CHRISTCHURCH DIOCESAN SYNOD.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 10262, 14 October 1896, Page 5

CHRISTCHURCH DIOCESAN SYNOD.

— O —— [BT TELEGRAPH. PRESS ASSOCIATION".] Christchurcii, Tuesday. The annual session of tho Diocesan Synod was opened to-day. Bishop Julius gave a long address-at a special service hold in the Cathedral to-night. lie referred to the sudden death of the Archbishop of Canter, bury, and dealt at gome length with work in the diocese during the pa?t year. Referring to Armenia he said that the horrible cruelties were bringing matters to a crisis, and even the Powers were beginning to move. English hands were not free of guilt. Selfish policies had kept the ' sick man' on the throne and now at last they were learning that the balance of power, always precarious, could not be maintained by acts of oppression. No christian could desire war, but better war than guilty peace. For his own part ho hoped to see the Russians at Constantinople, Referring to religious education he was not without hope that there was a sufficient number of people in the country, the influence of whose early training would lead them to support the Bill promoted by the Churches. What was difficult now would be far more difficult ten years henco, when « generation had grown up ignorant of the word of God. Dealing with the subject of prohibition ho reiterated the objection he had previously urgedagainstit, but God forbid that Churchmen should defend the trade. He doubted whether private and competitive trade could over be properly regulated, more especially if the police had anything to do with it. In his judgment, the proper remedy for the abuse of the drink traffic was to bo found on the lines of State monopoly. At the annual public luncheon in concneon with the Church Mission Fund today, tho chairman (Sir John Hall) and Bishop Julius made feeling reference to the death of the Archbishop of Canterbury.