THE CHURCH IN AUSTRALIA.

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21436, 30 March 1935, Page 22

THE CHURCH IN AUSTRALIA.

MANY BISHOPS (fSETURN OF CANON CHARLES PERRY FROM SYDNEY i ■ t ' "In Australia the church is tending to multiply bishops, and that is a very good tiling, because the more bishops there are the less important a bishop is," said the Rev. Canon Charles Perry, ■who returned to Christchurch yesterday after a month spent in Sydney, in an interview. "We don't want prelates with the pomp that there used to be," he added. Canon Perry said that as far as he could tell Srom limited observations the church in Australia was making good progress. The main reason for his visit was to conduct an eight-day mission at Christ Church, St. Laurence, Sydney, and he said that this parish had impressed him very much. Speaking of the elecuon of a Primate by the Church of Australia, which took place while he was in Sydney, Canon Perry said that one reason, though not the main reason, for the removal of the Primacy from Sydney to Perth was an unusual policy of the present Archbishop of Svdney, the Most Rev. H. W. K. Mowll, and of his predecessor, Dr. J. C. Wright. These two Archbishops had required of priests promises about ceremonial before they were allowed to take charge of parishes, one of the promises being that chasubles should not be worn during the Communion service. This policy, said Canon Perry, was a new one in Christendom, and by it the Diocese of Sydney isolated itself. The main reason for the removal of the Primacy was, of course, that the Archbishop of Perth was the only one of the four Archbishops who had the necessary experience of Australian conditions. An Interesting: Experiment An experiment in relief measure for the unemployed which has been undertaken by Canon R. B. S. Hammond, of Sydney, quite independently of the diocese in which he is a parish priest, was described by Canon Perry. Canon Hammond has created near to the city a township with the name Hammondville, which is entirely peopled by relief workers and their families. The principle upheld by Canon Hammond is that of the private ownership of and each family in the township has its own allotment. The land, Canon Perry understands, has been granted by the Government; and Canon Hammond has been assisted by the State allowance normally paid to relief workers having three or more children. Every family in the township is in this class. "When I visited the township I saw more than 100 allotments along the main street," said Canon Perry. "There is an inter-denominational chapel, a store, and a school. I was very much struck by the children —they looked so bright and happy. I was told that the women who were brought from the city became quite different people ■when they had settled down to their new life." An Australian Tribute A tribute of appreciation of Canon Perry's mission to the Sydney parish is paid in the "Church Standard," a paper which is circulated throughout Australia. This paper comments on the mission as follows: "The success of the mission is due partly to the careful preparation made by the clergy and people of Christ Church . . . and also to the way in which the message was presented by the missioner. Canon Perry, a sincere, scholarly priest with a charming personality, possesses the rare gift of being able to present profound truths in a simple, convincing way. He does not essay the part of Zeus, hurling thunderbolts of denunciation upon erring humanity, but is a sympathetic and understanding friend whose utterances achieve infinitely more than the bellows of so many evangelistic pulpiteers." The missioner was blessed by the Archbishop of Sydney, Dr. Mowll, at the beginning of the mission. A street procession was held the next day, and i during the following week a series of , addresses was given at the Eucharist ; each morning, and a mission service j ■with two addresses was held each evening.