BAPTIST CHURCH.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXIII, 17 March 1927, Page 12

BAPTIST CHURCH.

HARVEST THANKSGIVING. Appropriate harvest addresses were delivered bv the Rev. C. AA • Duneumb, before crowded congregations, at the Baptisli Church, on Sunday last. Speaking in the morning, from the text: “Hath The Rain a FatherP' (Job 38) the preacher referred to the cry in Britain, during the 1921 coal strike, of “The mine for the miner,” the claim put forth, being that, since I the minor worked the mine, the mine was his. “Similarly.” said tlm I speaker, “might the ' farm hand J claim to own the larm because be worked the soil. There arc lew occupations more hazardous than that of the man at the coal face, and 1 stand for a wage worthy of the task, and adequate to provide for the miner and his family worthy housing and social conditions. At the same time, I affirm the cry ‘the mine lor the miner,’ absurd. Equally is it wrong to affirm the mines as belonging to

a person who pays royalty and sinks a. shaft. The man who spends capital in building an aeroplane does not own the air because he has exploited it. In an hour of national emergency, a mineowner refusing to work" Ids' mine would be compelled to stand aside and see others work it, in the interests of the State, thus demonstrating that the mine in reality belongs to humanity at large, though for convenience sake, tlie laws may grant a so-called ownership to the man who pnvs royalties. V hat is more definitely required by a-'I who handle raw material is the recognition that but for the activities of The Almighty over countless centuries, there would be no coal to work, no soil to till, no chemical elements in the soil. In humanity’s needs, God, the Silent. Partner in fanning, in tlie timber, oil, fishing, fruit and mining industries, has laboured, nit IVr any particular individual, or group of individuals, but for humanity as a whole through all the ages. Man's greatest wisdom is to acknowledge Clod’s partnership, and fittingly acknowledge that tlie tanner is the first .servant- of the soil, the miner the first servant of tlie coal, and that all are called to stewardship in the interests of humanity as a whole.”

Speaking at night, on the .subject of “Tlie Chemist and the Creator,” Mr Dunennib, while paying tribune to the skill of modern -science, and the amazing skill of the analytical chemist, who, by a process ot synthetic chemistry, could product, from tlie grain of wheat a wonderful list of substances, such a.s rubber, paint, and varnish, emphasised that behind all was God, “the Sup»>me Creator.” of whom ruin, at his best was but a poor imitation. “If God he not at the point where the fertility of the soil and tlie vitality of the seed meet, there will be no harvest. 'The world never grows sufficient wheat to carry it over for two years, sufficient only being grown in any one year to supply the world for one year and tlie seed for tho next year’s planting. But God lias pro'iuspd, while tlie earth reiiiainetli, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, an 1 day and night-, shall not cease, and God never lied. Again, in bountiful harvests, Canterbury people have ample occasion for thanksgiving.” The church was most tastefully decorated, and a large collection ot the fruits of field, orchard and garden gladdened tlie eye.

Oil Monday night, tlie goods were eagerly purchased by a ei-owd who gathered in the Lnscelles Hall.

A concert of exceptional merit was held in the church, when a crowded audience enthusiastically applauded each number. Mr.s E. Parker was in delightful voice, and her number “Butterflies.” in particular, won favour. Mis Newlands pleased with her contralto voice, mid well merited her encore. Air Arthur Wheeler's light baritone was heard to advantage in “The Gipsy,” and his encore was equally successful. Mr D. Stewart’s rendering of “The- Veil,” mnl “Absent,” were deservedly popular items, ns were Miss L. Crombie and Mr R. S. Nicol, in their duets. Miss Briggs was pleasing in her elocutionary items. the item “Lost”, being deservedly encored. Miss Ris.sel], in elocutionary numbers, “At the Football Match.” and “Airs Raymor’s Washing Day,” was irresistible. Afisso-s E. L. Morgan and S. Rndge delighted with duet numbers on tlie piano. The accompaniments were played by Alis.s Morgan with excellent finish. ' The Rev. C. W. Duneumb presided, and during the interval thanked all who had contributed to the marked success of this year’s harvest festival.