HONESTY-COME WHAT MAY

Taranaki Daily News, 24 August 1931, Page 11

HONESTY-COME WHAT MAY

EVIL OF BROKEN PROMISES

REDUCTION OF INTEREST RATES.

BISHOP CONDEMNS COMPULSION.

The need for transparent honesty in individual and national dealings, and a condemnation of proposals being made to break promises by an enforced reduction of interest rates were expressed by the Rt. Rev. C. A. Cherrington, Bishop of Waikato, in a sermon in St. Mary’s Church, New Plymouth yesterday morning. Taking as his text the 15th psalm commencing “Lord, who shall dwell in thy .tabernacle: or who shall rest upon thy holy hill?” Bishop Cherrington said everyone was wondering how -he or she could best please God. It was remarkable that the author of the 15th psalm should find so many sound answers to the question, and he advised everybody to learn the answers in the psalm by heart, for “whoso docth these things shall never fall.”

Dealing particularly with the verse in the psalm, “he that sweareth unto his neighbour, and disappointeth him not,” his Lordship said that at the present time all sorts and conditions of people in all parts of the world were being tempted to break their promises. People were in dire difficulty all over the world, and he did not think anybody had .the slightest idea how the troubles were to be overcome. Governments and local bodies were being tempted to break promises made between 10 and 15 years ago a nd. to lower the rate of interest. One borough council dn New Zealand had gone to the length of suggesting that the rate of interest be compulsorily reduced. He hoped his congregation would not allow such suggestions to be listened. to.

Children at baptism made certain promises through their god-parents, and people at marriage promised to bo faithful and true “till death us do part,” but the readiness with which divorce laws allowed people to break these promises was a thick cloud of wickedness. In order that towns and the country as a whole should corn© up to what God wanted them to be, each, individual should concentrate on making up his mind to keep his promises, cost what it might. Let nothing move them.: Let them be men and women of their word, who could be trusted, men and women who were not shifty and could look one straight in the face. With honest minds, truthful speech and upright hearts they need fear nothing. .Honesty should be adopted not because it was the best policy —sometimes it might not be the best policy for the time, although of course it always was in the long run — but because it was the policy that pleased God.