THE ANGLICAN PRIMACY.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 556, 10 July 1909, Page 3

THE ANGLICAN PRIMACY.

— ' \ Iv "<Bx the Right Rbv. C., 0; Moles,y ; ■ ' Bishop op Nelson.) , ' It i§'evident} from what has been said o*|' this subject already in tho columns of Tub. Dominion, thatvwhilst the Constituting oua • . of the existing Sees of tho province,..th* ./ Metropolitical See might result'in some, con-* u ~ siderable practical advantage," there aro|strong objections to bo met, - and serious diffiM • culties to bo overcomo before tho chiango'can bo uiado.' ' ' j :On the. question: of constituting a Metro-) _ political Sm, • it ■ may be said, . that histom seems to show that in early times the (com-1 ing .into .. existence of a Metropolitan fair j lowed naturally ; upon; the' existence, of '--if . , 'metropolis:'. The headi city, to :which people l y came for'justice and'other important busi-i ness, would have, as timo went 1 on and' ■. population, increased, a Christian, Church l ex- ; celling the rest.in all that made for. and so it and itsbiskon! would naturally ao-',< quire'a position of pre-eminence, v, If, then, there is no city in-New Zealand'. to which at present such pro-eminence be-• longs, by general consent, and if the various sources of influenceare distributed,,, some , in one city, some in another, then it nlay bi) that however advantageous it taay eventually prove to have a Metropolitical See, (the timo i , • for its constitution has not yet come,' as,, whatever See may be chosen, it is clear th*t . ( the choice of any would disappoint-many,ex-pectations and hopes in' other dir^io'nsj;and would be opposed to much sentimental feel- ; As, regards the alteration of title, from' • Primate to Archbishop, it is urged that, by making; tho changes, we should' "come into ! line" -with other: branches' of our communion.*'; But it has - been ; pointed- out. ,by! : Bishop Wil-';' ■ :liairis ; .that; the; title.'of Pritaatej' as distinguished from that of Archbishop, is not> ... \ , .confined:to the, presiding bishop; of our pro-. v .viiifce, .and,:' it may' .-.bo' asked, why 1 thoy.i should not come into line in this respect >. ■ with a majority, of the provinces of our con)- . muniou? ' Diversity in unity singled but- as a special characteristic : of the Eng-. ; lish Church. Tl)o late great]'emphasis* on. this, featurb'f' l 'But,l.as"''tiur has (already! conferred "on our presiding bishop a title equally (honourable to that-which discussion, it may bo asked: Why should",:we- desirous in this instance, identity-than of distinction, of'unity than of, diversitv?::'. . As regards the present mode of electing tho Primate, [ think that all those who havo seen it in working will be of opinion that it ■ could be alteroa jvitb' grqat advantage. : v Bishop : Williams'has called attention in theso 'columns to other modes'of election,' any onrt. of which seems preferable to that: provided in our present Canon. (."■ '