LONDON AND RELIGION.

Timaru Herald, Volume XCIV, Issue 14452, 26 May 1911, Page 5

LONDON AND RELIGION.

INFLUENCE OF THE CHURCHES NOT DECLINING. There was a large gathering of delegates from all the London Congregational churches .at Wliitefield's, . on April 4, the occasion being the annual meeting of tho, London Congregational Union.

At the business meeting, Mr R. Murray Hyslop, the chairman of the year, delivered his presidential address, deahug with the religious prob-

lem of Greater London, and tho contribution wliieh the Congregational! churches are called upon to make to its solution, , Ho pointed out that the abnormal growth of tha population—increasing each decade by one million brought inevitable evils, for in the congested districts the war between good and evil raged, most fiercely. Sir Hyslop went on to give some striking points about Greater London. "It stands out," he said, "on 700 square miles, with a population approaching 7,500.000, one-tliird of the crime of England being committed within its area; it has a public-house frontage of 130 miles, every inch of which is temptation; 100,000 paupers are in its workhouses. There are in London some 300 to 400 dramatic clubs where; thousands of people witness dramatic performances every Sunday, and in some of them liquor can be procured without-let or hindrance from Saturday night to Mondav morning. such clubs being controlled by neither dramatic or licensing authority. But the most iappailing feet of all is that 70 per cent, of its population never enter a place of public worship. The speaker, however, was not pessimistic. " The complaint that tike influence of the Church is declining." he said, "cannot be substantiated f>y fsr.ct, for in every walk in IrVPo its ameliorating influence is to be found. Neither is the decrease in church membership nor the lessening of church attendance the only test bv which religious influence should be judged. The growth of public opinion in favour of international peace, the founding of institutions for medical research, to discover the causes of disease in order to counteract them, the mental and physical equipment of the children, in ; order that the naxb K-sneration may 'be of greater value to the community, are ! all product,?, of religious sentiment. Reference may also lie made to the largo number of men gathered Sun- i day by Sunday in connection with the ! Brotherhood movement, which has now j expanded :nto national proportions, some 2-00 societies being scattered j throughout England, with a member-1 shin approaching 750,000. i The Rev. Frederick Hastings, fori many years a member of 1 County Council, was elected tlhe vice-: chairman for the year, which carries' vrith it the chairmanship of the Union j for 1912. I