The Club Smoking Room

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXXIX, Issue 1, 6 July 1907, Page 23

The Club Smoking Room

By

HAVANA

IN the silly season,” began the journalist, who had just returned from his holiday, “there are some things which come as a godsend to the overworked newspaper man. We can always rely on certain subjects bringing in an immense amount of correspondence. The proverbial big gooseberry, the sea serpent, the failure of marriage, should the clergy wear button boots, and catch phrases, such as “wooden shanties” or “Who is Poole?” can be reckoned on to provide copy for a considerable period. One of the best draws is the old perennial question: “Why Men Don’t Go to Church." It is better than anything else in a slack season. People will make all sorts of excuses for their non-attendanee, except the real one —that they are too lazy.” <•> <s> “The subject,” remarked the business man. “is one in which I take a great interest, and 1 fancy one of the main reasons why many men of intelligence do not go to church is because we have so few good preachers. The clergy seem to be taught everything except speaking and elocution, and yet you would naturally suppose these would be the most important things. The beauty' of a service is often completely spoiled by the wretched sermon at the end._ A badly composed discourse is read from a badly written manuscript, • and badly' -read at .that. Mere boys are’ set up to lecture grown men who have forgotten a great deal more than the preacher ever knew. Then the clergy are. out of touch with the thought of the day. They' preach about dogmas, and the authority' of general councils, a"nd the wickedness of men of science, and tell you not to read books by these impious writers. But we do read them, and we do think about them, and we look to the clergy for guidance. We would willingly exchange a whole library of discourses on justification and predestination for a single well reasoned sermon on personal immortality. Talk of men not going to church. I have seen Bristol Cathedral packed with men to hear Ainger or Wilson. Robertson, of Brighton, and Page-Roberts could al■ways attract thinking men to their churches. We are told that we ought not to go to church for the sake of the sermon, and that if we went in the proper frame of mind we would find some good in even the worst of sermons. If the sermon is to be a matter of such small importance, would it not be better to cut it out altogether? I fancy the Church would be much better if the clergy were taught to preach.” <®> <?> 3> “I hardly' like to .express an opinion," ventured the dominie. “I know most parsons look'.on me with pious horror as a heretic of the worst type. I am told I am an Arian, or a Macedonian, or a Bocinian, or an Krastian. One divine told me I was a Sabellian, whatever that may be. Now, I really don’t care if I am the whole lot rolled into one. These bygone heresies may be of great interest to the clergy, but*.they are not of the slightest interest to'the laity. We want men who can deal with the questions of to day. The clergy themselves have introduced us to whatsis called; “The Higher Criticism," that is to say, they

have many of them discarded the old belief in the literal inspiration of the Bible. What are they going to give us in its place? They talk about the Church, but I would far sooner believe in an infallible Bible than an infallible Church. We want to know what bearing modern science and the study of comparative religion have on the old belief. Then we want sermons to help us in our daily life, to guide us in our difficulties, and to inspire us and ennoble our ideals. Very few of us care much about dry-as-dust doctrinal disquisitions, and the pounding of dead heresies. Nor do we really interest ourselves in trivial disputes about small matters of ritual. You must not mind me being a little outspoken. parson. Present company is, of course, always excepted. I am told by men of your cloth that the old evangelical party is almost extinct, and people say that their teaching is quite obsolete now. AU I can say is that it is a pity if it is so. It really reached men, and some of our finest soldiers and statesmen in India have been Evangelicals. What do you think, parson, of the matter?” <?><?><» “The question,” replied the cleric, “is a very difficult one. The supply of clergy is rapidly falling, and, worst of all. the number of candidates from our two great universities shows a lamentable. decrease. Youiig fellows of intellect do not somehow seem attracted to the Church. I believe that we want a more even Iralance of parties. The Broad Church party seems almost dead. This is a great pity, as we are badly in want of men who can deal in a broad spirit with the intellectual problems of the day. The dominant party at present is High Church, and this party has never really appealed to men of modern thought. The Evangelicals are not extinct, far from it, but they are certainly in a minority. We do not realise enough that what appeals to the clergy does not necessarily appeal to the laity. We have no successor to Dean Stanley. I quite agree with you that more attention should be paid to preaching, but an orator is born, not made. It is not easy to teach the art of public speaking, and you must let me remind you that composing two, and sometimes three sermons a week is no easy task, even for a practised and fluent speaker. But I think the laity have largely themselves to blame for the poor quality of many sermons. They do not make the Church attractive to men of talent. I told a friend of mine the other day that in a certain diocese there were six “ livings ” vacant, and he said he did not suppose the whole six would really supply a decent living for a man if they were all lumped together. To change the subject slightly I should like to know exactly what we are to gain by being made a Dominion. 1 like the old term “Colony’ myself, but I suppose the other is rather grander." ’ S ♦ ♦ “The idea that Sir Joseph Ward had in his mind," put in the politician, “was that we were attractiug too little notice. We were apt to lie confused with small Gijown colonies, and were in ’danger of living overshadowed by Austialia.

I got a letter only the other day from a very intelligent correspondent at Home. He said he was quite surprised to hear that we were some 1200 miles from Sydney. People in England, he added, thought that New Zealand and Tasmania and Australia were all one, like England, Scotland and Ireland. The new title will serve to mark our dependence. I do not think that it in any way alfccts our constitution, but the Governor and his wife will have a better standing. But the word Dominion serves to mark out our national position, and will probably do much to raise us in the estimation of other nations. The whole colony is include in the birthday honours, and Sir W. S. Gilbert ought to compose a suitable ode for the occasion. He might add as a new versa to Sir Joseph’s song, *’ I’ve polished up the title of the poor old Moa!”