The Religious Dangers of Evacuation.
—The Evacuation Scheme was heralded with a great blowing of trumpets. Officialdom gloried in the great triumph of having successfully removed thousands of children without a hitch to areas of safety. Let us ungrudgingly give the credit due for this. There are, however, other aspects of the Evacuation which have been severely criticised such as the revelation given to the country of the many imperfections of our costly social services. We leave these matters to those competent to deal with them; in quieter times there probably will be a rigid inquest into the imperfections revealed by the Evacuation. There is one aspect of this Scheme in which we are interested, viz., its religious aspect. All the facts of the invasion of Protestant parts of Scotland by Roman Catholic children have not yet been gathered but when they are it will be seen that the Evacuation was not helpful to Protestantism except in so far as it revealed the low condition of multitudes of Roman Catholic children. We do not wish to be understood to indicate that Roman Catholic children had not as much right as Protestant children to be removed to safe areas. We would not be so cruel, but there was something about the whole scheme as far as education was concerned which revealed incapacity on the part of the originators to take a statesmanlike view of the situation and to deal with it accordingly. The severe criticism passed upon this aspect of the scheme and the lame defences made by responsible officials all point in one direction. The following cutting from The Protestant Woman throws some light on the religious aspect of the question:—”Roman Catholics are triumphantly declaring that one result of the evacuation of Romish schools has been that Masses have been offered in several villages for the first time since the Reformation. The Universe states that ‘The Mass has returned to Cumbria, Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Norfolk, and Northamptonshire villages,’ and that ‘in Cumbria the celebrations in most cases have been in Church of England schools.’ Nonconformist churches have also lent their halls for this purpose. In Scotland, also, the evacuation of the children has meant that Mass has been celebrated in many districts for the first time since the Reformation. While Protestant ministers are giving facilities for the celebration of Mass, the Board of Education has shown unexpected firmness. The Denbighshire Education Authority had been advised by its secretary, Mr. J. C. Davis, to authorise managers to allow Roman Catholic services to be held in Council Day Schools, provided payment was made in accordance with regulations. The Authority, however, asked the Board of Education to state what the legal position would be in the matter, and also of those Roman Catholic teachers from Liverpool who, during school hours, are giving religious teaching to the Roman Catholic children from Liverpool attending Council schools. The Board’s reply must have dealt a shock to all concerned, for it insisted that ‘it is not competent for the Authority to grant the application,’ and the Denbighshire Authority has therefore decided to inform the Liverpool Roman Catholic authorities that it appears to be illegal to allow denominational instruction to be given on Council School premises during school hours.”
Opening of Cinemas on Sabbath.
—At the time of writing an agitation is on foot to have the cinemas opened on Sabbath. The agitators say that the War Office is favourable so that the troops may have some entertainment for the week-ends. There is no end of excuses advanced for ignoring God’s law. What would be covertly advanced only a few years ago is now boldly brought forward without hesitation or shame. The landslide in Sabbath observance has been tremendous during the last number of years and if things go on at their present rate lovers of the Lord’s Day will be confronted with a condition of things which our fathers of a generation ago would stand aghast at. Among the other evils of war the disregard of God’s Day is one of the most prevalent. The lovers of God’s Day are confronted with powerful forces and as they meet them, well may they pray: “Arise and plead the cause that is thine own.”
Strange Conduct.
—The people of Thurso have received from the Admiralty thanks for their kindness to the survivors of the “Royal Oak,” and they certainly deserved it. Some of them, however, seemed to think that the men who had left 800 of their mates in a watery grave would be cheered up by a dance. We do not know who were responsible for this move but we have no hesitation in saying that it showed a very callous type of mind. Dancing, even among the most careless, is rarely indulged in in the presence of a staggering tragedy such as the survivors of the Royal Oak came through. We have no intention of dwelling on that grim tragedy the gloom of which was only intensified by the extraordinary explanation given by the First Lord, but the words of the Thurso correspondent to the John O’ Groat Journal may be quoted. “The townspeople,” he writes, “were happy to be allowed to mitigate some of the hardships of the gallant survivors from the ‘Royal Oak.’ The men were more than grateful for the kindness and hospitality of the householders who received them for their two nights’ stay last week. Their terrible experience, which had been followed by the ordeal of aerial bombardment, had left its mark, and their quiet composure was that of men subdued by calamity and bereavement.” Yet there were in Thurso some who were so callous as to break in on the trying experiences through these poor men had passed by getting up a dance to drive away from their minds the memory of an experience which will probably follow many of them through life like a nightmare.
A Man Appointed to Utter Destruction.
—When the proud Syrian King, Benhadad, flushed with a sense of his might, boasted to the messengers of Ahab, King of Israel, of the might of his army the King sent a message saying: “Tell him, Let not him that girdeth on his harness boast himself as he that putteth it off.” These words, though coming from a ruler that feared not God, are full of wisdom and should be pondered by every one inclined to boast. The truthfulness of the words was soon to be realised by Benhadad in the crushing defeat of his army. On the return of the year Benhadad determined to wipe out the disgrace of his defeat and advanced against Israel with a powerful army. The two armies met at Aphek—the army of Israel were like two little flocks of kids while the Syrians filled the country. The Lord, however, was to fight for Israel; 100,000 footmen fell in the battle in one day while another 27,000 perished at Aphek by a wall falling on them. Benhadad surrendered himself to the King of Israel. Ahab entered into a covenant with him and let him go. On doing so one of the prophets of the Lord came with this message: “Thus saith the Lord, Because thou hast let go out of thy hand a man whom I appointed to utter destruction, therefore thy life shall go for his life, and thy people for his people” (I. Kings xx. 42). It is impressively solemn that while Benhadad was boasting what he was going to do that there was written in the records of heaven unknown to him that he was a man whom God had appointed to utter destruction. At the present time there is a great deal of wild, Philistine boasting by some of the German leaders and unless a great change takes place they appear to be doomed to the awful sentence passed by heaven on Benhadad.
A.R.P. Sabbath Desecration.
—In many parts of the country there is a great deal of Sabbath desecration which no stretch of an elastic conscience can bring within the bounds of works of necessity. It is not necessary to make mention of the various forms that this desecration takes, but many who are at the head of this organisation seem to think that they can do what they like with the Lord’s Day. The plea that the Sabbath is a day on which most men are free and therefore it should be commandeered for various practices and exercises is a poor excuse for Sabbath desecration. The weekly half-holiday is at the disposal of men. Why do they not take it? Why should they steal part of God’s Day? If it was an air raid when men, women or children were wounded a plea of necessity and mercy might be justly advanced. But, to plead necessity for practising on the Sabbath when there is no necessity is one of the subtle arts of the devil.
Medical Aspect of Sabbath Observance.
—The Sovereign Grace Union, 31 Imperial Buildings, Ludgate Circus, London, has issued a second edition of the Medical Aspect of Sabbath Observance by Prof. Blair, formerly of King’s College, London, now of Glasgow University. Dr. Blair has given a very interesting treatment of Sabbath Observance from its medical aspect and has delivered some pulverising blows to the plausible but shallow arguments of the anti-Sabbatarians. Here and there the Professor is found nodding by using “Sunday,” but generally throughout he uses the name which has become endeared in Scotland. The pamphlet should be bought and circulated as widely as possible. The price is 2d., post free; 20 for 2/6; 50 for 5/6.
Repentance and Why.
—We have already drawn attention to the need for Repentance as an essential condition of divine help in the stern struggle to which our nation is committed. . . . People who object to any suggestion of repentance on our part manifest a strange confusion of thought. They imagine, because we have a just cause in resisting German aggression, that therefore we have nothing to repent of. They confuse our attitude to Germany with our relation to God. Though we may believe God approves of our cause, we cannot be sure that He approves of us. Have we not as a nation set His Word at naught, neglected the ordinances of worship, and become materialistic in outlook? When Israel and Judah were made subject to Babylon, they were, on the human side, the innocent victims of unprovoked aggression, but we know that from the divine standpoint, they were being chastened for having departed from Jehovah. Their deliverance was dependent upon their repentance.—The Christian.