BISHOP SADLIER.

TO GO TO WESTERN FRONT

HIS DUTIES TO BE DIVIDED.

The Bishop of Nelson (Kt. Key. W. C. Sadlier) is to leave New Zealand shortly on a visit to the Western front. During his absence the Bishop of Wellington will administer confirmations in Maryborough and Nelson, and the Bishop of Christchurch will act similarly in the southern and West Coast parts of the diocese. Referring to his approaching departure, Bishop Sadlie^ in the course of Mis sermon at the /Nelson Cathedral on Sunday, said that a rumour had been going about that a call . would come to one of the Angli can Bishops of New Zealand to lay aside his work here in order to visit the soldiers at the front. How had that position I been created? Why should a New 1 Zealand Bishop go Home? Were there not over a hundred Bishops in EngTand? Now. every Bishop in England 1 had his own special work among ! populations larger than the population of New Zealand. Four of the English Bishops, with a staff of four thousand chaplains, had been ministering to British soldiers on the front during the last four years. Across the water there was a Church in which he was ordained and in which he ministered for many years. The Australian soldiers at the front had never been without one of their Bishops since the war began. The Americans, having entered the war, had set the New Zealand Church an example. One of the first things that the Church in America did was to withdraw Bishop Brent from his important work in the .Philippine Islands and send him with their earliest troops to France. New Zealand up, to the present had been the only [ Dominion which liad not sent one of its Bishops to minister to its soldiers .at the front. Were ther boys less worthy of the best that they could give them? Why was it that they had not sent a Bishop long ago? He had seen some time ago a petition from the Anglican chaplains of New Zealand, asking that one of their BisTiops should go to the front. "That petition immediately became a subject for grave consideration on the part of those in authority," said Bishop Sadlier, 'and now a request has come unanimously from tli^m that I should go. You ask me why. and my answer is that I suppose the unanimous decision of the Bishops is due to the fact that lam the youngest, and also to the fact that for nearly twenty-five years I have heeu engaged in military work, and that I possess the military rank that is necessary. With this request of the Bisnops there comes an assurance _of the warmest co-operation of the military authorities. And now there has been issued a commission from the Prshate on behalf of himself and the other Bishops of the province, and that commission has been placed in my hands. I cannot refuse to obey this commission, because if I did so you would be ashamed of it, and J should be ashamed of myself if I allowed any personal motives to interfere in a work to which there was a call from the whole Church of the . Giving what he called a Dmne balance-sheet, Bishop Sadlier said the Nelson diocese had a Church of England population of about 25,000. The number of Church of England togs on active service at the front was 35,000. That showed upon which side_the spiritual responsibility lay.. Those were the facts which caused the Standing Committee of the Nelson Diocesan Synod the other day to give him their unanimous advice to accept the commission which had been placed in his hands. The commission was issued on June 5, and now he was a man under orders. He would go Home as senior chaplain ot tne New Zealand Forces. In his work at the front he would be concerned only with those who were members of the. Church of England. He would have nothing to do with the chaplains of other denominations. fie was sure there would be a. continuance of the brotherly love which had been shown on Friday and on,, other occasions, but from the strict husiness point of view he would cerned with the Church of JUUWanct chaplains alone. His mflitary rank, would enable him to have control ot the Anglican chaplains who were un-. der military discipline. The rank a. chaplain was given did not confer, upon him any military title; it was only given for the purpose of miht -efficiency. "I shall receive , » military pay," added the Bishop "My position will enable me to act as chaplain upon .the troopship on which I Bhall make the voyage Home and for that I shall get a passage and I shall be given rations. Any personal expenses to which I may be put durinrmy absence will be paid by the Church of EngW Military Affairs Committee in r f nu W^ m^ n SVv I shall receive no salary or stipena.