A GREAT THANKOFFERING

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 269, 6 August 1908, Page 8

A GREAT THANKOFFERING

£333,000 PLACED ON THE ALTAR. IMPRESSIVE ENDING TO THE PANANGLICAN CONFERENCE. The great' thanksgiving service at St. Paul's Cathedral on Wednesday, Juno 24, was tho last magnificent act of the unprecedented find most successful Pan-Anglican Congress (says the, London " Daily Mail "). The Archbishops and bishops laid upon tho altar (in parchment) tho thankoflering of overy Anglican dioceso throughout the world, and tho total camo to one-third of a million sterling—£333,2oß os. Hid. For hours before tho service a great crowd outside was gathering; and within a few minutes after the opening of the doorS at eleven every seat iu the building was occupied. Not merely upon tho wide arena of the floor, but in every shadowy corner and in many an unexpected balcony between arch and spandrel, and even in tho topmost gilded galleries which girdle tho dome, there suddenly and swiftly appeared an unnumbered host of. worshippers. Outside, too, upon the great steps long rows of seats were crowded with; those, who .were enabled, through the open doors, to join in the service. THE PROCESSION. The bishops robed .in tho crypt, and marched round the north and east and south of the Cathedral, amid an enormous crowd, to mount the steps. Hera they were met'by the choir, which, turning, came slowly up the nave, singing tho Litany. Behind followed the clerical secretaries of the Congress, and then, 'in an imperial array, more than two' hundred bishops of the world-wido Anglican Communion.The'bishops 'were grouped according to their provinces, each group being preceded by a cleric bearing a Silver mace. First came the .missionary or other prelates under tho immediate jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Canterbury, noticeable among whom was the.Bishop of Gibraltar; then followed tho bishops of the Far East, with tho tall figure of Bishop' Aw'dry of Japan; those of Africa, the: coloured Bishops Johnson and Oluwolo idistinguishing .them; then the Bishops'of New Zealand, . Australia—the manly Bishop of Perth' dominating this group —India and Ceylon, the West Indies; a goodly array represented Canada and the United States—the hoods they'wore unfamiliar, with their purples and yellows and velvets —then tho bishops of Scotland and Ireland, and, lastly, those of the English Church at Home; culminating in the Bishop of London, surrounded by his chaplains in this his own cathedral, and the Archbishop of Canterbury, preceded by Jais magnificent primatial cross ■ and followed by his train-bearer and his chaplains'.. ■ A: WONDERFUL SIGHT. At this- moment the sunlight tho cathedral. The long-drawn lino of prelates, clad in their scarlet chimeres, with scarlet and 'pink doctors' hoods, massed in array along the nave, and far up the choir, was impressive indeed. • Then a liush fell on the groat congregation. The bishops formed up. in the stalls; tho. Bishop of London was_ conducted to his. throne, the seven Archbishops to their seats in the. sanctuary: and the Archbishop of Canterbury mounted to the highest step before the altar. The organ pealed, tho brass instruments of the orchestra. crashed, and-in the next moment nearly - e.even thousand voices'/were singing tho hymn, "Great Lord of .wisdom, lifo, and light. ' The Archbishop of Canterbury, ascended the great'marble pulpit. Clearly, slowly, and:shortly ; he spoke: ■ _ ■ "Fellow-Christiaris, thero is no. need of a sermon to-day. There is no need: for. more than, one' single thought • .'Let us give thanks to our Lord God; it is meet and right.so to do.' To-day we are come with thanksgiving. We offer hereour gifts in our own name and in the name of tens of thousands not with us to-day'except in the spirit in acknowledgment of tho great things that God hath done for us."

OFFERINGS ON THE ALTAR. First tho Archbishop and then the Bishop of .London and .tHeu the. Archbishops and metropolitans,'bf the various provinces, and, then, conducted by the bearers of silver maces, the bishops of every dioceso advanced, according to: their provinces, slowly up tho steps: to tho great altar, and standing on the topmost step and bowing low each , hid his parchment upon the altar, and turning to the left or to the right returned slowly and.in order.'to his appointed placo. A choir, under Sir George Martin, meantime'.sang Mendelssohn's magnificent "Hymn of Praise." "Now thank we all our God" followed i the Archbishop , recited • the words' of . King David's ascription, and then came, the final scene of ' all, when a solemn Te Deum wai, sung. Taking his place on tho highest step, the' Arqhbishop of Canterbury turned to tho oast; ; .on the step- below were grouped the' Archbishops of York and i Dublin and the Primus of.the Scottish Church; below theso the Archbishop of Canada and the Presiding Bishop of. tho.United States; and below, again, the ,thri;e Archbishops of Australia, the' Metropolitan of India, and the Archbishop of tlie; West ■ Indies. . On either side wore ,chaplains and dignitaries, and immediately west '%f: them the long rows of scarlet, lightly flecked with sleeves of lawn, marked where -practically all the bishops of the. Anglican' Communion stood to lead the hymn of praise. The words of'the Blessing followed, calm and clear, and sweet with familiar words, and then the prooession passed down the cathedral. There was a last gleam'of scarlet through the wide west door, and then the nielting away of that great multitude from tho most solemn and the most symbolic of any pageant of tho Church within the memory of living man.

. THE OFFERING; After the service the parchments were taken ; to. Lloyds Bank' in Cheapsido and counted up- by , the treasurer of the congress and a staff of tellers. The result may: be summarised-as'follows:— • ' £' s.- d. England and Wales 257,122 6 11 Scotland „ „ „ 5,599 13 5 Ireland ~ . 4,939 19 3 The Army ... ... 394 17 4 • British Colonial dioccscs... 63,695 15 10i American dioceses ... 1,455 8 2 Grand total ... ... 333,208 0 11J To some of the parchments which the bishops laid ,on . ..the altar slips of paper wore pinned, proclaiming gifts which could not be expressed in terms of money. A characteristic, example came from Birmingham. The attached slip bore in fair lettering the following words:—"May God Almighty accept, this unworthy offering for the Pan-' Anglican' thanksgiving instead of money. I desire-that this be offered at St. Paul's,and I pray -thdt: after . it has been presented it may'fall-into the hands of some earnest missionary who fwill win thousands of souls for the Lord Jesus Christ." The gift was' a silver'watch .J. All the parchments were in the same form. , The largest offering ; ran:— ■ Pan-Anglican Congress, 1905.St. John tho Baptist's Day, June 24, 1908. St. Paul's Cathedral. On behalf of tho Diocese, I desire herewith humbly to .present and offer for the service of God and ifis Church the sum of thirty-four thousand • three hundred and thirty-six pounds, sixteen shillings, boing a free-vfill offering in thankfulness for blessings vouchsafed to the Anglican Communion in its growth and spiritual development. A. F. LONDON, £34,336 16s.Bishop of London. GIFTS OF JEWELLERY. • Returning to tho Church Houso from St. Paul's after the service, tho Rev. A. B. Mynors, tho sccrotary of tho Conference, emptied his pockets, taking from ono an 18oarat gold bracelet with a gold padlock, and from another a modest old-fashioned Mizpah ring markedA widow's offering " — both given by anonymous well-wishers. He opened his letters, and found anonymous postal orders for -ss. and 10s., and the like. A crumpled onvelopo, containing a sovereign and.no name, came up from tho door. Gifts of all kinds are in tho strong-room—sappliiro and diamond rings, a silver girdle, a necklaco of dainty Cingalese craftsmanship, and a hugo album of selected postage stamps. By every post tho offerings arrive. Some registered envelopes, obviously containing gifts in kind, have been locked in tho strong-room to kasrait a luifit moment i air ins£e cticu>^