FIRST AUCKLAND PARISH

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 727, 29 July 1929, Page 14

FIRST AUCKLAND PARISH

ST. PAUL’S CELEBRATES 88TH YEAR

SERVICES OF THANKSGIVING In commemoration of the 88th anniversary of the laying of the foundation-stone of the old church special services were held in St. Paul’s Church, city, yesterday. The original foundation-stone was laid by Captain Hobson on July 28th, 1841. Tlie celebrant at the 11 a.m. solemn Holy Eucharist was the vicar, the Rev. Cecil Watson. The Rev. J. Ecclestone, sub-warden of St. John’s College, was deacon and Mr. F. S. T. Little, subdeacon. Trumpets took part in the processional hymn. Mr. Eccleston preached the sermon. The evening service, also largely attended, was conducted by Mr. Watson, who preached on the history of the church. In the course of his address the vicar read the minutes of the original meeting in Government House, in IS4I, held with Captain Hobson as chairman, resolving to build Auckland’s first church. Mr. Watson paid a tribute to the faith and foresight of the old colonists, whose selfdenial had made possible the first St. Paul’s. At the conclusion of the procession the Te Deum was sung by the choir which had earlier given the anthem “Praise the Lord” (Goss). A “Magnificat” and “Nunc Dimittis” composed by the church organist, Dr. W. E. Thomas, was also sung, assisted by an orchestra of drums, trumpets and trombones.

RUMOURS OF WARS

ROOTING OUT THE CAUSE DANGER OF FALSE PHILOSOPHY “Running parallel with the history of our race we read of wars and rumours of wars,” said Mr. Reuben E. Dowle, speaking in the Kohimarama Presbyterian Church last evening. “It behoves every thoughtful person to search for the reason of this state and to do something to root out the scourge of war.” Taking for his text James iv. 1, “Prom Whence come wars and fighting among you? Come they not hence, even of your pleasures that war In your members,” Mr. Dowle said St. James was living in perilous times as were the people of today. “The Gospel he preached, aimed at abolishing the corrupt habits of the people, which were leading to national degradation. He aimed especially at lifting to a

higher level the twelve tribes scattered abroad, and if we read carefully between the lines we find him simply reminding his fellow-countrymen of their ineptitude in dealing with human problems. He deals with such questions as squabbles, temptations, partiality, pride, evil speaking, avarice and war,” said the preacher. “Such questions are, in these j modern days, asking for solution more \ insistently than ever,” said Mr. j Dowle. “These negatives are, today, clamouring for the application of posi-1 tive Christianity. St. James distinctly pointed cut that external individual and national vices required an inetrnal treatment: that out of the heart proceeded all manner of evil; also, that these evils in the members needed radical treatment. Reason today concurs in the main with this. The State and the individual need drastic reformation, if peace and concord are to obtain,” said Mr. Dowle. “The doctrine of original sin was easily discerned in this text. The tragedy of it all was that many today, victims of false philosophy, scouted the fact of sin. It seemed to cut too deeply into pride and selfrighteousness. But the psychology of human nature unmistakably demonstrated that all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God, and that intellectual culture did not purify the springs of society. Getting down to bedrock, everyone was conscious of this, but lacked the moral courage to seek and adopt moral reformation.” “The remedy is, the application of the Gospel of, Jesus Christ. Wars are the outward manifestations of internal corruption,” said Mr. Dowle. “Pure religion and undefiled before God can alone banish war and its attendant evils. Getting the heart into harmony with the Creator is the only way to destroy the forces of evil. Faith in God our Saviour is the only panacea for all the ills flesh is heir to. AH need, therefore, to look and live. It prepares all to make the best of this world, and of that which is to come.”

VOICE OF THE CHURCH “IS VOICE OF MAN,” SAYS Y.W.C.A. ASSOCIATION’S REPORT The Church, has, indeed, been the haven of women, and is the inspiration of us all. But the voice of the Church is usually the voice of man; its councils are as a rule the councils of men, and if we judge by their utterances, many of these men do not recog- 1 nise that the situation has greatly changed with women. In these words the 43rd annual report of the Auckland branch of the Young Women’s Christian Association to be presented at the annual meeting this evening comments on the progress it has made in its tasks during the past year. “The task of the Y.W.C.A. is to wisely guide the new woman power that- Is being gradually released into the community,” the report continues. “Traditional safeguards are inadequate, and how are we to avoid great waste and needless casualties? In newspapers and magazines and on lecture platforms, women and their new ways are being discussed. ‘ Women themselves have organised within and without the Church. We could name a long array of organisations dealing with some phases of women’s life. But the organisation of women which is seeking to deal with all aspects of women’s lives, from the most practical problem that meets a woman in industry, to the deepest needs of the religious life, we turn to the Young Women’s Christian Association.” According to the report, the end of the financial year finds the association in a much better position than it was last year. Actually on the year’s workings there is a small credit balance, but efforts to wipe out last year’s deficit have not yet been successful. Generous bequests have been made by the late Mr. A. C. Caughey, and by Mr. Wilson, of Devonport. A two-and-two campaign during April added materially to the number of Y.W.C.A. members. The holiday house has carried on its work of assisting many to health and making rest and recreation possible to many girls who might nowhere else find such a holiday. During the year 17,000 library books have been taken out from the inquiry desk, 18,000 parcels and belongings, etc., have been guarded behind the counter, 90,000 phone calls have been put through from the office, 40,000 letters have come through the post for girls and 400 letters requesting advice and information have been dealt with. The employment service has placed hundreds of women in secure positions. During the year the association’s women have assisted in street collections for charitable organisations, and entertainment has been provided at the Ccstley Home and different orphanages. The Mothers’ Club is in its sixth year and has a membership of 60, and the success of the overseas club has been one of the features of the year’s work. Every girl arriving under the Government’s immigration scheme is given three months’ membership of the association, and at the end of that time most of them become financial members.