p. 30 | Reports From Australia by William A. Colcord

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Aug 6, 1908

Reports From Australia

By William A. Colcord

In a recent letter addressed to the secretary of the Religious Liberty Bureau, writing of the condition of things in Australia, Elder A. W. Anderson, editor of the Australasian Signs of the Times, says:—

“There is a general tendency toward compulsory legislation here, and a constant effort on the part of the church bodies to secure the enactment of religious legislation, all of which speak in unmistakable terms that the crisis is approaching. The defense bill now before the Federal Parliament has created very much interest, not only on the part of our people, but on the part of all who object to compulsory military training. The government proposes to take all the young men between the ages of eighteen and twenty-one and train them for active military service. We have pointed out to the minister of defense that it would be difficult for such a law to be obeyed by Adventists, seeing that most of the military training would undoubtedly be given on the Sabbath. The government’s reply to our appeal for exemption on that and other grounds is that we are amply protected by the federal constitution. I thought that you would be interested to know this, seeing the prominent part you played in introducing the amendment to the constitution, known as the ‘116th clause.’ Here is the government of to-day pointing to that very clause as the charter of our religious liberties.”

Clause 116 of the Australian Constitution reads as follows:—

“The commonwealth shall not make any law for establishing any religion, or for imposing any religious observance, or for prohibiting the free exercise of any religion, and no religious test shall be required as a qualification for any office or public trust under the commonwealth.”

This clause was inserted in the federal constitution of Australia as the result of the efforts put forth by our people in Australia a few years ago at the time when the federal conventions were being held which framed the constitution. Appropriate religious liberty literature was prepared and circulated freely, and petitions protesting against anything being inserted in the constitution looking toward a union of church and state, and praying for a declaration in favor of religious freedom, were circulated, and thirty-eight thousand signatures secured to them. Prominent men in the conventions were also interviewed and supplied with literature. All this had effect, and we can to-day see something of the value of putting forth such effort, and securing such a declaration of rights in governmental documents.

Writing a little later, Elder W. A. Hennig, secretary of the religious liberty department of the Australasian Union Conference, reports as follows:—

“There have been a good many arrested the past few months for Sunday work. One of the most perplexing ones, to the authorities, was in Melbourne two weeks ago. The judge announced the fine, but the prisoner said that he would not pay it, but take the penalty prescribed by the law under which he was summoned, the law of Charles II (1676); and you know that under this a man can refuse to pay the fine, and sit in the stocks. The case was dismissed; but the Sunday people feel a bit humiliated over it. The judge said that the stocks had to be made, or some better law take the place of the one they have. About all the laws there are that are of value to the people who desire to compel all to rest on Sunday are the police acts, and they are very unsatisfactory. Some of the policemen do not care if the people do work on Sunday. I do not know how we shall fare at the school since the district police has been changed. The man in charge now has made the announcement that he would arrest all who worked on Sunday. Our brethren are going about their work in a quiet way.”

“In Victoria and Queensland the churches are working hard for the Bible in the schools. They have changed their demands somewhat, and now all they ask is that reading lessons without note or comment shall be given in the schools. I do not think that we shall have much to say against that, although it is probable that the advocates ask this as the entering wedge. A referendum to decide the matter has been arranged for Queensland. In Victoria the government refuses to sanction a referendum.”

“The military training proposition is not attracting much attention at present, and I am of the opinion that it will fall through, as there have been many objectors to the compulsory phase of the matter.”

Having spent nine years in Australia, and remembering the battles we had there for freedom and truth, we are particularly interested in the work in that field.

W. A. C.