UNKNOWN. SATURDAY. APRIL 22, 1833.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIV, Issue 94, 22 April 1893, Page 4

UNKNOWN.

SATURDAY. APRIL 22, 1833.

For th« csoii that lacks uiistanea, For the wions tint ueada rasistaace, Tor tta futurt la tin dliUace. iii Uii good that tm caa do.

Some of the changes embodied in the Amended Cemetery By-laws, which the City Council are to confirm at their meeting on Thursday evening next, have formed the subject of considerable discussion during the last few days. This is so far gratifying. It is a common complaint that citizens are very apathetic about a good deal of the business transacted by the Council, and it follows that the City Fathers, are often, to a great extent, ignorant as to the light in which a proposed scheme will present itself to the public mind. In the present instance, a good deal of interest is shown with regard to a project for the appointment by the City Council of a chaplain to officiate at the Waikomiti cemetery. The services of this gentleman would be at the disposal of all Protestant denominations, but the Jews and Roman Catholics would be left to provide their own chaplains. It is proposed to add to the clause that reads at present "The Council shall provide all necessary attendance for conducting interments, after the coffin has been brought to the railway station or cemetery," the following, viz.: —" A chaplain or chaplains, who shall (if no order is given to the contrary at the time of ordering the grave) officiate at all interments, except (i) those in the Roman Catholic and Jewish portion of the cemetery, and (2) those taking place on Sundays between the hours of 10 and 1 o'clock." The method by which the chaplain's salary willbe raised is a novel and curious one. The fees to be paid for digging graves are to- be regulated according to theCdenomifte-' tion to which the" deceased belbngeff.! For Jews and Roman Catholics the fee' is under 12, ss; over 12, ioS; Protestants under 12, 10s ; ov£r if] 15s* The additional 5s charged for each Protestant interment will be handed over to the chaplain appointed by the Council. We do not doubt for a moment that in proposing this scheme for removing what is acknowledged on all hands a standing difficulty in connection with interments at the Waikomiti Cemetery, the Council are actuated simply by a desire to secure the interests of the public. The present system is found to be a cumbrous one, involving great waste of time on the part of the^elergy and failing to give satisfaction 'to th% public. We are informed "that cases have occurred when p^rWris hafve been interred without any religious service being performed..' ;cOf* co'fiteev in some instances this' Amay b'g" Tn" accordance with the wish of the family ot the deceased, but sometimes it is due to the fact that np minister of religion is present to render the last offices. It often bappens in connection with such cases that the clergy ate blamed, and writers who have little acquaintance with the facts are eloquent in denouncing the conduct of men who are so occupied with their duties to the living that they neglect to pay the last respects to the dead These strictures are, for the most part, undeserved. The failures to attend that sometimes occur are chiefly the outcome of the present unsatisfactory system. In many instances when a death occurs some member of deceased's iamily communicates with the local minister-of the denomination to which he belonged, and arrangements are made without any difficulty. It is usual, however, in the majority of cases, to leave all funeral arrangements in the hands of the undertaker. In England it is customary for some days to elapse between the death and funeral, but with us interment usually takes place a day or two after a person's decease. The notice given to the clergyman who is desired to officiate is therefore necessarily a short one. It sometimes happens, too, that owing to an oversight no notice is given to him till after the time of.interment has been decided upon and advertised. It is easy to see,, that under such conditions, a clergyman may often be able to comply with the request only at much inconvenience to ! himself and others. Perhaps at the hour a.imed for the funeral he is previously engaged to officiate at a wedding, or to administer the sacrament to a dying person or to periorm some other of the multifarious duties of his office But he naturally feels desirous, at *uch a time, to rueet if possible the wishes of a bereaved family. There are, occasionally, of course, cases when he cannot possibly attend, and may even be disappointed in his endeavour to secure a substitute. If the services of a regular chaplain were available there would be a security against mischances, and we should cease to hear of instances where interments take place without any one being present to conduct a religious service. But, admitting that it is desirable that one or more clergymen should be held specially responsible for conducting services in connection with the interment of deceased Protestan#Tn the Waikomiti Cemetery, the scheme proposed by the Council is beset with many difficulties. If the City Fathers have power to appoint a chaplain, and to levy exceptional grave digging fees for that purpose they would meet, at the outset, various objections of a practical

nature. If the choice fell upon an Anglican clergyman, for example, such an ippointraent would probably meet v ith the approval of his own denominat on arid his services would, no doubt, i jjq lently be called into requisition in (bft tection with interments in other ]10 estant departments. But it would ' c too much to expect from human latme to anticipate that such an arrangement would meet with general approval. Similar difficulties would attend an appointment from any of the other bodies. There is a crudeness too in the scheme for raising funds which cannot escape anyone. The jealousy felt on the subject of religious equality would be aroused by a tariff fixing one scale for Jews and Roman Catholics and another for Protestants, and this would be intensified when the object sought was to pay the stipend of a chaplain whose services a large number of those compelled to pay would not accept.

If the difficulties we have mentioned did not exist, we should be glad to see a chaplain appointed by the City Council, but we cannot close our eyes to plain facts. We believe the matter should be left for the respective religious bodies to deal with, but we are fully convinced there is pressing need for a change in the present system. When the dead were interred in the Symond-street cemetery, ministers in the city and suburbs were better able to cope with the duties. Since Waikomiti has been opened, the necessity for a more efficient system has become increasingly apparent. With the growth of population there is necessarily an increasing number of interments, and the distance of the new cemetery from town involves a loss of time in travelling to and fio that hampers the clergy in the discharge of their ordinary duties. The most feasible plan would probably be to havetwo chaplains, oneappointed by the Anglican authorities and the other by the Ministers Association. This would not, of course, preclude ministers from officiating at funerals of their owa parishioners, or or others in cases where the services of either chaplain were not desired.

It appears to us that all questions concerning chaplain's lees should be left.to the;religious bodies concerned. iFhose who aire' best acquainted with the subject say this matter presents little feati difficulty; Every sensible man knows nhata chaplain has to be paid|in ; some way, and few persons have the slightest] objection to contribute a reasonable fee. In the case of poor people it is, we believe, the invariable custom to remit this charge. In order to defray the expenses of a chaplain, who has charge of funerals from public institutions, the Anglicans devote a portion of what are known as "cemetery fees," received at Purewa to that purpose. The clergy who officiate at Purewa receive no money for their services, and the fee that would otherwise be paid to them is thus left free to provide funeral services for .the deceased poor, who should'- have a strong claim upon the sympathies"^ bf'^very Christian church. It the otherftfejfgioiis bodies find they 'are able to rentier the required services ajt:funerals without imposing a fee, the public will gain to that extent. We do not think the Council will find its scheme for appointing a chaplain workable, but we hope the attempt to cut the Gordian knot will cause the churches to take some united action. Thesubjectshouldbe viewed quite apart from petty party interests, for of all wrangles that is the most unseemly which is indulged in over the graves of the dead.