BUSINESS AND RELIGION.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 191, 13 August 1931, Page 11

BUSINESS AND RELIGION.

Accountants and Teachers Debate Subject. A debate took place between teams representing the Christchurch Accountant Students’ Society and the Teachers’ Training College Debating Club last evening. Training College were represented by Miss Hughes. Messrs Bennet (leader), Saunders and White. Messrs L. L. Smith, Battersby and Wilkinson comprised the accountants’ team. The debate was judged by Mr A. J. Campbell. The subject was “ That Modern Business Methods are Incompatible With Christian Ideals.” Training College, taking the affirmative, put forward the argument that making money, the possessing of wealth and the striving after material things which they considered typical of modern business practice, could not be reconciled with the higher ethical principles of Christianity. The Accountant Students’ Society disagreed with this, holding that service combined with integrity was the ultimate object in business. They stated that Christianity was made for mankind, and had sufficient flexibility to allow its application to be varied as civilisation advanced. After an enjoyable debate, punctuated by humorous interjections from a large audience, Training College were declared the winners by the narrow margin of 153 points to 151. The best speakers were Messrs Bennet and Smith. Supper was served by the women in the Training College com-mon-room.