DIOCESAN SYNOD.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 249, 18 October 1907, Page 3

DIOCESAN SYNOD.

3ISHOP NELIGAN'S CHARGE.

fl&li TO THE MINISTRY.

OBSTACLES TO THE WORK.

EDTJCATIONAI. QUESTIONS.

; Tlie business sittings in connection uith the third session of the 18th Synod B f the Diocese of Auckland were opened ja St Mary's Parish Hall this afternoon, Vheh his Lordship Bishop Neligan de.jjvered his charge to the Synod

THE BISHOP'S CHARGE. 'Bishop -Neligan said he intended to devote this his fifth charge to the Diocese almost entirely to what might be termed their domestic concerns. A fact which tad helped him in coming to conclusions an many points was the constant traveling which a Bishop of Auckland must •engage in. • His own annual average of miles, exclusive of local journeys, was 6000, and he thus got to know about the diocese and its people at first hand. To him it was one of tie lappiest 'things to find all up and down the diocese men of all sections of the community meeting as churchmen, with equal ■privileges, on the vestries. The only tlung ; that one would like to see increase was the number of the more welltbdo- on our vestries. Sometimes, the burden was mainly borne by the less veH-todo. . The general attitude of people towards religion was both respectful and expectant. The same two adjectives, .with/ emphasis on the latter, were applied to the general attitude of the people towards the church. The attitude -ras -further described as being always friendly, and that people were desirous oi the ministrations of the church at family events, even if there was neglect on-their, part at other times. There •was, however, a loud and insistent call to" the laity to still further back up > their leaders in the common priesthood m-the Church of God. OBSTACLES TO THE WORK. Tie-clergy found that the greatest obstacle to the more efficient work of the church -was their pastoral house-to-house |.visiting was not -what tley wisled it to le, owing to the lack of clergy; that the TFork wanted more, workers. Other points of hindrance were mentioned: bad roads in winter, milking in summer, in the country; pleasure excursions in the tity and townships; the practice of Materialism, in its many forms, in some cases; decay of family life and discipline, knot a few cases; and, sad as it was to-have to state the fact, the spirit of SKUrianism was given as a very real hindrance to the work so generally as Vto force one to believe that it was a big difficulty. He only touched upon the spirit of sectarianism, because, as a diocese, they had cause to be thankful that it was admitted now on all sides that the xlergy, wMle loyal and definite in their ~' regard to the principles of their own church, did not in any place seek to in- , trade upon the convictions of people ™ auTered from: them in form of faith The of thisdiocese had cause ttrbe proud of their clergy: as a body, ttey were t positive in teaching church doctrine as Bible truth; not negative in attacking the convictions of others. One awer could stop sectarianism, but could top one's own soul above and outside of it.' BTJTLDINGS AND CLERGY. ' The returns showed that, within, say, three-years, they would require 44 more tendings,- of which 10 are to be churches, 10 parish halls or school-rooms, 24 schoolchnrches or mission halls. When £__ this -expectation of demand for Wdmgs was added the further act that the returns showed ™t they needed some 25 more clergy for te diocese, if the work waiting to be toe was-to be compassed, they might that the present staff of Mfgy, although overburdened, were not wthout-vision nor without confidence in %'fature. About 20 men throughout uffi-oiocese were known to be thinking J--.HT orders. AU told, they engaged in pastoral work I- T„W V^f c ' Miffing the warden of fl/iS." S ,ne S c : aad headmaster of Wn""^, 5^5 - X Hawkins and G. Jtattdl might also be included. They Wa total, of 70 pakeha clergy, 62 en™>rk; 23 of these of supply was detriSgg to wholesome growth. A too 2°™* system of protection in this ■*■ would be almost as bad. They Wo all they could to avoid either Z&ri that, in New .***, &cv; should have to rely very ggpffly for some years upon outsit The dearth of men was not confined to m r i k COl ? 2mmion; jt was experienced non-episcopal bodies. The obs ervance of family W*s was largely responsible. £ ersonal experience, he fedolX to * er erfHaan had much The whole fact of *r ha f tte Christian Church tofttfflfei- 5 ? far ' not heea disproved by Iggrcof of the authenticity or gel of either Old or •38, Nor had the an rthing to do tter --. The " N ™ The- » «ngmal age about con--STwT 7? h the errors «™*er115 ' G0S P eL Jt ™» * W&JgFl.****** te eTer 7 age of lustory. Undoubtedly, the 'm- r 'exneL P °° rly ' paid ' and &JS !.jg * c * d DOt MS B ** that ""■Boil to- rt m J tseU sn ffi«ent ft -*. : tkrL*r- P r< * le , m - were <i : Wfa^-' WOnld Ue " the hands lat *«s wornf - pia J ers of fathers ««» <a «icf'J£r ? *! a fame ' brin S billing ■ J semce from sons and daughters.

TBS CENSUS. baa acs s n f r '-'5 Ui J er ? r real courtesy and to - B ??strar-GeneraL. I am mfi!! e 'a- m an a PPendix, some ef dW^' f conc erning the area *** -a SSrf and ' the ChTO * P°P ula " $Mnttt faon WitJdn this diocese **JifWv I,lller of Persons rerChpe 9.lß9. leis9 °P One m «en a rr^, P^ oportion of tt ese may ' <oa^sS l n larly^assifi ed aas "C.R.P." Church **;'■'«• Si CTa y allowance, how- %* the I^'s fa cts sup'^rS at f addTlce elsewhere: are *«i-fi» \tL§ et : at an accurate cen--*«wcs. xhs "Yeai Bock"

return gives this diocese a total" of 22,108 Maoris. I tlink that it is a fair estimate, though a rough one, to count 8000 as belonging to the Church of this province, 8000 as belonging to the Roman, Presbyterian and Wesleyan Missions, and between 6000 and 7000 as being leathen or apostate, or disciples of some 'corrupt following.'" NORTH ISLAND DIOCESES. The General Synod passed a resolution setting up a commission to inquire (a) whether or not the present divisions for dioceses in the North Island are the most suitable; (b) what (if any) alterations should be made in the present boundaries if the North Island remain divided into three dioceses; and (c) what boundaries should be made if tie North Island' were to be divided into four dioceses. If the Commission were to recommend that steps should be taken towards the erection of a fourth See in the North Island, personally he believed much benefit would accrue in years to come. Taranaki was a populous and a prosperous province, and he had always thought that the sea barrier between Auckland and the Archdeaconry of Taranaki made it a little hard for that .Archdeaconry to feel the corporate diocesan life as readily as, say, the Archdeaconry of Waikato. CHILD LABOUR. Last year he mentioned' thjs subject and suggested it as a useful matter for investigation by tie branches of the C.EM.S. The replies to hand did not lend much support to the allegation that at present there was any very prevalent carelessness in dairying districts over the health of children. TheTe were instances of very hard lives; but, so far as his informants had been able to ascertain, the instances were not sufficiently numerous to enable any sort of general conclusion to be arrived at. There was, no reliable evidence within Teach of any general cruelty in the sense of child labour in dairying districts. It was, however, quite possible that a too vigorous and unsympathetic enforcement of the requirements of the syllabus may press cruelly not only on the children j but also, on the teachers in State schools in dairying districts. S. JOHN'S COLLEGE. For the new Warden (the Rev. C. W. Scott-Moncrieff) he bespoke a warm welcome. Although £ac Warden lad a provincial position, yet he was more closely connected with this diocese than with any other in the province. Papers descriptive of the Patteson Wing as the first instalment of a Residential College were at the disposal of members. The present scheme involved an expenditure of some £6000. If this generation erected the Patteson Wing, succeeding generations would complete the college. There could bo no manner of doubt that the want of a residential college was felt by men at the University to-day. The present scheme was designed to meet this want in the way most beneficial to -the men of this country: the unconscious influence of religious and historic surroundings. Tie scleme had commended itself to the leading business men of this city. NATIONAL MISSION. Every Diocesan Synod in the , province forwarded to the General Synod a resolution approving of the suggestion for a National Mission, and the General Synod passed a resolution affirming the wisdom of such a Mission. The Central Committee, meeting at Wellington "in August, telegraphed, asking if, on behalf of this diocese he v.-ould guarantee £ 100 towards the expenses of the -preparatory work. He thought the diocese would endorse lis action in replying: "Yes.' If other dioceses join, so will Auckland." Two points might well be now considered, (a). Should clergy from Home be invited to visit New Zealand, for the purposes of the Mission, in 1909, without anything being guaranteed towards the necessary cost of the Mission; trusting that one effect of the Mission would bo thankofferings in money sufficient to meet the expenses? (b) Should there first be made some reasonable assurance for the provision of the estimated cost of the Mission before the bishops sought to obtain the Missioners? They could' not take any very practical steps until the Bishops' Pastoral was put fortl and the committee's pamphlet published. But it would help the work of the Diocesan Committee, to be appointed later, if that Synod were formally to approve of. the course he had suggested with respect to the latter of tie two points needing consideration just now. DIOCESAN GIRLS' SCHOOL. The first effort of the Council had passed beyond the stage of experiment. There were over 100 girls in the school. The accommodation, both for day-girls and boarders, was taxed to the uttermost, and would lave to be extend; ed, unless they were prepared to go on refusing pupils —a thing they had to do for want of accommodation at times. The school lad sufficiently disproved all reports -which would narrow it down to being a "class" school. The doors were open to all girls, provided they were able and willing to respond to the tradition sought to be made by such a school, and to rise to the standard set by the principles adopted by the CounciL BIBLE IN SCHOOLS. With the exception of last year, he had dealt in his charge each year with aspects of this question, and did not purpose, therefore, going over ground already trodden. - His present immediate object was to state some results gained by as fair and honest attempt 5.3 could be made to test the practical value of the present, so-called, "facilities" for Bible instruction in State schools. Under the existing conditions of religion being an "extra" the "facilities" were, to any general extent, of no benefit to the children of to-day, the men and women of tomorrow. The "facilities" were futile. They had been tried and found wanting. He expressed his individual judgment, after the experience gained here, when he said: —Unless a Government of this country puts the Bible into the curriculum of the State schools, the national system of State schools will be upset in New Zealand, because—(a) It is contrary to the very fundamentals of democracy that religious .education for their children should be reserved only as the privilege of those who can afford to send their children to a school where payment las to be made. (b) The absence of Bible lessons from State schools, continued long enough; will force the people who care for education in its only true sense to start and maintain denominational elementary school*, as lave tie members of the Church of Rome in this Dominion. In my own mind" I have not a doubt that the issue must work out thus. Logic cannot stop it. It may take twenty-five years or more before it happens; but happen it must. Regarding eitler result as an evil, as perhaps politicians may, it is for them to choose. whichever they • may deem, in their wisdom, to be the lesser evil,

. SEPARATE'ENItoWED'SCHOOLS BILL. Referring to the' Separate r Endowed • Schools- Bill the' Bishop • said—These Com--missions had only to do with Anglican: trusts. In neitler. report were Anglica ? trustees found, in any true sense, guilty of ".dereliction, of trust. Granted, for tie' sake of 'argument,' -tlat Native trusts- ■• wanted looking into,, would it not .give .more: credence: to. tie good intentions of the Govern»nent if, in addition to the Anglican, the Roman, Presbyterian ' and' Wesleyan trusts were equally investigated? As a matter of academic, if "not of national and practical, interest, would if not be more disinterested of a Government and expose them less to the charge of partiality if they proposed a bill to resume possession of all religious ' endowments, Anglican, Roman, Presbyterian, Wesleyan, alike? Failing such action on tne part of Government in these two particulars, was it not of the nature of religious persecution and of' interference with the civil and religious • liberty of citizens. If- the bill became law, there would not. be one single religious educational institution of any sort or kind within this Dominion free from the interference, captious - or otherwise, of . the Minister of Education for the time being. Nor could any man, Anglican,' Roman, Presbyterian, or Wesleyan, contribute to religious education, according to his own form of faith, with any degree of security that his gift, direct or testamentary, would not be alienated from the definitely religious educational purpose he had in view; because it wits liable to seizure by a Minister of Education, at any time, for purely secular purposes. The General Synod" had recently recommended that "every effort of every member of the General Synod, direct and indirect, through every member of the Church of the Province of New Zealand, be used to prevent the passage of any such measure through the legislature." They knew that the Wesleyan Conference heartily joined hands with thenW-i this matter, and might. also be certain that the members of the Roman Communion would be equally determined in their resistance to any action calculated to infringe the principle of religious liberty. They had gratefully to acknowledge the courtesy and fairness with which the Minister of Education met the proposals for the amalgamation of the Otaki and Porirua trusts. The Government of the day had honouraly respected the convictions of the two bodies of trustees concerned in the promotion of that bill, and had assisted its passage through the House of Representatives. THE MAORI MISSION. The work was still anxious but, thank God, very promising. The report was so full that, with the exception of impressing the need for continued effort to support tbe actions of the Provincial Maori Mission Board, by raising the annual assessment for this Diocese of £1073, he need not further allude to that report. A very important stage had been reached in Missionary enterprise which he desired should be clearly understood. It was determined to send their own Diocesan Maori Superintendent with an experienced Maori priest to visit the Melanesian Mission. Accordingly, the Revs. H. A. Hawkins and Hone Papahia sailed oh the Southern Cross for her September-December voyage. The present suggestion was not to send Maori clergy as missionaries to Melanesia, but Maori' laymen and their wives, men and women of definite Christian life and conversation. These people were to live the Christian family life among the heathen, and as evangelists, teachers, or in other capacity, try to evangelise those amongst whom they may dwell. Upon the report of the two clergy further action of the Bishops will depend. The report ought to be of great, value, for one man can view the situation both from the Pakeha and Maori standpoint, and the other from the Maori standpoint alone. There was hot likely to be any lack of Maori volunteers for the work, if it were decided to begin it. ABSENCE IN ENGLAND. He proposed going Home to attend both the Congress and.the Conference, the Lambeth Conference and the PanAnglican Missionary Conference, with lis wife and family, sailing about Christmas this year. He had made this arrangement to go Home earlier than either the Congress or the ©Inference demanded, in the interests of the diocese. They must get more trained clergy if they were to keep their work going, let alone develop it. His commissaries in England had made a very large number of engagements for him to speak and preach on behalf of the diocese while at Home The Bishop of Christchurch had very kindly promised to ordain in the Cathedral in Auckland on the second Sunday in Lent (March 15, 1908), and to confirm in the Cathedral, for Auckland generally; in Hamilton, for the Waikato; and. in New Plymouth, for Taranaki. BISHOPSOOURT ESTATE. The reports submitted re Bishopscourt show that plans had been approved by the bodies concerned, for the erection of a new See House on the present site. The principal body concerned, from one point of view, was the General Trust Board. For some three years this Board had devoted its best attention to the subject. Under the circumstances the Board have arrived at the only possible conclusion. But they, like himself, felt tlat such a conclusion was not one which wholly freed the situation from difficulty. Tbe difficulty was really in tie amount available for the stipend of the occupant of Che See of Auckland. At present no man, unless assisted by friends or provided with private means, could keep out of debt on the official income of the See. The official income, beginning this year, from the Bishopric Endowment, was £850 per annum, plus £50 per annum as visitor of the Dilworth Institute. The Trust Board, by defraying the cost of his journey from England, set him free to expend on behalf of the dior cese the very handsome present given to him by his-former parishioners in London. The subsequent difficulties had been removed quite unexpectedly by the wonderfully unselfish generosity of an English relation, thus for nearly five years God had enabled the occupant of the See to keep. out of \ debt. At the same time, neither the hospitality nor the financial support emanating, from Bishopscourt had been at.a 11 commensurate with the desires:of those living there. So far as . the. first source of increment' to.' the income was concerned, it was exhausted. So far as the . second was concerned he had neither reason nor right to expect or request its continuance. Tie result of, carefully-kept accounts at Bishopscourt, since lis occupancy of the See, worked out at ah average expenditure in and on the. diocese and See House of over £1300 per annum. The upkeep of the proposed house would: cost somewhat less-than that of the present house; but even &en, ; it would cost » considerable

STini ;in excess of the official income of the See-pin his judgment the irreducible minimum .. official--; income r.upon.which a Bishop, of Auckland, with a family could, live' in Auckland, was £ 1200 per annum. He believed that it was bad for the Christian religion, for. a .diocese or a parish to rely on its bishop or vicar | having .private means as it was .for a diocese or a parish to provide such income for its pastor as to place him, financially, :f»>- .from those amongst whom he has to minister. In conclusion the Bishop said: "Suffer mc thus to end my charge this year; I and mine, alike, desire neither luxury "nor opulence; we are content to live as the poorest and simplest parish priest if that be our duty. We areready to live away from Auckland, and thus probably within the.limits of the- present official income of the See. We are ready to spend and be spent for the Church, the Body of the Lord, in any way He points out. But we are not ready willingly' and knowingly to incur debt and thus bring shame on tie Church of God." THE OPENING SERVICE. The opening service of the session of the Diocesan Synod was held in St. Mary's Cathedral this morning. The clergy attending the Synod were present, and there was a large attendance of the laity. Holy Communion was chorally celebrated, the cathedral choir, under the leadership of Dr. W. E. Thomar-. organist, being augmented for the service. At the opening of the service, those taking part marched in procession from the rear of the church to the chancel, the procession being headed by the choir, the church advocate and Diocesan Registrar ' following. The clergy were placed in order of seniority, the deacons and priests according to date of ordination preceding the canons and archdeacons, the preae'ror, the Bishop of the Diocese and his chaplains bringing up the rear. The ■ service was impressively carried- out, and the preacher, the Rev. C..A. B. Watson, vicar of Stratford, delivered an eloquent and forceful sermon. He referred to the "failure of the Clurrti to ■ realise her ideals, and to take the lead in: social movements, and said that the church had lost ground. That ground would be recovered, but only by a better realisation of the ideals which had made her so mighty a force for good in the past. Great movements and achievements were not accomplished in a single, day, but the position could and would be won back. Mr. Watson also referred to the great importance and far-reaching effects of the deliberations of the Synod Appropriate hymns were sung during tie service, which closed with the usual recessional.