"ENGLAND AND HER CHILDREN IN 1887."

Press, Volume XLIV, Issue 6850, 7 September 1887, Page 5

"ENGLAND AND HER CHILDREN IN 1887."

TIIAVEL NOTES BY lil.SHu; , B.VP.KY,

j Bishop Barn, delivered a highly inI teresting lecture in Sydns-y yesterday, j under the title " England and her Children i in lsfi," in which he gave an nctounr of I the impressions which lie formed during his visit Home. lie stated (as reported in the JtnU'j Ttlegrttph) that lie had had n I hurried juurney literally round the world, j and had been struck with the fact that everywhere in the circuit of the glohc hu took with him the associations and the spirit of our own old England. It was a. familiar experience to u.s ; hut, after all. was ir not alsoa very strange and marvellous one i To what other race could that same experience be possible i There were great empires—there had been in the days pa«a and there were still—but to them the sea was what the old Ilomaii poet called it, "The bounding, the disuniting force." To us our Empire was kept together by that sea which seemed to separate and bound others, and in the familiar words we still felt that " Our march is over the ocean wave ami our home is upon the deep." One or two things that forced themselves upon him during his experience of the last live months he would endeavor to describe. He reached England not certainly a£ a time of unclouded brightness. He hardly knew any time when thoughtful and earnest men were fuller of a deep anxiety. ■ There was that great pressing anxiety of the Irish question—that almost insoluble problem, as it seemed, for the statesmanship of this day. Everywhere there was a desire to do everything that , could be done for the happiness mid pros- j perity of Ireland—everything to remove bee poverty, everything to amend her land system if it needed amendment, everything to give the largest possible measure, so far as might l>e, of sell-government, but —he was not telling them his own opinion, but merely what Tie had heard on every side—everywhere there seemed to hiii: there was a resolution after all that there should not be dismemberment of the Empire— vapplause)— that that, strong loyal minority in' the north should not be deserted, and that, above all, Englishmen would be strangely degenerate if they yielded to threats of dyuau-ice violence and of the assassin's knife. As an Englishman said, "If that be the case, let us go home and make our wills and then do our duty." That seemed to be the feeling. There was, as he had said, an intense sense of the difficulty of the problem — that certain things had given it a color it never had before, and from those things there was no absolute retraeement—a deep anxiety as to what the future would be. Great as other anxieties were—thouzh war clouds hung over Europe—they aid not come home so much to the minds of Englishmen. and they seemed to be far less pressing on the thoughts of the people, than that great Irish problem. Another cause of anxiety in the Old Country was the commercial depression and dnlness everywhere. There were constitutional questions that were causing great anxiety, and yet beyond all these he found those who looked on the state of England weighed down with a still graver anxiety, and that was as to what was to be done with the great mass of pauperism of which we in this city and country knew very little. And yet all this did not prevent the resolution to keep that Jubilee which was coming and to keep it with all their hearts. It was thought only seemly that England iv the Jubilee time should enter into the privilege of rejoicing. The Jubilee he did not see, bat he saw some of the great Jubilee movements. He witnessed the opening by the Queen of the People's Palace, and he could not but think that of all the Jubilee ceremonies that that was the one in which the Queen took, if not more, at any rate as much delight as in any other. If ever there was a great carnival of the people it was on that bright May morning. The second great Jubilee celebration was that remarkable service in St. Margaret's Church —that old church which from time immemorial had been the church of the House of Commons—which service was attended by 400 members of Parliament. Not for thirty years—not since the conclusion of the Crimean war—had the House of Commons gone in a body to a thanksgiving service in their own ancient church. It was a grand and imposing sight to sec those who were divided in politics all uniting in praise and thauksjriving on that auspicious occasion. The third Jubilee celebration he took part in was at his old Universit> at Cambridge. AH this M>ld of that resolution that, in spite of all anxieties —in spite of them, were they ten times as great as they were—England would still find room to rejoice, to show loyalty and to thank God, and he confessed that he thought that in a nation like that after all there must, in spite of all difficulties and evils, and whatever the clouds might be that would gather around the sun of the nation, it surely could not be setting nor near its setting*. A wonderful change of feeling had passed over England in respect of appreciation and sympathy with tiie members of her areat colonial empire. There was a desire for knowledge, replacing very much of the ignorance which, he was afraid, he himself had shared iv in days gone by, and which certainly prevailed to a large extent, at any nite as to the geography and condition of our colonies. (Laughter.) A very warm sympathy was expend ;d towards our colonial delegates, who were received with the mast unbounded hospitality— not as foreigners remember but as Englishmen —as if they dwelt in the Old Country. < Applause.) All classes in England seemed to vie in showing that the coldness of days gone by had Iven replaced by warm sympathy." He asked why, and several causes were" assigned for if. the lirst being undonbtedly the great Colonial and Indian Exhibition, which had fairly astonished men, not so much by its grandeur and beauty—for all that belonged to \\ est India" rather than to the colonies- hut rather to the variety or wealth and products of the various parts of the Empire ; aad the feeling was pressed in on the people how very great,, after all. was the English Empire", and how, if i: had t(i stand aioiie without intercourse with orher nations, it might almost stand a- a little world of itself. For the Sirst time almost people seemed to wake n\ to the connection of the greatness of England in respect to her colonies, and how that greatness would pass away for ever if the advocates of a somewhat" cold and older school of politics were Hstened to, and Englana wore to let her colonies go one by one as fiooa as they reached any power and any glory. That was one thing. There w:is another, and that was what he had soon some leaders of opinion here were inclined to depreciate —that was the great importance of the Colonial Conference. That Conference quietly—not with thegraiHenr and splendour of the Exhibition - <lid a great deal to cement the bands of union. He on all sides, both publicly and privately, heard the appreciation of the labors of those who sat in that Conference. He believed that ODe great cause of this change of feeling was the action which was taken by Canada and New South Wales some years ago in respect to the war in the Soudan. He knew that some people were inclined to laugh at that and connt the cost in pounds, shillings and pence which was entailed on this colony. He would not give them his own opinion, but everywhere he went he fonnd that that, and especially the act of New South Wales, had forcibly impressed not -merely the heart of England but the imagination of Europe, and had dbne more to show that England was the centre of a great colonial empire than anything that had occurred daring the last half century: and that, disconnected as that empire was, there was a certain life-blood of sympathy flowing through it all. There was beginning to shape itself before the mind of England the grand idea of Imperial federation. Of course, we knew that at present

j it was only in the air, but it was not what ; was commonly called a castle in the air, I for they had "not attempted to build the ! castle. "Tiny were waiting until they have ,;i <*«>iid foundation to pat it upon : but the I idea was there. and they wojld • -see if they read the history of the ; world that, whether in science or in social i or politivul problems, there was always an era of vaju- preparation of idea. There : e.ds'.ei! tin- iPtfiiiir that there was no alternative between separation and i federation. mid that tile English people at luart arid he believed the ; colonic— were no: rc-adv for the lirst bt:t , were ready tor tile second -not to separate, but to Weraie. Of course, al! tbi< was I felt not .simply in the State, but in thr ' C'hun-h. as was shown at. a meeting held in Exeter-hall, where a very cordial welcome was accorded him. not because of his again mectingold friends, but because he was known to represt ntthis great country and this irreut church in Australia. Any doubt that there might have been aiiout the solidarity of the great English Cliurch seemed to "lie dispelled. The idea was stronger than it ever had been—that as in the State so in the church. England and her colonies were completely and ulti-mnu-ly one. Looking forward to the conference next year, there was the feeling rhat even the Enirlish Church at home ought not to determine tcreat church questions without the counsel and assistance of tin* colouial churches. On leaving England }>>• wt-in to America and landed in Xnv York, tlie. grandeur and beauty of which greatly impressed him. as did also the wonderful riiiti^l of power and beauty which he afterwards saw at the Kails of Niagara. In every one of their cities the Americans had exercised ii wise liberality in the contraction of public parks. There were parks m Chicago at least as tine as any in London. Wisely it had been said that for the culture of people, for thy pnverthat beauty exercised over imagination, there could noi be too lavish expenditure of money on such things as piu-ks, boulevards, and avenues. They would understand how he spoke of this, and with what pleasure he looked forward to something ihat would take place in our city nextyear. (Applause.) What were, the impressions borne in upon his mind from his brief scamper through America ! The l'rst was the overwhelming impression of intense activity and wonderful rapidity of growth. They could see cities springing up where only some 1(1 or 12 yeurs ago there were merely a handful of huts : they could see country irrigated — and he thought we had miub to learn from our brethren on the other side of the Paciiic in this matter —which was once bare, but was now like the Garden of the Lord. The Americans" extraordinary progress with inventions and manufactures was also impressed upon him at nearly every turn. And then there was the boundless extent, and resources of the country, and the intense desire the Americans had for education in the largest and highest sense. Everywhere one saw the wise, resolution not to have mere material wealth, but in the highest scuse culture and education ; and in this respect he believed the Americans stood well in the forefront of the nations. Among the dangers that lay lieiore the American nation, according to themtselves. was the widespread belief there was great political ana municipal corruption. Another danger he had heard of was the abstention from public life of those best lit ted to lead it—men of the highest culture and high education—because they would not soil their lingers with that which politicians were supposed to be obliged to handle, and would net expose themselves to all the ribaldry and abuse connected with the elections; but that was, he thought, an unpatriotic abstention, and he hoped that neither in England nor in these New Kuglands should we ever have to complain of that danger. <Applause.) There was a still more ominous thing. There was reason to believed that the convict of capital and labor in America would soon assume an exasperated character, and with that wonderful accumulation of wealtti in private hands, and the organisation of labor there was undoubtedly coming—and that before long—a very terrible struggle, which nil Americans said would shake society at its very base: ami Americans seemed to look forward to it with very great and very reasonable apprehension. One thing more the Americans had, viz., an intense patriotism which they showed in pride of their country and which they showed also in the enormous sacrifices they made during the civil war, but they ha<l not what we call loyalty, though they respected authority and law. They admired our Queen though they could not understand how to love her. tie saw little of the church and ecclesiastical relations in America, but one thing was certain, that the power of the Woman Catholic Church in America had crown with very great and formidable rapidity. The feeling toward England he found was shown in every great city by Jubilee celebrations—of course by English people,but the celebrations were witnessed with the greatest sympathy by the Americans, the only opposition being from the Irish, and that opposition seemed to make the native born Americans to, sympathise with the celebrations all the more. (Laughter.) The one distinguishing element in the American nation in regard to England was the great Irish dillic.ulty, and the people he spoke with could not understand why England found such difficulty in settling the Irish question, but the feeling struck him that that the antagonism and jealousy of days gone by had well passed away. Of course their Interests might conflict, but he trusted that it would be long before any breach took place. More than ever did he feel the extraordinary power which God had given to the Enghsh-speakmg race over the length and breadth of the world. There were other people, who exercised a world-wide influence, but none of the same character or the same possible extent. There must, therefore, he an enormous futv.ru for the English-speaking people. One thing was absolutely necessary for that future, and that was that there should be thorough unity between the various branches of the English speaking race. The cordial Jind friendly alliance with the great American Republic was the unquestionable policy of both countries ; the close and nnl connection —with that great measure of independence and self-government which was quite consistent with it — must be by a band between England and her colonies. They should have here as always variety with an underlying unisy. Every one of the members of "the English-speaking race had its power to assist in strengthening the band. The old England at home represented, as it seemed to him, the solidity and jHTfection of civilisation. It: was the home of culture, and the continuity of life of twelve centuries of that civilisation which preserved, anil always would preserve, lie hoped, the old traditions of loyalty and reverence. These were the things of which the old country would always be the home. Then, on the other hand* their New Euglands, whether independent or colonies, would represent what he would rather call the growth, the vigour—perhaps sometimes the crudity of~ growth— the growth of freedom and independence and the. advance of democracy. Every one of the colonies, he thought, had its own character, for every one knew tliat there was a difference even in xlustralia between Victoria and New South Wales and New Zealand, and no one could doubt that there was a still more marked difference between the.se colonies and North America. One must feel that with this variety of power there mus: be a tremendous responsibility, lie believed tha: every nation was in some what the Jewish nation was—a trustee, not for irself, but for the families of tlie earth. If we had this

power, there must be a Rreat mission to minister all rhese elements of strength, not to one n.uiuri, but to .ill, and to consider our business was nut to aggrandise our own people, seek merely the glory of the English rae«. bat to do some service for humanity and Grxl. The desire was that Kuylaiui might f>e able, not to sit as o sovereign subject peoples, but as a mother among the daughter peoples of the world, ar.ri be able \o say to him who jsa.ve her her cxtraurdiii:iry power, " Here am I, and the children which Thou ha-st K«veu mc."