ADDRESS BY BISHOP JULIUS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 915, 7 September 1910, Page 6

ADDRESS BY BISHOP JULIUS.

\'RELIGIOUS ''INSTRUCTION'; IN, :.-' 'V-''' :■":■: ' ! ; : .Vv SCHOOLS. ; :;',:- .;' ;:;.;:■:- y:(;PARTT-';-STRiI!E. -DEPRBCATBD. v -■; ;- '".(By Association.)':', ;;;'. " .:; ;>; .;: i christchun;h, September,6.„■',' .The Anglican. Synod:-of the Biocese.of Ch'ristchurch:. opened its, 'annual.:sessions to-day. Bishop.Julius, iin his, address, rer marked, that 1 the .'first. :'and, most:, notable, decision -of the .Gbneral' Synod .wasairesolutio'n-" in fayoiir -. of, the New ,■■ South -Wales system' of religious-education, as distinct, from .what;,was ,known as.Bible-; •in-schools. The ,'New,;''South,- Wales ; ~sys-, tern' offered"''a practical .and..reasonable solution-of'.the religions 'difficulty,, and had ; 'lately been approved by a majority, of 18,000 :in, a-referendum- in Queensland. The resolution.' passed-:'- by -- the-'. General Synod- ; did not. necessarily/represent;the mind 'of 'the .■ majdfity.;;of', .church-people iin. the. .Canterbury 'province, but- unless, they, were, to remain for ever 'ineffective in \ such matters'' churchmen 'must, learn to sink" their'differences ! and'follow, a lead.. There".was little,'doubt."that-,if all 'Chris-' tian people throughout -the country' were 'in' agreement' ah<l sufficiently . in earnest .'in the -mdtter they could.-carry religions education in the face of all secularists. : irThe' Bishop theiixwont',on to,refer to the.-forthcoming,,mission; which'"he "said, 'was' comprised of ■' missioners of by no means of .one: type of ! chuTChhianship, but who wore yet content,to work together, for the -conversion, of .souls: These considerations ,'should, be suffiqient, to deter any,loyal member'-of; the, 'church from letting lobse-.upon'her at such-a, time as this the .abomination born of party spirit, and self-will; For,many years past.parfy strife had been unknown, in the: diocese in-spjte of the fact that .;they,.had not all thought- alike. .Vestments had. been in use in one place, .and, the surplice- in. others. Men had differedvwidely : bot.h in opinion and forms-.of-worship, but they 'had. worked-'together with one heart, if not: always : with one mind,, and. without controversy. There, "was"' aibplo room.,in the Church .for, a' great variety of thought and practice under : the law of the Prayer Book ah<T. the,- oustOinVipf. 'many centuries-, but inasmuch- as-law and custom . were (ximetimes at variance, the parish priest must .be very. considerate .of -the traditions, and temper of: his, people.;. The people'' must;also' remember-'that, custom was not - alwaj-s law, and :,that ruts were not favourable to locomotion.