The Birkenhead News and Wirral General Advertiser. — 1917-02-24 (Birkenhead, Merseyside, England)

VICAR OF ST. MARY'S EXPERIMENT. "Experiment" is not an irreverent term to use in reference to the dinner-hour services for men which the vicar of St. Mary's, Rev. T. Sherwood Jones. has planned, and which were commenced last Wednesday (Ash Wednesday). They are in the nature of an experiment, which, however, the vicar sincerely hopes will be a success, appealing to working men as midday services have appealed to business men in London and elsewhere. The services been at 12.30, and last 20 minutes ' only, and they are to be held each weekday. Saturday excepted. The attendance on Wednesday was disappointing, only about a score of workmen being present, but it is hoped "the few" will bring more. The heating apparatus was on (a thoughtful provision), and a printed hymn sheet was provided. The organist played a voluntary, and the service opened with the hymn 4Stand up, stand up for Jesus." The Vicar offered three short prayers, including the Lord'. Prayer, and without further preliminary the Rev. W. E. Beek, vicar of St. Annie's, began a brief address announeed to be on the subject—" The most wicked waste of all." His text was Judges 16, verses 20 and 21, which record the overpowering of Samisen by the Philistines. The address was term and telling, no moments being lost by repetition. He touched upon the waste of war, in lives, in material, and in sunken ships. It was appalling, he said. "All along the battle front,". he added, "picked men—men in their prime—with. bodies broken for you and for me. 'Ah ' you say, 'that is the wickedest waste' of all.' But wait a moment. Is it? Tell ice— how many of them dlscover there that the true purpose of life is Glod—to spend and be' spent for the resistance of evil and the establishment of righteousness. To many of our young men war has come as a positive redemption from idle, empty, and worthless lms. No, it has not been all waete. and whether it shall he waste depends upon how we shall use our lives, bought once again, as they were bought of Old on Calvary, at the price of blood." •The wickedest waste (the speaker went on) was not that men were being killed by an enemy, but that men were killing themselves—killing the best, and noblest and truest of themselves by spiritual suicide— by a cowardly• surrendering to their own passions. _  Briefly Mr. Beck recalled how S.uuson —"a magnificent specimen of a man physically"—trifled away the ;Ms and opportunities God had given him to he used for the common gcod, and he enforced the thought that a man who blinds himself to all that God meant him to be is more to be pitied than a man physically blind. Samson's lasciviousness furnished Mr. Beck with a pointed plea for clean living. "Throughout the length and breadth of this land," be said, "a running sore of impurity is producing a wicked waste; not only putting out of action the clean, strong manhood of to-day, but printing its curse upon the manhood of to-morrow. For God's sake, for your country's sake, and for your children's sake, keep yourselves pure." Then the speaker showed how mach "careletainess" has to do with wasted manhood; and. in Pleading, for the power of Christ in life, he said— 'lf God does not have our manhood to use, the deril will have it to waste." Spiritual suicide was the wickedest waste of all. Prayer and the Benediction by Mr. Bock conchided the service.  Supt. Ennion. whose county police hitedquarters are in St. Mary's palish, was amongat those, attending_ the service. The attendance at Thur....lay a ervice was just a little larger. The preacher (and again vesterday—FridAyt was the Reit. Henry Primer, vicar of St. Peter's Bverton. who is shortly goin,l out to the front. "At the front," was Mr. Prager's theme, and after reminding ins hearers that. all are "soldiers," abether they wear uniform or not, he drew ell between the preparation and ditriepri necessary for military taervitn, and the self-discipline neoe,ssery for a clean and godly life at home. Be picturNi the so;dier going through his training, he, feeings on facing the enem.y. and the -prAe that victory brought him; and from these thoughts he turned to the bettLi hat those at home are called upon to fight against moral and spiritual evila—a battle. requiring perseverenoe, enduranze and die.just as the work of the moue! soldier does. Special he mentioned the three evfle of drunkenness, gambling and impurity. They were called upon to ,be soldiers of Jesu.e, and as trtch to tight these enomies. 'Save xou clone so?" he asked. "or are you shirking the :home fight? Are you shirking the battle, with the evils that exist around you?" As men employed in big works they had .to meet blasphemy, foul language, dirty talk, temptations to drink, gamin-in • and impurity. Re exhorted them tt, sily train themselves in the strength of for fighting these and ether evil,