THE VOLUNTEERS AND THE CHURCHES.

Waikato Argus, Volume IX, Issue 765, 27 September 1900, Page 2

THE VOLUNTEERS AND THE CHURCHES.

TO THE KPITOK. Sir,—l notice in yesterday's issue of your paper that " the transfer of Honroary Chaplain, the Rev. Henry Dewsbury Major, from the College Rifles Volunteers, Auckland, to the Nc. 1 Company Waikato Mounted Rifle Volunteers is gazetted." If the history of that paragraph could be written it would, doubtless, form interesting reading. But to my point: When Captain Reid had charge of the No 1 Company Waikato Mounted Rifle Volunteers, he told me that there was a desire that I should be appointed chaplain, but his opinion was that the minister longest resident in Hamilton should have that honour. In that opinion I heartily concurred. Captain Reid had the courtesy and magnanimity to pass over his own minister, in order that the senior clergyman of Hamilton should be honoured. Was it too much to expect that Captain Reid's successor would have the like courtesy and magnanimity? I should not have called attention to this " transfer," but for the fact that it is coincident with other undesirable features of the management of our local volunteer corps. In Cambridge, for example, the volunteers have church parade to the Wesleyan, Anglican, and Preshyteriau Churches in rotation, and this. I under-' stand, is the general rule throughout New Zealand ; but those responsible for the management of the Hamilton volunteers evidently have the presumption to assume that the Auglieau Church ia the only ehuroh in Hamilton, for our volunteers never have church parade to auy other church. It ia high time, sir, this religious sectarianism—not to use stronger language—was put an end to. Anditcaubeputauendtoif our volunteers will demand that church parade be to all the churches in Hamilton in rotation. There is no law or regulation compelling our volunteers to attend any particular church. I cannot believe that our volunteers, either Anglican or non-Anglican, approve of this policy of ignoring all but one church in Hamilton, and I shall be very much mistaken if they tolerate it much longer. It is the treatment above referred to that makes me feel that the church to which I belong has been slighted by our volunteers. It may be well to remind them, and all whom it may concern, that the Preshyteriau Church is the National Church of Scotland.—l am, etc., J. M. Mitchell, The Manse, Hamilton, 20th September, 1900.