Science and Religion.

The question has been raised, what has been the cause of this terrible outburst of barbarity? It is not my intention to-night to trace the cause; but as it has been attributed to the spread of scientific thought, or what by a dyslogistic or name-calling phrase is termed "materialism," we must not overlook certain facts. In the first place, we must be on our guard in assuming, when dealing with the cause of an event, that the mere succession of events implies a casual connection between those events. The old fallacy of post hoc ergo propter hoc is not uncommon. There has been a wonderful development of scientific-knowledge in the past sixty years. In the same period there has also been amongst educated people an abandonment of many religious dogmas. We must not, however, assume that because some old beliefs have been given up, and because science has shown that they are without evidence, and unverifiable, that therefore we have descended to a state of barbarism. To test such an a legagation, we would have to find out what are the beliefs of the present day barbarians. There is no evidenee that the Kaiser and his generals are not Christians and believers in all the dogmas of Christianity. Some are Protestants, some are page 5 Roman Catholics, and some are Greek Catholics. We know that in all the nations of Germany, Austria, Hungary and Bulgaria, religions education of the young is insisted upon. In Germany, which is the most barbaric of all these nations, the teaching of the orthodox Christian beliefs is compulsory. Nor is this barbarity that we have witnessed a new phase of German life. We know what happened a few years ago in China. The nations of Germany, France, United States of America, Russia, England and Japan made war on china, and what is the record of their conduct? The most barbarous of all China's enemies was the German army. Nor was this surprising when it is remembered that the commands given by the Kaiser to the soliders before starting from were that were to imitate the doings of the Huns, as recorded in history. They were to take no pr[unclear: i]soners and exhibit no mercy. Impartial Englishmen have told us of the conduct of these armies in China, and it is admitted that the most humane of all the armies was the Japanese. Japan is not a Christian nation.

I shall state two further facts in this connection. We have heard and read of ecclesiastics depicting the dangers of civilisation dependent on secular education, or, as they call it, "Godless schools." How do those nations stand who have had secular education? In this war how have the French soldiers behaved, and how have our New Zealand lads acquitted themselves? This is how one of the most eminent Scotfish clergymen spoke of the New Zealanders—I quote from a letter of the Very Rev. Dr. John Kelman, of Edinburgh.; He said: "I have been along with our fighting troops, have seen them before going into battle, and spoke with some of the gallant men who survived some of the most awful tasks of the war, and I can assure you that no part of my whole experience of the army has impressed me more than the charaeter, loyalty and page 6 power of the New Zealand troops."

It is unnecessary to refer further to the absurd charge that materialism is the cause of German barbarity. Have we not read the pronouncement of German Protestant divinity professors, the sermons of German Evangelical clergyman who dauded the German offensive, and had no adverse criticism of German atrocities; and have we not perused the request of the great and noble Cardinal Mercier to his fellow Catholic Bishops in Germany to pronounce against the barbarity with which the Belgian people were treated? They did not respond to Cardinal Mercier's request, and so far as I know, no Bavarian. Prussian or Austrian, Prince, general or military leader has been expelled from the Catholic Church for the barbarities they permitted the German troops to commit. We know that French, English and American Catholics have fought with their Protestant brethren against German barbarity, but both Protestant and Catholic Germans and Austrians have committed untold crimes against humanity. It cannot be said that the Kaiser and his generals were not professed believers in the Christian dogms, and punctilious in their observance of Christian ordinances. Their belief, had not been much influenced by the new thought that is abroad in the world.