THE CASE OF CANON NASH.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 160, 31 March 1908, Page 7

THE CASE OF CANON NASH.

i STATEMENT by the archbishop. . BY TELEGRAPH—PRESS ASSOCIATION—COPYRIGHT, i ' ' London, Maich 29 The 'Anglican Archbishop of v. Melbourno (Dr. Clark'e) - claims that :, ho has, obtained evidence?, which v ie, considers,.justifies him, in maintiinihg- his refusal -to grant. Canon Nash a licenso for Christ Church; Geolong: - V.;'Repiyingitp .an'^interviewer, .tho" Archbishop said that as Geelong was a diocesan educational coiitre, .it .became .specially{necessary that the incumbent of Christ Church should be a man of Robust n\oral-str'erigth.

v nr ''" -IT 1 ;! f CHARGES AND REPLIES. > ".The Melbourne, "Argus",recently fepfodiiced j extracts"- fiom'.tlottovs doalint: | with ' tho: subject ;, mitten'- by - : Archbishop Clarko,' and;< ;: Cano!i . Nash ' respectively. : , ,-' ; ln letter: iwritten ;to - Canon Nash, under date Dcccmbor 5, tho:Archbishop said:—- - \ ~ ' >. "Concerning tho question of.your ministry !in. i i-iispectins which, you. stato certain: •• ' erroneous - and"-extravagant ' rumours. were/.reportedV';: J;'-give:,:the "statements.-and ;;thov >u-, thoritjvfcir; tlicm,' , T« , o:'gravo- chargcs .ternli-' ~ liated' yoiir ininistry''in': England." The; first •, of these was.- upon 'the' testimony of, your vicar :(CanpnV'Bardsley)i' ; cause , him to prevent your,institution to an,important parish to which you'had been' nominated. • The second wasVsp:grave as; to,^affect;the 'judgmont of air'of us' as ito 'your, permanent fitness for. ; 1 the 'ministry: ■: ■ This latter I .ltnew; in npart; 'and ; by hearsay only; 1 when I' came' to, Melbourne,, , and I' told' you .then, that as I found: you: in "an' honoured .'position,' I;;would''trust : ;you;as: if. no oharge had over boon made..-Of-this trust I gave ,ypu proof oil' several occasions; , Since then officially ■ received ■ written. commu- - nicatiohsV- including-;.the Bishop of ' Durham (Dr. .Moulo), m which tho charge'.is-. definitely: 'asserted. ■. Such lnforma-', ; tioh wa?, f 'iaccording:' to', tho /oustom','of, :our ; church, sent - to - tho Australian . Archbishops.; This-evidonce was boforo the Chapter.* '- On December- G, Canon Nash, ;in reply to Archbishop Clarko, wrote'.,vf •, "(7). .1. como now to ;,tho matter, of my ministry"' iii ; England. --: ,Yoii l state .'two ? grave charges terminated your ;ministry in : England.', This is-not only, 'untrue,- but, I gnevo: to-say, has- been "fully,-"shown, to.: you.; to; bo untrue, first, by* my own categorical denial,before-.tho. Chapter i' S'eciondly.'trom the testimony, of Canon Bardsley's' letter,; written > cloven ,-years .ago to tho; Archbishop .of' Sydney, and now in t '..your hands; andi':• thirdly;; from . a,. second ■; .letter,writlun 'by ' Canonvflardslpy last year, to;.,the. ' Eev: i yfi'- T. • C.v■.! Rtorrs, of; St. .. Matthew.s, Praiiran, the contents . of.^which:, halvp:.' been ■ communicatcd to you. . : threo'f'statements ;concur .to (.- show that— L-.- ; : I:,gavo ; -:up.-my -ministryv in : England • upon l one.ground alone.:. That'- ground was, to .quota- ,Canon - Bardsley's words, 'an act of improprioty; , rather, than'.'an act o.f immorality;'-.:'. ' ' : : "3! That: Canon Bardsley : merely declined - filially: to : ';sigh my--r letters', testimonial, ' ; after^first 'having consented to do so. two ! days..before':my 'actual: induction-to ;a ■ parish : ■ to"' which •I- Imd; beon : appointed • before tho;, o'ccurronco of tho inciuontin ■ , question. -. r ~,: •' / "(8) And now I trust once more to tell you tho ■'. truth'about your: so-called 'second 'charge,' so . grayo ; as'to affect the judgment of all of,us to -' your 'permanent: fitnc6s ;for ministry.',,: X have called it/an 'erroneous, and Pxtravagant , rumour.' "■ This,'is its . true description f—''. ; :. "1. That -rumour hwnn life aflor my departuro from!Huddcrsfield. .' . "2. It was not . : then,: and novor has bepn, ■ oxcept'by-yourself, preferred against mo !■■■■.- as a 'charge.' " . 1 "81 did not ovon know of: its existence . . - ■ until a few years ago, when informed of 1 . ... it by you.

"I have always givon' it, and hereby give it once more, an unqualified, omphalic, and ' indignant denial.; It has come to you in. an unsupported; and unverified statement of hearsay, by two namoless English I bish ops, through' an English archbishop,- which statement was bristling with demonstrable. inaccuracies,. and was vouched for ; by no naijio appended to it, This : so-called 'charge,' having.been known to .you in . its hideous and offensivo ropulsiveness long before my original appointment to Geelong, could not, liavo beo'n included-in, any complaint ' laid against, me by you under the: Ecclcsiastieal Offences Act. Oui' Church law wisely and mercifully protects every clergyman from tho resuscitation of defunct charges, which wero never honestly preferred against him at. the time of the supposed occurrence. | And, yet, when, you Swero ;freo from tho equitable restrictions. of, carefully-framed legislation, upon ,tluv .making. : of. which hours of 'labour have been ppent by the Synod with: precisely, such cases ns mine in view, you took the grave responsibility of preparing the minds 'of'the. Chapter for the unprejudiced corisidet'ation of' tho recent charge aainst me by the elaborate and coromoniotis introduction of this shaoeless speptre of the. past." . ' , : ,-V