PRESBYTERIAN GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

Auckland Star, Volume XXI, Issue 35, 12 February 1890, Page 5

PRESBYTERIAN GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

OPENING AT WELLINGTON.

ELECTION OF MODERATOR,

(BY TELEGRAPH. —PRESS ASSOCIATION.)

Wellington, this day. At the annual General Assembly of delegates, from the various presbyteries of New Zealand, divine service was conducted by the Rev. Mr Beattie, theretiring Moderator. Rev. H. B. Burnett (Westport), was appointed Moderator for the ensuing year, and he delivered a long address. He thought, if he might interpret the mind of the church that their most intelligent people would like to see effect given to Gospel teaching in the training and upbringing of the young that they should early be indoctrinated with Gospel principles. That was the wist* of the majority amongst them, and if there was any difference of opinion on the question it turned on the point how we are to do it. Tina would be the solution of the question of larrikinism. Besides that, this principle which the Presbyterian Church advocates, was confirmed by the statistics of the colony. As far as those statistics go, they showed that evangelical religion reduced the average of destitution and crime among the younjj as wellas adults, for out of the young committed to the industrial schools on various charges during 1888, there were but 16PBS Presbyterians, while other two ' principal denominations specified in the statistics returned, one 42-63 andjthe other 34-74. While their percentage of the whole population in 1886 was 22-59 4 the other two, in the order he had stated above, had a percentage of 40*17 and 13-95 to the whole population. In point of number the Presbyterian peopJe stood second in the colony, as 130,643 persons belonged to their church, or a proportion of the whole population of 22*59. These were the numbers in 1886. With respecb bo the average of tho persona convicted between 1885 and 1888 there were but 15 '61 Presbyterians, which he pointed out was les3 than the average of several other denominations, so they could claim that evangelical religion tended to minimise crime. Referring to the recent labour disputes both at Home and in the colony the rev. gentleman said they thought there ought to be kindred ties between the labourer and his employer, rather than one in which money is the sole clement. The employer should keep conscience toward his poorer brothers, remembering thab he should nob grind the faces ■of the poor; and the other side, thab employed should render to his employer just service.