Romanist Teacher for Protestant Children.—Recently a petition signed by 140 Protestant ratepayers in Lairg was submitted to the Sutherland Education Committee asking them “to terminate the services of the Roman Catholic teacher in Lairg School.” The Rev. D. J. Matheson and others appeared in support of the petition. By 9 votes to 5 it was agreed to remit the matter to the Education Department for their guidance. In reading the discussion of this Petition in the Northern Times we noted a few things which surprised us, as for instance the fact that this Romanist teacher was appointed by the Director of
Education for the County, seemingly without consulting the Committee. Another point which occasioned surprise is, that though this matter has now been going on for a considerable time, none of those members of the Committee who profess to hold orthodox and Protestant views seem to have said anything about it until this petition appeared. We noted also the reference of the teacher in question to what she termed “a tissue of bigotry which arose out of the Free and Free Presbyterian Churches.” If she had been wise she would have remained silent on that point as these denominations have many points to learn from her own communion on the subject of bigotry. We wish every success to the petitioners in their fight against this effort of Rome to capture their children, for their fight is not against an individual but against a system which is sucking the life-blood out of our Protestantism, and putting forth every effort to bring to slavery our Empire which has been for centuries the symbol of liberty, and do also feel thankful that the Free Presbyterian Church is getting a full share of the odium connected with such a fight.
Whence Come Wars.—It is simply amazing that there could be found among professedly orthodox denominations ministers and laymen who actually imagine the possibility (and ardently advocate such views), of the elimination of war and bloodshed between nations by the enactment of carnally-idealistic international institutions such as the League of Nations, and the more recently ardently-advocated Federated Europe. How such men can maintain this attitude in the light of the General Epistle of James iv. 1-3 is beyond one’s comprehension. As it is out of the human heart, which is “deceitful and desperately wicked” that come the issues of life, ought it not to be as clear as the mid-day sun to any believer in the Bible, as the inspired, infallible Word of God, that only a supernaturally created “new heart and right spirit,” through the instrumentality of the Gospel, can forever eradicate war. The universal world-wide reign of Gospel grace is therefore absolutely essential to a war-less Millenium, which only the merciful operation and exercise of the omnipotent
sovereign grace of God can accomplish, in fulfilment of His eternal purposes. “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you” (John xiv. 27). It is surely bad enough to see godless worldly-minded Socialists and Communists imagining that, independent of God, through Christless so-called social and economic reform, they can create a world-wide international, warless Socialist Co-operative Commonwealth, but to find professing orthodox Christians ardently advocating such futile day-dreaming illusions is surely the essence of inexcusable criminal folly, for they, in doing so, are sinning against light and knowledge. In this as in other things, God “will not give His glory to another, nor His praise to graven images,” and only He, through a proclaimed Law and Gospel, can bring about the divinely-promised Millennium. Till this time comes nations that advocate and practice unilateral disarmament are courting trouble, and are guilty of suicidal national folly. While the Divine sovereign gift of a Millennium thus tarries, in accordance with the Divine purpose, it is absolutely essential to national preservation to act on the principle of the old Latin proverb:—”Si vis pacem, para bellum.” (If you wish or desire peace, be ready, or be prepared, for war).
Aliens Committee Appointments.—In The Daily Telegraph for the 29th November, 1940, it is announced that Mr. Herbert Morrison, the Home Secretary, has appointed the following to be an advisory committee to consider the detention of aliens:—Sir Francis Lindley, Chairman; Miss Margery Fry; Mr. C. R. Havers, K.C.; Mr. C. Jarman; and Mr. I. A. Kirkpatrick. Our personal interest in the composition of the personnel of the above committee is that two of the five have Romanist connections, while we are not sure of the Romanist connections of the other three. The significant fact about this matter is that in the personnel of all previous committees, on the aliens question, Romanists have always been prominently represented, despite their numerical inferiority in this Protestant nation. Let it be remembered in this connection that the only people who can come and go to Britain without passports or visas, regardless of their nationality, are members of Romanist religious orders, such
as nuns, priests, and monks. We consider that their exemption from this safeguarding rule is an act of national folly. It is also significant that the News Chronicle which has carried on an obstinately persistent press campaign in favour of Romanist Eire and against Protestant Ulster, has simultaneously espoused the cause of Indian anti-British Congress agitators, while the same newspaper has gone almost frantic in its agitation for the release of aliens in this country. Police detectives, all over the country, who are not Romanists, state unhesitatingly and fearlessly that their work of rounding up these suspicious and dangerous aliens for months has been rendered null and void by the Government’s action in yielding to the clamouring of the News Chronicle in setting free these aliens. Others will unhesitatingly agree that the security of this nation ought to come before subtle maudlin sentimentalism relative to aliens, most of whom are Romanists. It is not difficult to guess the source of the pressure. Be it noted that Sir Francis Oswald Lindley is married, significantly enough, to a daughter of the 15th Lord Lovat, while Mr. Ivone Augustine Kirkpatrick, a Romanist, has been Chargé d’Affaires at the Holy See since 1932. Can any unbiased reader of our magazine question for a moment the strangle-hold the Jesuitised Romanists have in Governmental departments?
The Curse of God on Dingwall.—According to reports appearing in the Press recently, it seems that Dingwall Town Councillors had under discussion the question of enforcing the burgh bye-laws relative to the closing of ice-cream shops on God’s Day. After some considerable discussion it appears that the vote was a close one, five voting for and five against the enforcing of the burgh bye-law. At this stage Provost John MacRae of Dingwall gave his casting vote against the enforcing of the burgh bye-law, thus not only treating with evident contempt a bye-law, which, as magistrate, he was morally duty-bound to enforce, but, what was of infinitely greater concern, he thus violated the universally and eternally-binding holy Law of God:—“Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy.” It seems that Mr. T. S. Burns was quite willing to support Bailie MacLean
in enforcing the bye-law, provided the latter included in his motion the prohibition of the sale of “Sunday” newspapers, a view with which, needless to say, we are in entire agreement. At this stage, however, Dean of Guild Menzies objected that this attempt to deprive him and others of their “Sunday” newspapers savoured of Hitlerism. Evidently Treasurer Burns was concerned about the ice-cream vendors, who are the successors of the Romanist Italians who used to carry on this wicked business, lest their not being allowed to secularise and commercialise the Sabbath, by earning money seven days a week, should prove a hardship. God’s Law on the matter is evidently a secondary consideration, if a consideration at all, but God is not mocked. I wonder if it ever dawned on Provost MacRae and those whom he supported that they were thus challenging the eternal laws of Heaven, and that they actually voted against God and for the devil, thus bringing the curse of God on the burgh. It would be sheer unfaithfulness on the part of the present writer, as a minister of the Gospel, if he failed to warn Provost MacRae and those who voted as he did, that failing repentance, God will accept the challenge, and they can anticipate their doom at His hands: “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.”
Blaming the Fighting Forces.—Thurso and Inverness magistrates have recently agreed to open local places of amusement and entertainment on the Lord’s Day, ostensibly to meet the supposed demand for such God-cursed forms of Sabbath desecration by the fighting forces. It is extraordinary the great concern the Devil and Hell seem to have developed recently relative to the great danger of soldiers being bored on God’s Day. It is surely a lamentable commentary on the moral, psychological, and spiritual state of the present generation when six days of the week are not sufficient for them to engage in an endless round of flippant irresponsible gaiety and inane merry-making, without encroaching on the sanctity of the Sabbath Day. If this is the fruit of evolutionary and Modernistic teaching it is very evident that otherwise rational human beings are reduced
to the level of ephemeral irresponsible butterflies with no higher purpose to justify their existence than eating, drinking, and making merry. Wanton mirth, sport and pleasure constitute the main, if not the sole, aim and purpose of life for the majority in this Heaven-provoking generation, yet many wonder why there is a war on. The magistrates concerned have declared that they have the backing of the vast majority of local ministers in thus opening places of amusement and entertainment for the soldiers on the Lord’s Day. Thus the fruits of the God-cursed bursary-making ministry is evident. These men were made ministers, not by the Holy Ghost, whose prerogative it is to make ministers, but by carnal methods. “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who prively shall bring in damnable heresies.” As one local community in a nation cannot violate the Moral Law of God without involving the whole nation in criminal guilt, so Inverness and Thurso are bringing the curse of God on the whole nation, prolonging the war, and are thus virtually murderers of our men, women and children. Such magistrates may imagine that they are doing nothing worse than annoying Sabbatarians, but one day they will discover that it is a tremendous responsibility to be a magistrate.