THE CHURCH AND LABOUR.

Colonist, Volume LIV, Issue 13382, 3 April 1912, Page 6

THE CHURCH AND LABOUR.

SOME OUTSPOKEN COMMENT.

(From tho "Hutt and Petono "Chronicle.")

Some people may have boon surprised at the attitude of the Rev. Dr. Gibb on the Labour question. I confess 1 1' had expected nothing else, and was therefore not disappointed. It was Avifch extreme regret thatl gave it as my m'aturo opinion that the churches—as a rule— are on tho side of the classes; just as they were when the Lowly Nazarene began His mission. In His day He denounced tho makers of long prayers, the formalists, tho Scribes,- the Pharisees—hypocrites. Ho whipped the money changers out of the Tomplo and He (metaphorically) smoto hip and thigh the persons who boasted their great possessions. To the young man who sought Him, he said: "Sell all thou hast, and give it to tho poor. . . . and follow Me." But tho young man went sorrowfully away because lie had great possessions. There are hero and thero noblo exceptions in tho churches to-day; men who live their Christianity. But they are akin to angels' visits. Item : In England a gi-eat prelato has £30,000 a year and tw® palaces to live in. Item :In England one-fourth of tho population aro never properly fed, never properly housed; all of these live and dio in misery and want—some of them 'die in despair. So great is tho despair that many of the places from which it is easy to take one's life have to bo specially guarded by the police. In the namo of tho Good God, how can thero bo sympathy, appreciation, or co-oper-ation with tho churches, so far as tho masses aro concerned. Lord Shaftesbury complained that tho greatest opponents he had in his schemes for tho amelioration of the horriblo conditions amongst tho toiling masses wore the clergy. I suppose Dr. Gibb shouldn't be so much blamed by mo, for aftor all ho is truo to his typo. Ho belongs to a caste. That caste is as far removed from the Christian type as it is possible to be. The late Charles Booth, tho philanthropist, author of some of the most illuminating works on Sociology—a Christian man of the higher type—-in-vestigated tho matter of non-churchgo-ing by the working classos. Booth was a groat shipowner and he went, first and foremost, amongst the waterside people. What had he to say as a result? That he did not wonder at tho! disinclination of tho people to go to church. They asked him if "So-and-So" went to church? His reply was "yes." Then the men supplemented tho list, and in each case the names mentioned happened to bo of tho rich and powerful —and rapacious. The .response was nob long in coming. "If these men belong to the church, it is just as well for us to remain away." And remain away they did and do. The same thing applies hero in Now Zealand. Dr. Gibb does not believe in tho Church associating itself with, Labour. I ask him : "If Christ came to Now Zealand with whom and what would He concern Himself?" When Christianity was founded, the leaders and preachers were called from tho ranks of Labour. Dr. Gibb uses the samo old, worn out, insulting phrase about tho "duty of tho rich to their less fortunate brethren." Who and what made thorn rich? Who and what keep tho masses poor? Tho masses do not want tho "charity" (Heaven forgive me!) of the rich. They ask, not for the bread of idleness, the dole, but that they may enjoy tho blessing of work and the fruits of their toil —as the great God intended. I admit that it would be awkward, for Dr. Gibb and others like him to preach that Gospel. But that is the Gospel of the ■ Founder of CHristianity. One of thd charges that led Him to Calvary was that ho was the associate of publicans and sinners. Tho "common people heard Him gladly." So would they gladly hear His alleged fioHowers to-day, if they aro in sympathy with His ministry. Spurgeon once said: "The Lord said, 'Feed my sheep'; biit from tho way in which some teachers interpret the words ono would b3 led to suppose tho words were: 'Feed my camoleopardsf " And there is more in that than meets the sye of such men as Dr. Gibb.