NEW BISHOP OF BATHURST.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1229, 11 September 1911, Page 3

NEW BISHOP OF BATHURST.

A BRILLIANT CAREER. Canon Merrick Long, M.A., of Trinity Grammar School, lien; Victoria, the Bishop-elect of Bathurst, is a native or Australia, having been born in Carisbrook. He is 30 years of age. Educated at Trinity College, Melbourne, he graduated at the .Melbourne University with tirst-class honours in Arts and Theology. lie was ordained deacon in 1809, and prf.st in the following year. After about three years' mission work in the Gippsland bush, in tho Foster district, he was appointed senior .curate- at Holy Trinity Church, Kew, in 1902. He was one of the founders of Trinity Grammar School, Kew, established in 1303, and nest year was appointed its headmaster, a position which he has occupied ever since. Under his guidance tho number of scholars has increased from 30 to 300. Twelve months ago ho was elected a canon of St. Paul's. Ho is also a member of the council of the Melbourne diocese and of the chapter of St. Paul's Cathedral, besides being on all the principal boards of tho Church. Canon Long nas been much identified with the advocacy of social reform. His sermons on. social reform and tho necessity for an advanced social policy for tho Church have been one of the features' of his work as a canon of the cathedral. Canon Long is a tall, handsome, cleanshaven man; a broad Churchman; a brilliant conversationalist. Ho smokes and rides a bicycle. He has varied tastes in literature, is a warm believer in legitimate sport, and is always ready to lend a hand to encourage it. His sermons on the relations of the Church to the Australian democracy would place him in flic rank of Christian Socialists of tho stamp of Bishop Mercer, of Tasmania, ne is a member of the Social Questions Committee) of tho Melbourne Synod, and lias frequently adopted an independent lino of policv'in dealing with educational problem's. He has refused to join in the wholesale condemnation of the State educational system. Ho is exceedingly popular among laymen. The news of Canon Longs election has been received by the members of the ■\nglican Church with great satisfaction, as it is considered his appointment is a welcome reversal of the past policy .of ignoring the claims of locally-trained clergymen to important clerical appointments in the Commonwealth.