DEARTH OF CLERGY.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 185, 30 April 1908, Page 7

DEARTH OF CLERGY.

ARCHBISHOP'S APPEAL. CRY OF THE CHURCH FOR WORKERS. | THE AUSTRALIAN SPHEII E. 8V riiLEQItAPII—MF.S3 association—corvnionl London, April 28. Tho Most Rev. Dr. H. L. Clurlse, Archbishop -of Melbourne,. delivered in Great St. Mary's .Church, Cambridge, a stirring appeal to undergraduates. He' emphasised . the Church's need of men both at Homo and in Australia, and expressed hopefulness in-the ■ power of her work-in these distant now comiqunities of English-speaking.• people:'" : NEW SOURCE OF SUPPLY. Father Bull,' of the Community of tho Resurrection : (Anglican),-. who is -well known-.for his: advanced opinions on social' questions, in a letter to the "Church .Times," emphasises the serious falling off in tlie supply of candidates for the'; ministry. To fill ' the vacancies in the Church' of England: he ' reckons that there should be 750 ordinations each year, but in the last thirteen years there has been .' a.deficiency of 1522.* .As the;population-, of the country has in the same period increased by : four,, millions, ,to :' keep paco with ; it 'thero should-have boon, instead-, of- this, decrease, an : -increase'' of;, 1500 > ordinations,- so that .Father. .Bull's ; estimate . is that' -the ranks. [; of. the ■ ministry, aro short "of 3000 men, taking;" the .low standard of efficiency accepted "ill, the year';: 1893;-. Father-Bull's plan'; for, filling the, ranks of.'the'ministry is to open them to thousands,' 6f v lads who are '."truly, called" and eager, for.the if only the Church wouldigive them the' requisite'training.' Men like, the Bishop of' Birmingham (Dr. Gore) recognise'that, the Church' : must in'future, far more than; in _the/pkst, 'look, to the .working class, ,to. whom,, as Dr.-Goro says; the "prerogative"; place in. the - Church; really belongs, for; 1 the''supply .of candidates for.'holy orders. . Those, who have 'gone into the: matter like • Fatherßull stato that there is .no * lack . of suitable young men. What is wanted is ade--1 quate funds to provide suitable education for , tnem,; for quality. is even more essential than juantity. • ■ .. . •