This column first appeared in the Victoria Daily Times on Feb. 18, 1939.
Recently, I had the privilege of addressing a provincial gathering of the women of a great church, which maintains schools and sends missionaries to the benighted and needy, at home and abroad.
The average woman church worker is bewildered today. Aghast is perhaps a better word. She sees the things she believed in scattered and broken. She reads of countries that have definitely broken with religion, and yet are doing very well.
Fire did not come down from heaven to consume the blasphemers. Crops still grow, rains fall and fields ripen under smiling harvest skies, and the processes of nature go on.
There is another source of perplexity. Here in sa国际传媒, we have had comforting traditions. One of these has been pride in the British Empire, on which the sun never sets.
鈥淏ritons,鈥� we sang, 鈥渘ever, never shall be slaves,鈥� and slaves, as you can see, rhymes with 鈥渨aves.鈥� The British navy goes back to Drake鈥檚 time. Did it not whip the Spanish Armada, with the help of a storm? All this was comforting and uplifting. The tight little island can never fall.
鈥淏ritain,鈥� said the leader of the Senate a few years ago, 鈥渋s the creditor who always waits, and the debtor who always pays.鈥�
The past few years have brought bitter changes, and we are troubled. All this I saw in the faces of these women, who still hold bazaars and teas, to raise their missionary money, and give thanks offerings at Easter and devote their leisure time to a study of missions.
The spirit of doubt is gnawing at the foundation of their faith. They get a little bit irritated with God. Why does He not assert Himself more? Why does He not send a sign? Theoretically, they believe in going the second mile, in turning the other cheek. They can tell you instances of this, where it worked.
When Rev. Arthur Barne was the head of an Indian school in the West, and had trouble with some of the boys, he told them that he would not punish them, but they must punish him. His had been the fault, some way, and handing a whip to the leader, he told him to use it. The Indian boy鈥檚 heart melted and peace came.
Now this is a nice story, cheering and hopeful, bearing out the theology of the dear old hymn:
Down in the human heart,
Crushed by the tempter,
Feelings we buried that
Grace can restore.
Touched by a human heart,
Wakened by kindness,
Chords that were broken
Will vibrate once more!
But, they say, what about Mr. Hitler? Mr. Mussolini? Didn鈥檛 Mr. Chamberlain give away Czechoslovakia鈥檚 coat and cloak also? Didn鈥檛 he go many miles 鈥� and what happened?
Can it be, they say, that the second mile applies only to private lives, but it has not yet reached public affairs? Then they think of the promise given to the wise servant who, because 鈥渉e was faithful in a few things was made a ruler over many!鈥� And that brings their thinking back from Europe to their own home towns.
What is the meaning of being faithful 鈥渙ver a few things鈥�? Have we always been on the side of righteousness? What about the quarrel in the church; what about the time 鈥� they ask each other 鈥� we were in the choir and somebody said something about the anthem, and we all resigned, and just let them see how badly off the church was without a choir.
We actually enjoyed the blank look on the congregation when there was no choir 鈥� served them right, we said. Not a trace of Christianity in that 鈥� nothing but temper.
