CHURCH STONED

Taranaki Daily News, 14 May 1932, Page 7

CHURCH STONED

SERMON ON NEW GUARD. EXCITING INCIDENTS. Several exciting incidents occurred on the night of Sunday, April 3, at the Mathison Congregation Church, Croydon, Sydney, where tho Rev. N. C. Goss preached a sermon on “The Religious Significance of the New Guard.” Stones were thrown op the roof of the church by enemies of rthe New Guard. Men were chased from the neighbourhood of the church, and a number of men, who were alleged to have been tampering with motor-cars, were disturbed. During tho service, patrols were stationed outside the church to watch the motor-cars, many of which belonged to members of the New Guard. A disturb? ance attracted watchers to several motor-cars parked some distance down the street. A party of men ran across the road and disappeared. One of them dropped something. It is alleged, that this was a spanner which was to have been used to disable motor-cars. On a previous' occasion - spare wheels had been taken and petrol had been allowed to run from tanks.

Mr. Goss was pronouncing the benediction at the end of his service when there was a rattle of stones on the roof. A second volley was thrown before the benediction had been pronounced and the congregation had filed from the church.

Members of the New Guard at once' began to search for the offenders. Several young men, who had. previously been noticed in a lane beside the church, disappeared through a hole in a fence and were not seen again, though a search was made of the locality. Mr.-Goss said that he would not be turned from his path. He had spoken on conditions in Soviet Russia - some months ago, and incurred the displeasure of certain people, but he would not be turned from following the ideals that had always been the salvation of civilisation.

In liis sermon, Mr. Goss said that there was far too much talk of pacifism whilb the insidious. growth of Communism was undermining all that was best in national life. Men had been forced to resistance and even to bloodshed to protect their ideals many times in the history of the British people. This might occur again shortly. Members of the New Guard should endeavour to foster all that was best in life while they actively organised to resist the enemies of their liberty and ideals. A member of the New Guard who did not support the Church, which had withstood Communism for centuries, was only half a New Guardsman, in the same way that a Christian who did not actively combat enemies of his faitn was only half a Christian.