The Substitution Mania.—The substitution meant is that of putting worldly devices in the place of the God-given means. A writer in the Scots Observer has some pertinent comments on
the subject. “This substitution mania,” he says, “has invaded the Church. The function of the Church in the times of maximum effectiveness has been to preach Christ crucified — that and nothing more. The functions of the Church to-day are everything but that. The Church runs whist drives, women’s guilds, scout companies, P.S.A.’s, literary societies, this, that, and the other thing till it has degraded its God into a kind of communal soup kitchen. These things may be all very well in their way, but they are only substitutes for true religion. Did the early Christians conquer the Roman Empire by offering social evenings? Did Luther undermine the Pope with a bath bun? The Church makes itself ridiculous when it tries to fight the Devil with his own wiles, for the Devil has been long in the trade. Or, if you don’t like the implication that the Devil has anything to do with women’s guilds, let us say that the Church cheapens itself when it makes any compromise with the world. Churches that offer social amusements in order to tempt people to their services are on the level of those newspapers that tried to buy circulation by giving away saucepans. The sooner the Church purges itself of all its substitutes for religious emotion the sooner it will bring about the renascence of true religion and lead the world again.” Such a comment printed in the Scots Observer is significant.
Glasgow and Sabbath Games.—It is encouraging to know that Glasgow Town Council turned down the proposal for games on the Sabbath in the parks. It is true the proposal was defeated by a narrow majority—40 to 37. The Socialists by a majority supported the proposal. An Episcopal minister, Rev. Alexander Bain, advocated Sabbath games and gave us his reason that Sabbath “ought to be a happy day.” Fortunately, ideas of happiness differ and Mr. Bain’s idea of games on the Lord’s Day as conducive to happiness is evidence of the sheer carnality of his conception of happiness.
“Sunday” Cinemas.—Since the “Sunday Entertainment Act” came into force sixteen months ago only 90 areas out of
over 700, have applied for opening on the Sabbath. Of these 90 applications, 38 have been refused by local authorities. The polls resulted in a verdict being given against opening on the Lord’s Day and 6 orders were granted without polls being held. It is encouraging to know that the advocates of turning the Lord’s Day into a day of pleasure have not been as successful as they anticipated.
Naval Salutes for the Pope.—The British Government’s decision to accord naval salutes to the Pope and his representatives was the subject of questions in Parliament yesterday by Mr. Isaac Foot, Liberal M.P. for Bodmin. Mr. Isaac Foot asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether there was any precedent for the recent amendment of the King’s Regulations and Admiralty Instructions directing that salutes should be fired from H.M. ships, forts, and batteries in honour of the Pope and his nuncios, inter-nuncios, and legates met with at sea or arriving at or quitting any place in H.M. Dominions. Sir Bolton Eyres-Monsell replied that since the Lateran Treaty was signed in 1929 the Pope, as temporal sovereign of the Vatican City, had been entitled to salutes. This right extended to his representatives having diplomatic status, and had no territorial limitation. The salute did not imply any recognition of ecclesiastical status of the Pope or of his representatives. Instructions in this sense were issued to the Fleet in 1929, and they had recently, as a matter of routine, been formally incorporated in the King’s Regulations. Mr. Foot asked if, before the amendments were made, the law officers of the Crown were consulted as to how far these amendments were consistent with our existing law. Colonel Crookshank inquired whether an impossible situation would not arise if any religious discrimination were shown by the armed forces. Sir Bolton Eyres-Monsell said he agreed with the last supplementary question. As regarded the first supplementary question, as far as he was aware the law officers of the Crown were not consulted, and he did not think it was necessary that they should be. Mr. Lovat Fraser—Can the Minister tell us what Oliver Cromwell did about the Pope? No answer was returned.—
Bulletin (Glasgow, 29th March.) The British Government seems to have learned nothing in the past. It quietly engineered an Envoy to the Vatican and now it secretly without consent of Parliament has decided to give naval honours to the Pope and his representatives. If the Pope is now a temporal sovereign what right has he to be such and why are his legates, etc., given these honours?
Ministerial Entertainers.—The following appeared recently in the Daily Record (Glasgow): “Over 1000 people were present in the Central Hall, Inverness last night, when a dramatic recital was given by students of Mrs. Margaret Nicholls’ School of Music and Verse Speaking. The entertainment was organised by Mrs. Margaret Nicholls, who was assisted by her brothers, the Rev. Dugald Macechern, Bower, Caithness; the Rev. John Macechern, Tain, Ross-shire; and the Rev. C. V. S. Macechern, Aberdeen. Rev. John Macechern appeared in a sketch entitled ‘The Family Party in the Humour of Railway Travel,’ while the Rev. C. V. S. Macechern contributed another sketch, ‘At the Football Match last Saturday.’ Thirty-four players took part in a revue-scene play, ‘The Indiana Trail,’ which was written for the occasion by the Rev. Dugald Macechern. A musical comedy chorus, a dramatised poem, and guitar, banjo and lute solos were features of what was the most popular concert held in Inverness for a considerable time.” We are not inserting this in the Magazine as an advertisement to these ministerial entertainers but to give our readers an idea of how things are drifting in the Church of Scotland. The Church has travelled far even since the days when Moderatism had a firm grip of it when professing ministers of the gospel are allowed without a word from their presbyteries to write plays. It looks like that the Playhouse Battle fought out in the Church courts in the middle of the 18th century will require to be fought out again if the Church of Scotland is to be true to its profession. Then ministers were dealt with for countenancing the theatre but a more serious situation has arisen when ministers are taking part as entertainers and playwrights.