Current Topics

New Zealand Tablet, 28 December 1911, Page 2633

Current Topics

Abuse of the Cinematograph

A London cable last week informed us that an influential deputation, which included Lord Aberdeen, several bishops, head masters, and representatives of rescue societies had waited on the Home Secretary, Mr. M'Kenna, regarding demoralising literature and cinematographs. From all accounts it is not too soon that this effort is being made to put an end to the abominable uses to. which some leprous people in the West End of London have put the cinematograph. At a conference held recently in that city to discuss the question of censoring picture films some revolting disclosures regarding the doing of London's ' smart set' were made. One of the witnesses (Mr. Taylor) stated that it was within his own knowledge, from one who had recently left one of the chief cinematograph film shows, that a number of girls, chiefly cfiorus girls and of the dramatic profession, had left this particular firm because of the awful poses they were called upon to make. Such films were prepared for private use in the West End, where they were displayed at charges running to as much as £25 a time. Mr. Taylor's statements have been confirmed by a cinematograph operator, who told a representative of Reynold's Newspaper that he knew of one firm whose business almost entirely consisted of the production of films and photographic prints of a repulsive character. Elaborate appliances are employed for the purpose of obtaining realistic effects, and the models, the majority of whom are girls, are compelled to surrender all sense of shame. To tempt them to agree to do what is 'required of them they are offered remuneration at a very high rate. The police are fully aware of quite a number of places where films depicting degrading scenes are exhibited in private, but as the letter of the law applying to strictly private performances is outwardly maintained, they are practically powerless. It is to be hoped that those who are trying to move Parliament in this matter will not slacken or relax their efforts till effective legislation is obtained.

More About Sacramental Wine

Mr. G. B. Nicholas and the Rev. B. S. Hammond were very lavish in tlieir promises as to the retention of the statutory exemption in favor of the importation of fermented wine for sacramental purposes if national prohibition were carried but, as we pointed out to them, present assurances were of little value, and what we were concerned with was the probable trend of the movement. Some little light is thrown on this aspect of the matter by the following letters. The first appears in the current issue of our Presbyterian contemporary, the Outlook. Under the nom de -plume of ‘ Christian Voter,’ a correspondent writes as follows to that paper: The question of fermented wine at the Sacrament has been brought before the Christian voters at this last election in a startling manner. As members of the Protestant and Roman Catholic clergy have denounced the liquor traffic in the strongest terms, and in view of the awful sin and misery resulting from the use of fermented wine (for if there was ho use there could be no abuse of it), and also in view of the danger to those communicants to whom strong drink is a temptation, would it not be better for the ministers of all denominations to abolish fermented wine from the Sacrament, as many ministers have already done? It is quite possible to make excellent unfermented wine, and the poisonous alcoholic element is absolutely unnecessary.’ * * * r The other letter is addressed to the editor of the Tima.ru Herald , and appeared in the issue of that paper for December 16. It reads as follows:-‘Sir, have read in your isue of December 12 the letter of the Acting-Primate of New Zealand regarding the use of fermented wine in the Sacrament. If this is the position of the Churches, I fail to see how they can condemn the use of fermented liquors. The Acting-Primate says provision has been made for getting fermented wine for

the Churches, in the event of prohibition being carried. Is this fair? Is it honorable? The law says fermented liquors must not be manufactured or retailed. Why should the. Churches be exempt any more than the individual? If this provision has been arranged for, v I trust the members of the House will not allow it to pass.—Yours, etc., ' '

VOX.'

The editor states, in a footnote, that he has excised a considerable portion of the letter, so that evidently it was even stronger in the original.

Some Home Truths

The Rev. G. C. Blathwayt, Anglican minister at Port Chalmers, has been doing a little quiet thinking. An Anglican bishop of Auckland, some two or three years ago, created a mild sensation by declaring that the rising generation in New Zealand was largely pagan. The problem which Mr. Blathwayt has been trying to figure out is, What sections of the community are fairly chargeable with perpetuating and producing the pagan element, and what section is free from responsibility in the matter. We give Mr. Blathwayt's answer in his own words, merely noting that the bearing s of his pointed and thoughtful remarks lies in the application of them. Speaking at the distribution of prizes at the Port Chalmers District High School last Thursday, Mr. Blathwayt said: —'lt is often said that religious education, as supplementary to the present secular system of education, must rest with the ministers of the church taking advantage of any facilities offered them to teach in the schools before or after the ordinary school hours. Now, here in Port Chalmers, you have every school day two ministers giving religious instruction for half an hour before the school opens. Judge of the effectiveness of such a non-compul-sive system in securing the religious instruction of "the school children of our community as a whole. Out of more than 400 children attending the school less than 100 attend our daily religious instruction classes. In Port Chalmers the ministers are doing what is absolutely impossible in country districts, where there are a large number of small schools distributed over a wide area and only a few clergy. The question therefore is What proportion of the new generation will be Christian and what pagan ? And can such a non-compulsive system ever be adequate to the religious needs of our young nation? Again, Protestants have talked a great deal about the blessed privilege of an open Bible. But if. our Bible is not being opened, what is the use of its being an open Bible? Further, I would ask ardent Protestants who object to the Bible in schools to make no mistake. The Roman Catholics are giving religious instruction. Hence another question: If all the other churches are not doing this—if the Protestants are —then who are producing the Christians of the future— the infidels? We hear a great deal just now of the German menace. A nation's best defence is its knowledge of God. Germany or any other nation can never supplant Great. Britain's dominating place in the scale of nations so long as she remains true to the almighty arbiter of the destinies of nations.'

Unchristian * Christianity ’ A week or. two ago we commented briefly on the absence of Christian charity—and indeed of regard for the most elementary principles of truth and fair dealing manifested in connection with the recent local option agitation right up to election day. The Very Rev, Archdeacon Harper, of St. Peter’s Anglican Church, Wellington, has been referring, with great plainness of speech, to the same unpleasant phenomenon; and whether his remarks are correct or not in respect to Wellington, they are undoubtedly a true bill as regards Dunedin. After referring to the methods adopted to capture votes in connection with the political elections, the Archdeacon continues : ‘ But- when one comes to consider another question' that has stirred this country to its foundations—l mean the local option question—• the position is different, for here the name of Christ is used. Here His service is avowed, and the extension

of His Kingdom is put forward as the object which is before those who are fighting. Now again I want to leave the merits of the question entirely alone. I want to deal with the methods used, because it seems to me a very serious condition of things has arisen. There are two parties, one party avowedly fighting for their interests. , They are the party who claim that the trade in which they are concerned is a legitimate and honorable trade. That is their claim, and. they fight for it, but the methods they use are to be reprobated in many instances. . . They don't claim to be examples of loyalty to the principles of Jesus Christ, but still from our point of view many of their methods and a great deal of their language must be absolutely and unreservedly condemned. There is the other side, and I am not speaking of the voter, but of the leader and the fighter. And the reason why I think it calls for a reference from one in my position—a priest of the Church —is because what is done is done in the name of Jesus Christ. In the name of Jesus Christ we have untruths, or shall I say only half-truths, we have misrepresentation, we have slanders, we have malice and bitterness, we have insinuations of worse description—in the name of Jesus Christ.'

National prohibition he described as ' a desire absolutely and entirely to exclude from this country, except for medicinal and' sacramental purposes, something which Christ and His Apostles did not condemn. And the claim is made in the name of Jesus Christ, in the name of Him who began His ministry with the miracle of Cana of Galilee, and ended it with the Holy Communion. And there were drunkards in those days as there are to-day. It has become the custom of,men in this community, again in the name of Jesus Christ, to restrict and condemn legitimate liberty and pleasure in every direction. Here and there and everywhere the doings of men and women are attempted to be interfered with in the name of Jesus Christ. Then we take up last year's census returns,, and we find that there has been for the first time a remarkable increase in the number of those who note themselves down as "No religion," or " Object to state." Have the two facts any connection with each other ? Is it an unfair inference that the name of Jesus Christ is being made abhorrent to —that pure, that holy name, and that loving free service and religion—because it has been dragged in the dirt and besmirched with intolerance, malice, hatred, untruthfulness, and slander? To the man in the street this is Christianity.'

u This brand of Christianity the man in the street has labelled ' wowserism '; and it is little wonder that -—as the recent elections have largely shown—he and his class are in open and avowed revolt against it.

Some Protestant Tributes

: Can anything of good. come from Nazareth? The bigots say ' No ' ; but those who, like Nathanael of old, go and see and examine for themselves, have a very different story to tell. Rev. A. W-. Hand, of the Baptist Church of Key port, N.J. (United States), spoke recently on ' What Good Things Can We Learn From the Roman Catholic Church?' His text was Phil, iv., 8 : ' If there be any virtue, if there be any praise, think on these things'; and in the course of his sermon he gave the following admirable summary of the visible excellences of Catholicism: It is my purpose to-night to speak on points of excellence of the Catholic Church as seen by one outside that great Church. While my testimony may not be fully adequate on the subject, still it will be unprejudiced and disinterested. From her unbroken history going back to Christ we are under a great debt to her for preserving the manuscripts of our New Testament. For ages monks were the scholars of the day, and their work was kept from the exigencies of , war in monasteries. We are greatly indebted to her also for such men as Thomas a' Kempis, Fenelon, and Savonarola. ;j. v. We admire her ; people: • . ' - Because they believe strongly in their Church. Because of their loyalty to their Church's interests, .' .

Because they are always ready to defend their Church's interests and if need be die for her.

Because they support her by faithful church at- 3 tendance, by generous liberality, and the men go to church equally with the women. Because they show great reverence for their Church and pastors.

The wisdom of the Church is seen:

In regard to the times of service, all classes accommodated by early and late services. Their churches are open all the week for worship and meditation.

Her charitable work commends her to all communities.

There is no distinction when in church between the classes of people; they are equal before God, whether rich or poor. Their attitude on the question of divorce is wise and strong. To them marriage and the home are sacred, and if they succeed in leading other Churches in taking a similar stand, the future welfare of the State, now threatened, will be assured.

They give no uncertain sound as to the deity of Jesus.

The hold on the masses of men and women in some cities helps to make good government possible. Their well-known influence on children in their earlier years.'

And another prominent American minister has also made the discovery that on a number of important points the Catholic Church is right, and Protestantism has gone all wrong.

Preaching on a recent Sunday on ' Mistakes of Protestantism,' Rev. Dr. G. Woolsey Hodge, of the Protestant Episcopal Church of the Ascension, is reported in the Public Ledger to have spoken as follows: Prior to the Reformation all that architecture and art and form and ceremony could do to make the Church and its services impressive was used. In fact, religion inspired the masterpieces of the world in architecture and art and music. Christians felt that they should give their best and richest to the service of God, and that the employment of such things would be most useful in impressing men and inspiring them with a true sense of their relationship to God. But the Protestant reformers changed all this. They said religion was entirely a spiritual thing, that splendid churches were a waste, beautiful services were a formality, statues and pictures tended to superstition, festivals were merely days for money-making. So they built plain, unadorned meeting houses, banished all form and ceremony; some would not even have a note of music in their* worship nor observe Christmas Day or Good Friday. The result of this mistake of Protestantism has been to make men lose their reverence for all sacred things, to think the worship a very unimportant thing, and so give it up altogether. It has made men luxurious and selfish, lavishing all their wealth on themselves, thinking only of their pleasure and profit. And Protestants are coming to see this. It is the first of their mistakes they are beginning to realise. They are now building as beautiful and,costly churches as Catholics, so they can scarcely be told apart, using stained glass and organs and liturgies and even surpliced choirs. They are realising the power and beauty of these things, that there is nothing so elevating and cultivating as. art, and it should be used in the interest of religion.'