The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1920-09-25

A recently complied tour of New
| Zealand, Australia and South Afrios
including some travel In England has
brought the writer into contact with
church leaders in those lands.
Everywhere pesslmism exists with
respect TO organized Christianity; oV-
orywhere these men have frequently
referred to the spiritual death about
them, said 3 leading . Wesleyan minis NJ.
victorlous-the mass OF the people arc
less eager TO hear our message than
ever before" A well known secretary
OF one Of the Y, Nj, c. AS Of the An
tipodes declared: II am sorry 10 say
that many of our best men were killed
others who were good mon before the
war came back different from what
they were when they went out; we
cannot reach them-thoy have gone
wrong. they do not attend church.
What else can we eXpect2 They killed
they played cards and gamhled on
Sundays--Sundays were not different
to them from other days"
An active clergyman In sydney said
men came back stronger, the weak
ones came back weaker, our young
men have returned, not with humila-
ton, but the reverse. They now have
the idea that force In the means Of
settling difficulties"
larger colonial cities, speaking OF the
Indifference TO the gospel said OF a
training school for ministers that al
though the amount OF money In hands
for bursaries exceeded many times
over the usual amount called for, there
had abeen only three applicants for
scholarships In the past year. possi-
bly, the feeling among many OF the
younger men was summed up by a
clever young Scotchman who, when
\ la1 l..a s.f.. - a.. oh rob
on Faster morning, replied: II am fed
up on going TO church, There is Moth
ing to It. The church people do not
practice what they confess to believe.
! have not been TO church In the past
five years"
In Australia and New Zealand the
gambling craze runs It's course. As I
sat In the office OF the president OF one
OF the larger denominations In Aus
tralia he remarked: 1T Ia safe TO say
young men and women employed In
the shops and Offices all around whore
we now are, gamble--it 10 Terrible"
Other ministers have narrated In
stances OF how children or young girls
employed In the shops and mills were
and abuse OF those who gambled that
they practically were compelled TO Join
In tho pastime. even II thoy did not
desire TO do so. Al meeting OF the
AuunCll OF tnuTCuou. III " WY VI bouut
seventy thousand, the secretary re-
ported that tho sums lost or won In
his city tho preceding week during the
horse racing had aggregated 47S000
pounds. He estimated that at tho rate
of increase over the year 1918, New
Zealand, with her ono million popula-
ton, during the year, 1920 would have
invested" In government totallsators
over nine million pounds. TO say Moth
Ing OF the sums that had passed through
the hands of tho private tookmakerH,
lie referred scnthingly TO the greedy
scramble and dirty secrets associated
with tho crowds who make holidays OF
race weeks. Even church people and
OF choirs wero included In
these gambling orgies" Most church
people, however, recognise that the
continual unsottlement, sufforingE and
crimes developing from the gambling
spirit lower and abase tho whole life
OF tho community.
The usual aftermath OF war 10 man
Tested IN ways familiar to all OF us
Thus. the melbourne Argus" declnrcsl
Of Australia: "Our financial position IL
worse by hundreds OF Millions Of pounds
than II was few years ago' Our pro-
duction has not Increased; Il has d.
mlnishod, The whole position Ia hollow
rnd unstable" Tho same authority
pleads that Eve get back 10 common
sense. stop the orgy OF extravaganza