ANGLICAN SYNOD.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 861, 6 July 1910, Page 9

ANGLICAN SYNOD.

THE BISHOP'S ADDRESS,

RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION IN THE SCHOOLS-

THE GENERAL MISSION..

■Vho annual session of the Anglican Synod of the Diocese of Wellington opened at tho Diocesan Office, Mulgrave Street, yesterday, the Bishop of Wellington (Dr. Wallis) presiding. There were aho--present:—

Archdeacons Fancourt, Harper, ami Jacob; the Rovs. J. Jones, W- Ba-1-laolmv, T.. H.' Sprott, J. H. Dove, A. 0. Williams, G. R. F.,Hobbs, J. E. Blackbunic, A. S. luncs Jones, It. Herman, A- L. Hansell; E. W. J. M'Connell, V, H. Kitc.it,' G, P. Davys, J. D. Russell, J, H. Sykes, A. D. H. Compton, A. T. B. Pago, J. It. Cassell, J. T. Phillips, H. J. Doano, H. G. Blackburne, J. Walker, A. X. Johnson, A. W. Payne, It. Young, S. G. Comp■ton, H.. W. Kliiigender, C. Price, H. F. .Wilson, F. H. Potrie, D. M. Stent, E. T. W. Bond, J..A. M'Nickle, A. H. Koran," J. E. Jones, G. W. Dent, C. J. Smith,-T. G. B. Kay, R, H. Hobday, G. Woodward, W. Fancourt, G. V. Kendrick, W. Raine, C. E. O'H. Lobin, H. T,. Stealey, A. E. Anton, and F. t. Sheriff. .Messrs. C. P. Powles, E. Anderson, C.JE."Cliatm , n, T. Bland, F. V. Wateis, J.G.'Cox, W. Downward, W. N. Stace, ■AY: H. Siraeox, Pitiera Taipua, J. Kebbell, K.-Wilson, 11, Smart, A. G. Moyrick, G. Wheeler, W. F. Jacob, W. J. Birch, J. Martin, E. C..,Middleton, itangipariri, Marumaru, and Captain J. D. E, Hewitt. • Apologies were received from a number: of clerical and lay brethren, for unavoidable absence. THE ADDRESS. KING EDWARD AND KING CEORGE. ,Thc Bishop commenced his address 'with, a refareuco to the death of King Edward VII, who, ho said, was "an interpreter of tho longings of English-; mon to live at peace 'amongst themselves and at peace with ■• the whole world." Referring to the accession of King George V he said:—"We will try to tlirbw our hearts into our intercessions for him who has been unexpectedly culled to ah inheritance of tremendous responsibility, the first English Sovereign who lias visited our shores, as he is "the first to bo proclaimed 'of the British Dominions-beyond the Seas King.' We have seen for ourselves his lespluto endeavours to understand the problems which confront us in Greater Britain; we. have heard of 'his simple, well-ordered lil'o; and wo., recall the humble and resolute words, of the message'written on tho _day of his accession. " ; 'U°a! save tho King."

Wanganul Collegiate School. " The Wanganui Collegiate' School , (Jdard of Trustees has passed a resolution, which I have been charged' to lay before; this Synod:'' That the Diocesan Synod 'be requested, to enact that the number of trustees of the Collegiate School Estate bo increased by one, making the number six, instead of five 'as'at present.'.' 1 have, been, asked ,'to point out that, as the-object of this veyutsst is' to lessen, the burdeai that now. falls upon the chairman and another of the trustees, and is likely to Ixi further increased whoa tho college 'is'iji'.use,'and the new scheme for boarding the pupils iii operation, it is desirable,, that tho , additional trustee be a 'Wanganui resident. '; It' is obvious that there is much to be said in favour of . appointing a sufficient number of residents of Wanganui to deal with the properties of tho trust, all of which arc situated in and about that town. But it is to bo considered whether that adVantage, is not counterbalanced by the inadvisability "of limiting tho choice of half' the governors of an educational' institution which is of incalculable im.portance to this diocese,- and indeed to the whole province, to a ■ group of gentlemen, merely because' they happen, tp live in the neighbourhood of the school buildings ; and properties. _ I shrink from intruding upon your notice anything that may appear a personal matter, but I think -it right to record my serious conviction that the Bishop of the.diocese should always, be > the chairman of the Board of Governors of such a school as this. It is, of course, open to any member of' Synod to move a resolution which- shall give effect to the. desire of.the trustees for an increase of their number.' '

The Church and the Schools. Tho Bishop spoke as follows on the • question of religious instruction in Stato schools:—The x General. Synod signified its approval of the Now South Wales Education Act, which prescribes that Bible teaching shall ba' given in all , the State schools in the ordinary course of.lessons by the State teachers —it would be necessary," of course, to add a conscience clause for both teachers and .pupils—and allows the giving of special ■religious instruction during school hours by the clergy of the accredited teachers >of such religious bodies as shall arrange 'to give this instruction. You will have seen that this,proposal was submitted by a referendum to the people of Queensland, and that it was carried by a majority, I think, of fifty-two ,per cent, of voters. Whether the Parliament of that State is prepared to igivo legislative effect to this dctermin- . ation, wo cannot now tell. But I am' absolutely certain that no such cnact,ment will be placed upon the Statute'book of this Dominion without a tremendous struggle, and that unless we are prepared to face an arduous and protracted campaign .wo had better ' abandon tho effort, and try to remedy the present terrible, evil as best we ■ can :by improving and. extending our : Sunday schools and Biblo.classes. But if wo betiove .that tho cause 'of which I have spoken- is the cause of God, and are prepared to fling ourselves into the .fight with all our faith and all our energies, making this, as hitherto wo" have not even contemplated making it, the supreme effort of the Church of this province for" several years to come, , : ' only so—we need not. despair of victory. But'are we really in earnest .-' about the matter? Are "we prepared to form, associations of persons pledged to vote only for tlioso candidates whp are in favour'of the proposed scheme,.nnless—l myself am of opinion that this reservation is necessary—they are solemnly convinced that even graver issues,are at stake? This is a very-serious proposal; aro wo willing to adopt, it?

The Roman Catholics. Secondly,, wo shall not succeed —\vc do not wish to succeed—without the continued co-operation of members of other,churches, particularly our Presbyterian -brothers who are closely joined to us by many bonds, and have shown •at least as real a devotion to this cause ns ourselves. Wo must hold conferences B'itli- .these our former allies, and also with representatives of the Roman .Catholic Church, not only becauso their opposition, if. it bo repeated, will bo a serious hindrance to the success of the scheme, but chiefly because the sacrifices they had made for the cstab-. lishnienfc and.maintenance of their-own schooK waided by any grant from the

State, justly claim our most sympathetic consideration. I do not imagine that they will be favourablo to tho giving gf Bible lessons by State school teachors under any conditions, but they may be willing to accept tho other part of our proposal, namely, that clergy of various denominations be permitted to give, special religious instruction during school hours. "Not the Worst Evil." Lastly, wo aro told that the fatal objection to our scheme is that its adoption is certain to .provoke sectarian striic. Now, while wo cannot hope to escape strong and sustained opposition from tho secularist quarter, 1 do not myself anticipate any serious conflict amongst brother Christians. But, granted that my forecast is in error, wo must bear in mind that conflict, ovil as it is, is not tho worst evil. Ignoranco of God, unbelief and wickedness are worse; so also arc lethargy, paralysis, and death. If toleration is a virtue at all, it is tho easiest of all virtues for those who have no convictions of their own; often it is not far removed from the. frontier of vice. In these clays wo must continually remind ourselves that the absence of opposition is no' certain proof that the Kingdom of God is spreading. It was the Prince of Peace Himself who said: "Think yo that I am come to bring peace on the earth?, I tell you. Nay; but rather division." And this teaching was in the mind of ox-President Roosevelt when ho said two months ago: "Peace is generally good in itself, but it is never tho highest good unless it comes as tho handmaid of righteousness." Ths Mlssioners from England. ' Wo turn to the thought of that' momentous event in the life of tho Church of these islands, the coming of our missioners from England next September. As I look through-the fifteen years and more that I have spent in New- Zealand, I see many things for which I thank God—new churches built, if not in this city,'yet in the suburbs and in the back-blocks j now districts formed,- and a steadily increasing body of strong, pious self-sacrificing clergy, such as'few dioceses are blessed with. Among our workers I thankfully note not merely the absence of party spirit, but — what I think I have prayed for as much as anything else—a growing brotherlmess, and longing to help and to bo helped by one another. On the other hand remember—l am speaking to laity as well as clergy, and not least of all to myself—there is a. grievous flaw that disfigures all, or nearly-all, the work we have done. It is this, that wo are. not caring enough to win men for' God. Tho doors of our churches aro thrown open, but wo do not press people to enter; there is no going into tho highways and hedges and compelling them .to come in. Wo rarely even try to'raako them feel that we miss their presence. Now, the Church of this diocese will never be what God meant it to be—it will grow languid and ineffective, less able to stir its members to real sacrifice for Christ's ■sake, it will even relax its own grasp of Divine Truth—unless it far more resolutely bears its witness to tho world. 'And so I thank God that in His mercy He has given us,' through the coming mission,- a great opportunity of doing, with tho help and guidance of fellowworkers from Home, what we have left undone in tho past. • ' .

"Be Not Afraid, but Speak." We ,must not say that, if we work for the perfecting of. the faithful, tho conversion of sinners will come of itself. Church history—the history, for example, of the odd Anglo-Saxon Church—ay, even our own experience, shows us that this- is not true. Tho witness of the highest Christian, character will not avail for tho evangelisation of the world if we forget tho charge,' "Be not afraid, but. speak, and hold not thy peace." Every houso in' "the- diocese must-bo visited, every.man aai'd woman whom wo can reach, not only the poor but the well-to-do quite. as much, must receive a personal invitation to come to the mission services. Of course, we shall not attempt to draw from other .Christian denominations ; our. errand is to those who, so far as we can toll,, are living without God aaid without hopo.

, The Forerunners. How can wo stir up in ourselves and in others an expectation that God will do great things for us, aaid prepare by constant pra-yer and intercession to receive the- blessings Ho longs to bestow, many of us have heard already from the forerunners o"f the mission, Canon Pollock and the Rev. H. A. Kennedy, for whose wise and sympathetic counsels wo are full.of gratitude. In the course of their long journeys through. the province they spared iio pains to discover where the thirteen, missionors who were then promised us might work most usefully' and they found the openings so many that it became their earnest hope that the number of missioners might be increased. Since they left'us this.hope has been fulfilled. Three- more'men-have been found for the province, as well as ono who will work in this diocese only during the whole period of the mission. This means that there will bo few, if any, parishes, which some missioner will not visit. I expect to issue in a day or two, with tho help of the archdeacons, a programme of. tho missions to be held in various places and I hope that both clergy and laity of the" additional places visited will learn from ■some of their brothers who have already received suggestions, from tho forerunners how they may best make preparations, in the short time at their disposal, for the missioners' visits. And tho clergy will also, I hope, give careful consideration at their meetings during the next two months to a question which wo have hardly faced yet, namely, how the work of the mission can be rendered permanent and fruitful when the mission itself is over.

OTHER BUSINESS. THE SECRETARY. The resignation of Archdeacon Harpor from tho position of secretary was accepted with regret, and the Rev. A. H. Compton was appointed in his stead. The Bishop expressed gratitude for tho punctual and businesslike manner in which Archdeacon Harper had carried out his duties as secretary.

THE KINC'S DEATH.. The Bishop asked leave to introduce, without notice, tho following resolution:—"That this synod record its thankfulness for the blessings vouchsafed to tho British Empire by means of the wise and bonclicent rule of our late Sovereign, King Edward VII, and of his endeavours for the peace of the whole world; its respectful sympathy with the- Queen Mother,. in this her hour of sorrow, and its earnest prayer that Clod will grant His Most Gracious Majesty, our Sovereign Lord, King George, a long and prosperous reign.'' Tho resolution was carried in respectful silence, all present rising to their feet. WELCOME TO THfc GOVERNOR. It, was resolved on the motion of Archdeacon Fiu.eourl,. seconded bv Archdeacon Harper—That . bishops, clergy, and laity of the diocese of Wellington, i" synod, assembled, extend to His Majesty' the King's rc-prescntutivo in this country, newly arrived therein, his Excellency 'Lord Islington, a loyal and hearty welcome to New Zealand. They pray'that the Divine blessing may rest upon him in the. exercise nt' the high office to which he has been called, and thov trust that ho and Lady Islington and their daughter may enjoy health and happiness, and experience much pleasure during the years that

aro passed by them in Now Zealand. They also desire to assure his Excel-1 lono'y of the loyal devotion of themselves and of. that portion ' of the Church' which they represent, to the Throne of England. The president was requested to forward, the resolution to his Excellency tho Governor. COMMITTEES. It was agreed that the Finnnco Committee for the succeeding term consist of: The Yen. Archdeacon Fancourt, Messrs. J. Martin, J. Kobbell, H. A. Kevins, G. Shirtcliffe, F. R. Russell, W. F. Jacob, G. Wlieoler, and Mr. h. Anderson. Tho following committee was set up to investigate the condition of Maori Missions: The Revs. A. M. Johnston and. V. H. Kilcet; Messrs. Kobbell G. Wheeler, R. Marumuru, and Archdeacon; Jacob. BUILDING FUND. The Rev. G. Dent moved:—(l) That a fund bo established from which loans may be granted to parishes or parochial districts for building purposes, at 5 per cant., 2£ per cent, being a sinking fund, and 2} "per cent, interest on the loan. (2i That tho parishes or parochial districts bo assessed to form a nucleus of such fund. (3) That such assessment be payable to the Standing Committee by March 31, Ml. (4) That tho assessment shall bo as follows:—St. Paul's (Wellington), St. Peter's (Wellington), St. Mark's (Wellington), Petone, Palmerston North, and Wanganui (Christ Church), £10 oacii; and all other parishes or • parochial districts, £5 each. (5) That subscriptions to the fund be invited in the "Church Chronicle" as a standing advertisement. A number of speakers voiced the. opinion that, although tho principle of tho resolution was good, it was possibly weak in working details. Arohdcacon Harper attracted immediate support when ho moved as an amendment: — "That this Synod considers tho establishment of a fund from which loans could bo made to parishes or parochial districts for tho purpose of assisting in erecting the necossary church buildings, to be of the utmost importance, and in order to furt'nor tho establishment of such a fund a committee be sot up to take what steps may be thought well, to receive any contributions which may bo given, and report to next Synod; such committee to consist of Archdeacon of Waitotara, the Rev. J. W. Dent, Messrs. E. Anderson, J .W. Henderson, R. Wilberfoss, E. H. Dean, and the mover. Archdeacon Fancourt, in supporting tho amendment, dealt at length with the difficulties pressing on country parishes. They had to borrow ,money at high rates of interest. With tho fund suggested less would be paid on interest, and each'your a portion of vho loans would bo paid off. However, it was not a littlo fund that would suffice for this work. Tho means suggested' in the original resolution weio absolutely inadequate. Mr. Wheeler contended that the committee set up should be asked to report this session. ,Archbishop Harper concurring, the amendment was revised accordingly and carried. i

LAND PURCHASE. - A committee appointed on July 13, 1909, to consider the advisability of purchasing Part Sections , -540, 541, 542 Mulgrave Street, for the purpose of a site for a cathedral, chapter house, and other diocesan offices, reported that it had no recommendation to make. PROPOSED BROTHERHOOD. .. A co'mmi.tieo-appointed by the Synod to consider the establishment of a Brotherhood devoted to voluntary service for the diocese reported that they had been in communication with the heads :ol•-.several English. Brotherhoods and gained much"valuable information. Tho consensus of testimony, was in favour of the establishment of a community of priests rather, than of laymen. A suggestion, by tho Principal of. the. ; Community of. the Resurrection, that a branch house of that brotherhood might be set tip in' New Zealand seemed to the'committee worthy of consideration. Tho committee recommended that they be continued in office for another year for the purpose of a conference with some of the raissioners of the coming general mission, with power to take such stops as may. be necessary for the establishment of a brotherhood in the diocese. HOME MISSION. The committee set "up to report, on the subject of a Home Mission Society, reported that thoy woje unanimous that in the large and scattered parochial districts, especially in tho northern end of the diocese, the operation of a Home Mission priest would bo a source of much benefit to tho people, and of help to tho Church: The committee recommended that two priests bo appointed at a stipend of £150 per anjium, together with house and travelling expenses; that tho scheme bo referred to-the Standing Committee which shall bo responsible for tho payment of stipends. To-day tho Synod will resume its de-. liberations in the Sydney Street .schoolroom at 4 p.m. EVENSONG. Last evening a service was held in St. Paul's Pro-Cathedral at 8 o'clock, and an appropriate sermon was preached by the Rev. G. P. Davys, M.A.