SUNDAY READING.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2628, 9 October 1909, Page 4 (Supplement)

SUNDAY READING.

DOMINION DAY AND ITS LESSONS

SERMON BY THE VEN. ARCHDEACON AVEIULL.

At the Dominion Day church parade of the troops of the Christchurch Garrison at the Cathedral, the Ven. Archdeacon Averill, Bishop-elect of Waiapu, preached an inspiring sermon, in which he dwelt on some thoughts suggested by the celebration of Dominion Day. Although his duties had prevented him from taking as active a part in military matters as he could have wished, they had not prevented him from thinking a good deal about that matter, which had always had ills deepest sympathy. The country could never develop on true lines unless its best men were ready to sacrifice themselves for the common good, and teach by -their own examples the duty of.service. They would never develop a noble national character unless something more important in life than a horse race or a football match was recognised. Clean sport played an important part in a nation’s development, but it should occupy a secondary, and net a primary, place in the national lire. There was a tendency to lose all sense of proportion, and to forget that it was of far greater importance to maintain the character of men and women than the breed of horses. Nations and empires ln.d come and gone, and would come and go, and the fate of each had been determined, by its attitude to the duty of service. 'Tlie lessons of the past could not be disregarded, nor the tendencies of the present ignored, and it needed no farseeing prophet to foretell that the stability and worthiness of New Zealand and the Empire depended upon the response to the call of service. It was not right to think that the country existed for the benefit of its people. They must remember that they existed for the sake of the country. Every true man was bound to give oi his best for bis country’s welfare, and to sacrifice himself for the honor and well-being of his country. There was a principle in the words of his text which was external, and the man who was really seeking to mould tlie ideals of his country on true lines was not onlv serving his country but his God also, for he was fulfilling one great purpose of lu, existence. It was because the volunteers were serving their country—in:.ny cl thorn at great peisonal sacrifice . ue.t he rejoiced to be associated \ ;oli ti.em, and to urge them to greater earnestness m their work in view oi the needs of tlie Dominion. Unselfish service was the very keynote of the life of Jesus Christ, whom every true man honored: and as they listened to Him saying, “I came not to be ministered unto, bufl'to minister,” they should remember that this duty of service came through the example and teaching of the ideal and perfect Man. If every man in the Dominion would realise that he was ca'lled to service, then there could.be no complaint of a want of proportion in life. There was no joy to be compared with tlie joy of unselfish service. There was a tendency sometimes in youth towards sell-con-sciousness—an anxiety to know the opinions of oilier people and an overreadiness to criticise others instead of learning from them. There was a stage in the life of a young person to think that what he did not know was not worth knowing; but as he grew older and gained more sense, he realised how much he had yet to learn, and how much wiser it was to be silent and watch and assimilate, than to be always talking and sometimes exposing bis want of depth. New Zealand was yet .but a young country with a short 'history, but, in many ways, with a history to be thankful lor; and it was unbecoming for its people to assume to the role of critics when they should be learners, or to assume an air of superiority over others who were, perhaps, not so favored in many ways. By all means let them make the best of themselves, but not undervalue the virtues of others. They should not be ashamed of studying the ideals of other nations, nor hesitate to copy the institutions and methods of others, if they were better than their own. They should not think they had of necessity an eternal monopoly of place amongst ' the nations of the earth. Let them be patriotic and loyal to the backbone —to the death if need be; but think the best of others until compelled to think differently. Let each man cultivate the sense of duty, and remember that if men could say of him at last, “He tried to do his duty,” he would have attained to the highest rank of nobility in this life. And let him remember that the safety and well-being of the Empire depend upon the readiness and willingness of every man to learn the .lesson of duty, and to respond to its call. Concluding, the preacher said: “Serve your country, serve your King, and, above all, for your own sake and for your country’s sake, serve your God.”

THE CONGO QUESTION

The statement and appeal issued from Lambeth Palace on the Congo Question is an impressive document. It is signed by the two Archbishops and the Bishops of London, Southwark, Birmingham, Liverpool, and Oxford, as well as by some distinguished representatives of the Free Churches, and it puts forward the main ground upon which they claim to take action: “In our judgment the greatest by far of British interests is the maintenance of the moral force of the nation, and the greatest of all risks which the nation can run is the abandonment of its moral obligations.” It is this “moral force” which is in danger of being weakened by the continuance of the Congo scandal, for which England cannot divest itself of responsibilityy. The true facts about the Congo are not widely known. The newspaper press is more reticent than formerly, and an impression prevails that all is going on well. But the latest White Book tells a different tale. Far from showing that there is amendment, it shows that “at this moment a system which involves many of the worst features of African slavery, or even exceeds it in horror, is prevailing throughout a territory of nearly one bullion square miles.” Wo believe that the high-minded statesmanship of Sir Edward Grey is doing much, and this strong appeal from leaders of Christian .Churches must surely strengthen his hands. One thing is certain, these Congo horrors must be brought to an end.