Cremation Increasing in Scotland
Seventeen crematoria now deal with about one third of the deaths in Scotland. The trend toward cremating the dead is increasing both in Scotland and throughout the United Kingdom. We shrink from this practice and utterly disapprove of it. Whatever the men of Jabesh-gilead did with the bodies of King Saul and his sons, in burning them there; we are told “they took their bones and buried them . . .,” complete burning into ashes of their dead, was not the practice of the God fearing in the Old Testament Church. In the New Testament we find that Lazarus was laid in the grave, wrapped in grave clothes. Then the rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen, of whom Jesus tells us, when he died, he was buried. And on a certain occasion Jesus said: “Let the dead bury their dead.” In this reference we are not concerned with who was to perform this duty, but with the duty itself. Then Joseph, who begged the body of Jesus from Pilate, laid it in a new tomb which he had provided for himself. Stephen, after being stoned to death by the Jews, was carried to his burial. Today, arguments for the practice of cremation include the concern for public health and the limited amount of ground now available for the traditional mode of disposal of the dead. Of course there seems to be plenty of ground available for the provision of such as stadiums for sport and other purposes for the living. Cremation clearly bears the mark of pagan practice.
Ban on Professional Boxing
We were agreeably surprised to learn that Iceland has banned professional boxing. Then, we read that Sweden’s Minister of Justice had recently urged a complete ban on professional boxing throughout the Scandanavian countries and thus follow the example of Iceland. The Minister of Justice called professional boxing “this form of public cruelty.” It is, of course, a brutal and degrading form of sport. Men are permitted to endeavour to injure one another severely in this sport, whereas in ordinary life men would be committing the crime of assault if they did what professional boxers do to one another. Yet there are thousands of people who pay highly to gloat over this disgusting sport. A general ban everywhere would be consistent even with a civilised outlook, not to speak of a Christian outlook.
National Lottery Plan Approved
A Bill obtained a second reading in the House of Commons in February, which would set up a national lottery board, to run a lottery to make grants to medical research, etc. There were only 86 Members of Parliament in the House to vote on the Bill and only 17 voted against it. The absentees will claim that they were for or against the Bill as it suits them, outside the House. The House of Commons has now become notorious for supporting and passing legislation which no true Christian can regard with anything but abhorrence. This is a serious state of affairs for the British nation. The mover of this Bill, Mr James Tinn (Lab., Cleveland) said that whether we liked or not, gambling was now an accepted part of our way of life. What an admission! And Mr Tinn has been doing his best to see that gambling stays with us to the ruin of many. What a miserable outlook prevails in the House of Commons as to religious and moral issues! “Help Lord, for the godly man ceaseth.”
Immigration
The extent of immigration from other countries into Great Britain, by those who appear to have a legal right of entry, has become a problem to the Government, and in certain areas, especially in England, controversy arose over the recent Immigration Bill, introduced to Parliament by the Home Secretary, to control the number of immigrants from Kenya. Much has been made by some that these thousands of Asians possess British passports and are entitled to entry without restriction of any kind. Others contend that it is perfectly legal to control and restrict the numbers who are at any one time permitted to enter Britain. All this presents a problem to the minds of those who are certainly not racialists; because this country, with all the goodwill it may exercise, cannot absorb thousands of other races indefinitely. There are thousands of families belonging to Britain who are waiting to be housed. Where are the immigrants to be suitably housed? Education authorities in certain areas cannot provide accommodation or teachers for the hundreds of extra children. It may be that the adult immigrants can find work when they arrive; but there is a good deal of unemployment in the country nevertheless. We are led to understand that Britain is in a serious state economically and yet people from Pakistan have been landing illegally and secretly on our shores, desperately desiring to find a footing in Britain. Surely we must be considered by some in other lands, to be a “land flowing with milk and honey.” Yet we are miscalled and criticised on every hand. The Indians as a nation were glad to see the British leave India for good. There were some who were anything but happy at this event no doubt among the Indian people. Now those who by birth belong to India and Pakistan — yet resident in Kenya — are turning to Britain for a house, work and liberty, when circumstances have become difficult for them by the actions of the Kenya African Government. Something must have taken place in Kenya, from Government level there, which occasioned the flight of Asians to Britain. We are also of the opinion that “it was necessary for the inflow to be brought under control.” One thing we do not like is protest marches and demonstrations by Asians enjoying the privileges and liberties of Britain. These observations are based on a practical outlook and not racial prejudice which would be utterly unchristian and unworthy of this magazine. Another matter, not altogether irrelevant here is the fact that we permit our country to be flooded with Mormon missionaries, who are anything but Christian. These emanate from America and are deceiving many throughout the land. We are conscious of the fact that it is difficult to know where to draw the line in such matters.