Rev. F. E. Leadley, who explained that Mr. Scrimgeour could not put the ideas of the city’s unwashed as plainly as the unwashed themselves would put it. “A few days ago,” said Mr. Scrimgeour, “I was accosted by a man with a cough, who explained that he wanted a bed.” “What do I think of the church?” he said. “Well, I went once and sat on a blinking hard seat. They sung something about the blood of a sheep and I was as cold as hq.il. So I didn’t go back again. “What do I think about religion? Well, blimey, I dunno what to think about it. I suppose it’s the bloomin’ thing that made me kiss me wife afore I left home.” That was typical of the great unwashed in a material sense, but,” said Mr. Scrimgeour, “there is another great spiritually .unwashed class. They were the worst of the lot. They moved in high society, were eminently respectable, believed in a lot of things and generally did nothing. “They had not a great deal of time for Jesus Christ, but thought He was a good sport. He did what He had to do without harming anybody, you know, just like a good sport. Sometimes these folk would make an attempt to turn over a new leaf.” The musical part of the service consisted of anthems by the choir, under the baton of Mr. A. R. Gatland; solos by Miss Alma McGruer, Messrs. Frank E. Sutherland and Mr. Arthur Betty, and a violin solo by Miss Daphne Higham. Mr. H. W. Clegg presided at the organ. The festival will be continued tonight, when the fine collection of fruit and other produce will be disposed of by auction.