Rome and the “Encyclopædia Britannica.”—The following cutting is from the “English Churchman”:—The following is an excerpt from page 18 of the twenty-first annual report of the Westminster Catholic Federation for the year 1928, published at the offices, 5 Chancery Lane, London, W.C. 2 (2d):—”Report of the Vigilance Sub-Committee for 1928.—The Sub-Committee report that during the past year they have held twenty meetings. The revision of the ‘Encyclopædia Britannica’ was undertaken with a view to eliminating matter which was objectionable from a Catholic point of view, and of inserting what was accurate and unbiased. That such revision was necessary may be gauged from the fact that it is stated that, of the 1500 contributors to the work, only about 15 are Catholics, 10 alone of whom are recognised authorities on religious subjects. These latter have contributed about 170 of the many thousands of articles which, according to the editors, treat of religion. The whole of the 28 volumes were examined, objectionable parts noted, and the reasons for their deletion or amendment given. There is every reason to hope that the new edition of the ‘Britannica’ will be found very much more accurate and impartial than its predecessors.”
A Frenchman on the Changing English Sabbath.—The Paris correspondent of the “Daily Telegraph” (London) says that “the eminent writer, Abel Hermant, member of the French Academy, is astonished at the revolution that has taken place in the English ‘Sunday.’ ” He knew it towards the end of the Victorian era, and he finds some amazing contrasts between the Sabbath of those days and the present. M. Hermant is quite clearly a worshipper of the Goddess of Pleasure, and the change pleases him. We quote him as a witness of the tremendous change which has come over, even London, in the matter of Sabbath keeping within recent times.
Rebuke to the Vatican.—The documents in connection with the dispute between the Vatican and the British Government authorities in Malta do not lack in plain speaking. These documents contain a memorandum signed by the Prime Minister of Malta, and the Ministers of Education, Treasury, Public Health, Public Works, Industry and Commerce, and Justice, with reference to the Pastoral Letter of the Archbishop of Malta and the Bishop of Gozo on the relations between Church and
State in Malta, and also Cardinal Gasparri’s note to the British Minister at the Vatican on the subject of an aide-memoir, in which Lord Strickland, the Governor, was denounced. With regard to the latter document the Minister’s memorandum declares that the grave imputations made in it against Ministers—and accepted by Cardinal Gasparri as true—reflect equally on the King’s representative in Malta and on the Imperial Government as the ultimate custodians of law and order. The contents of the document itself, the memorandum continues, are obviously a travesty of the situation in Malta, dictated by undiluted political bias and transparent personal enmity against Lord Strickland himself, and it is greatly deplored that the Holy See should have been unconsciously misled into lending the assistance of its great prestige and power to what is nothing less than a conspiracy against British rule in Malta. It is significant that this severe rebuke gets quite an obscure place in the “Glasgow Herald,” while the emergence of the Pope from his “prison” is emblazoned in large cross headings on the page facing the leader page. The Malta trouble is surely of greater interest to the Protestants of this country than the Pope’s emergence from his self-imposed seclusion in the Vatican.
Rome Hails the Pope.—Such is the cross heading in large type in which the “Glasgow Herald” announces the emergence of Pius XI. from his self-imposed imprisonment in the gorgeous mansion of the Vatican, with its spacious gardens and its imperial fare. On Thursday, 25th July, the Pope broke the long tradition of his predecessors, extending back to 1870, and came out into the open. The reception given to the Pontiff was one of magnificent splendour. Rome is a past mistress in the skilful staging of spectacles fitted to dazzle the imagination and captivate the senses, and on this occasion she put forth every effort to excel all former occasions. The newspaper correspondents are hard pressed for descriptive epithets to depict the scene. They tell us that the sun had set by the time the Papal Cross had appeared with seven candles held high around it. The incident is significant. It was in candle light, after the sun had set, the Pontiff appeared and, in dim light, blessed the kneeling multitudes. The faithful, now that the Pope has emerged from his seclusion, may reserve for worthier causes their long misplaced sympathy for the poor “Prisoner of the Vatican,” and it will be well for Protestants to keep wide awake, for this emergence of the Pope is of world-wide significance.
Henry Martyn’s Portrait.—The Rev. Charles Simeon, Cambridge, had a portrait of Henry Martyn, the consecrated missionary, hanging in his study, the sight of which greatly impressed him. He used to observe of it while looking up at it with affection, as it hung over his fireplace: “There; see that blessed man! What an expression of countenance! No one looks at me as he does—he never takes his eyes off me, and seems always to be saying, ‘Be serious, be in earnest; don’t trifle, don’t trifle.'” Then smiling at the picture, and gently bowing, he would add, “And I wont trifle, I wont trifle.”
Roman Catholics in Present Parliament.—According to the “Protestant Alliance Magazine” there are 26 Roman Catholics in the present Parliament—18 Labour, 5 Conservative, and 3 Nationalist. Forty-eight Roman Catholic candidates stood, of whom 26 were returned and 22 were defeated. Of the latter 9 were Conservatives, 5 Liberals, 7 Labour, and 1 Nationalist.
Getting Bolder and Bolder.—The L.M.S. are determined to pursue their Sabbath excursion policy. Recently the first excursion train from Helmsdale on a Sabbath was run, but the result, we are told, was not such as to encourage the Mammon worshippers to try the experiment again in a hurry. Other northern excursions on the Lord’s Day were not very encouraging. But greatly daring the L.M.S. ran an excursion train from Strathpeffer and Dingwall on the Communion Sabbath. This barefaced flouting of deeply cherished convictions may seem a small thing to Mr Follows and his associates, but the seed sown may yet yield a harvest of desperate sorrow. The “Glasgow Herald” says the L.M.S. carried 60,000 excursionists on the first Sabbath of August. In addition to these there were the excursionists who travelled by the L.N.E.R. and the ‘buses—the figures of which are not given. On a more recent Sabbath the figures for Glasgow excursionists were 40,000. At the time of writing this note the L.M.S. is advertising another Sabbath excursion to Kyle with the inducement held out to the excursionists that the ferry will be at their disposal.
St Columba Parish Church (Glasgow) Induction.—A friend has sent us the programme of the Congregational Celebrations in connection with the induction of the Rev. Alexander Macdonald, M.A., to the Gaelic charge of St Columba, Glasgow. Prior to the opening of the proceedings there were selections on the bagpipes. The pro-
ceedings opened with the singing of Psalm c., followed by a prayer in Gaelic and the Chairman’s remarks. Here are some of the items in the programme:—Part song—”An téid thu leam a righinn og”; Song—”Break o’ Day”; Song—”Mi’n so nam’ aonar”; Part song—”The Viking Song”; Song—”Bu chaomh leam ‘bhi mireadh”; Selections on the Bagpipes; Part song—”O hi-ri-ri, tha e tighinn”; Song—”The Wolf”; Part song—”Over the Sea to Skye”; and “Hail to the Chief.” At first sight it seems almost incredible that such proceedings as the above, which took place in the City Hall, Candleriggs, could ever be associated with the solemn induction of a minister of the Gospel to his work in a new charge. The gross worldliness of the whole proceedings is not bettered by the thin sprinkling of what might be termed religious items in the programme. The minister is to be pitied, if he realises the burden of his office, whose introduction to his people was inaugurated by such proceedings. The Moderates in their worst efforts in the olden days could scarcely have outdone the above.
Memoir of Rev. D. Macfarlane, Dingwall.—The work is now issued from the press, and copies have been sent to all who ordered the book. One or two have been returned as the address was not sufficient. Will those who ordered the book, and have not received it, communicate with the Editor giving their full address? Copies have also been sent to our ministers, missionaries, and others for sale, and may be had from them for 3s 6d. The book is going off much quicker than we anticipated, and in order to meet possible demands we have ordered a second impression of 500. When these are disposed of the book will be out of print, and we would advise all those who wish to have a copy to purchase one without delay as repeat orders are already coming in to us. We take the liberty of quoting the following extract from a letter of Mr Ross, Liverpool, to a friend: “I have read Mr Macfarlane’s Life with much pleasure, and I trust not a little profit. What a saint of God and true minister of Christ he was. He was like Mr Spurgeon—pastor, teacher, and evangelist—in his preaching with unflinching witness against the defections and follies of the age. He was eminently taught of God, and his aptitude in quoting the Word of Life showed a truly living acquaintance with it as the discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart, as well as a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. Being true, faithful and holy he provoked assaults from hell. Alas! the devil finds so many of us
so fast asleep, like dogs on the dunghill, that he need not disturb us as we don’t cut any ice against him in his ravages on the sons of men, but our dear departed father was an invader of his kingdom and could not but suffer at his hands; but his Deliverer was ever nigh and the trial ended in gracious praise.” No one can read Mr Macfarlane’s Diary without being profoundly convinced that he went with all his concerns to a throne of grace. He lived a life of humble dependence on his God, and it is well that the young people of our Church should become acquainted with the kind of men who left all for conscience sake not knowing what was to become of them. It was a bold venture of faith, but neither Mr Macfarlane nor Mr Macdonald ever regretted the step they took in 1893. Unfortunately the life of Mr Macdonald is long out of print, and though we are often asked for it we have to say regretfully that it cannot now be had. It is to be hoped, therefore, that our young people will possess themselves of copies of Mr Macfarlane’s life before it goes out of print.
Commercialism Exploiting the Lord’s Table.—A well-known theological monthly has an advertisement headed: “Danger at the Communion Table.” The advertisers go on to say: “Doctors and Public Health Officers pronounce the use of the Communion Cup as liable to convey Infectious Diseases.” Then the wares of the advertisers—individual Communion Cups (whatever an individual Communion Cup may mean)—are brought to the readers’ attention. The gross commercialism herein exhibited in its stark nakedness is repulsive to all reverent minds, and it shows how far theological journals are fallen when such an advertisement would be allowed to appear in their pages.
Royalty and Sabbath-breaking.—It is to be regretted that those who occupy high places should countenance the desecration of the Lord’s Day as was recently done at Forfar by the Duke and Duchess of York. The occasion was the parade of 200 ambulance men, 150 V.A.D.’s, 200 Boy Scouts, and 50 members of the Arbroath Boys’ Brigade. Lord Strathmore presided, and welcomed the Duke and Duchess. Thereafter the members of the Forfar Town Council and officials of the ambulance bodies were presented. The Duke and Duchess inspected the parade. Demonstrations of ambulance work were given and ambulance competitions took place, including one for a trophy presented by the Dowager Countess of
Airlie. The fact that these annual inspections have always taken place on Sabbath, as is reported, does not lessen the sin of the Duke and Duchess in countenancing this worldly display on the Lord’s Day, and only emphasises the fact that there is something seriously wrong in the religious life of Forfar when such demonstrations are permitted. The worst feature of the whole business is the excuses some ministers have been making for this demonstration. The Rev. Dr W. S. Provand, Clerk of the Glasgow Established Presbytery, and the Rev. J. Dempster, of the United Free Church, are reported as offering the plea that the work of the Ambulance Association is a work of mercy. There must be more than an ordinary twist in the mental outlook of some men when they cannot draw a distinction between such demonstrations as are noted above and the work of Ambulance Associations in helping the injured. The Rev. Archibald Morrison, Abbey Parish Church, Edinburgh, as reported in the press, gave as one reason of the correctness of the above function that he himself had addressed many Labour meetings on the Lord’s Day. Such are the men who are supposed to be spiritual guides to the people of Scotland. Is it any wonder that the high tidal wave of Sabbath desecration is sweeping over Scotland?
Death of Stationmaster at Kyle of Lochalsh.—Immediately after the issue of our last number an esteemed reader wrote pointing out that the stationmaster (referred to in our note in the August issue) did not die suddenly. That he had been ill for some time and off duty and died in his own home. In writing our note we were misled by the following news item in the “Glasgow Herald” (a paper invariably reliable in its news intelligence), which was followed by other papers, and which we did not see contradicted: “Sudden Death of Kyle Stationmaster. Mr Riach, the stationmaster at Kyle, died suddenly in Kyle Station on Sunday evening as the excursion train was leaving with 300 visitors from Inverness, Nairn, and Forres” (“Glasgow Herald,” 16th July). The fact that the “Glasgow Herald” stated it thus, however, does not make it correct, and though, by it, we were misled, it is our duty to express sincere regret for indicating by our note that the stationmaster died suddenly in the station. We therefore withdraw the words of our former note: “The departure of the train was marked by the sudden death of the stationmaster, who dropped down as the train was departing.”
Church Notes.
Communions.—September—First Sabbath, Vatten and Ullapool; second, Strathy; third, Tarbert, Stoer. October—First Sabbath, North Tolsta; second, Ness, Gairloch; third, Scourie; fourth, Wick and Lochinver. November—First Sabbath, Oban; second, Glasgow; third Edinburgh and Dornoch. January—Last Sabbath, Inverness. South African Mission—The following are the dates of the Communions:—Last Sabbath of March, June, September, and December. Note.—Notice of any additions to, or alterations of, the above dates of Communions should be sent to the Editor.
Collection for this Month.—The Collection for this month is for the Organisation Fund.
Death of Mr Angus Macdonald, Deacon, North Uist.—We regret to have to record so soon again the passing away of another of the North Uist office-bearers. Mr Angus Macdonald was a much younger man than Mr Malcolm Macdonald, to whose death we referred in the June issue. We extend our heartfelt sympathy to his widow and family, and to the congregation which in so short a time has lost two of its office-bearers. A fuller notice will (D.V.) appear later.—J. M.