MEETING- OF CHURCHMEN.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXIV, Issue 3403, 12 June 1868, Page 3

MEETING- OF CHURCHMEN.

A preliminary meeting of Churchmen, convened by circular, was held yesterday at Mr. A. Buckland's rooms,, Haymarket, "to consider what steps should be taken to maintain the fundamental principle of the Church Constitution (according to Ithe original voluntary compact of 1852), and acoording to the doctrine,, polity, and legal position of our National Church, in opposition to the material changes and departures from it which have been made for some time past by the Synods, and resolved upon by the Bishops, on their sole authority, in their petition to her Most Gracious Majesty in 1865." The meeting was not held until nearly half an hour after the time appointed, and even then only the following gentlemen attended it : — Meisrs. A. Martin, F. Kissling, J. Burtt, B. Tonks, J. Cadman, and S. Kempthorne. Mr. A. Martin was called to the chair. The minutes of the previous meeting held on the 28fch January, 1867, were rea . d * nd confirmed. Mr. Kempthorxi then laid on the table a document containing certain suggestions which he had prepared, and requested leave to read it. Mr. Tones thought there would be very little use in reading the document unless the meeting already knew something of its contents. He bad glanced over it, and he certainly could net understand it, from having read it. It was so very voluminous, and touched upon such a variety of subjects, that it would be impossible to retain one-half its contents from simply hearing it read. Mr. Kempthorne moved that he receive permission to read to the meeting the document embodying the steps proposed to be taken. The Chairman said ifc would be impossible for the present meeting to came to any decision with re« gard to the document, unless they had an opportunity of considering it at leisure. Mr. Tonks said that was the reason he had objected to the document being read. It was impossible for a person of his limited comprehension to understand one-half of it without considerable Btudy. Mr. Kbmpthorne said there could be no objection to the paper being read. Mr. Tonks : Except that it would be a waste of time. So far as lam concerned, lam disinolined to take any action upon it. The first step would be to adopt a proteit, and even to do that would involve a considerable amount of study. Mr. Kempthorne said the paper ought at all events to be placed in the hands of members. Mr. Tonks said it would be useless to attempt to read the document. They would not be able to grasp more than one or two of the ideas embodied in it. He thought no action could be taken in respect to it until the members had been enabled to grasp its entire sense. He would suggest that the meeting be adjourned, in order to enable the members to peruse the paper. Mr. Kempthorne : That would involve having copies printed. Mr. Tonks said the best way would be for the members to read it and hand it round. Perhaps it would be well to take the document as if it had been read. Mr. Kempthorne said the document had been very carefully prepared. He had shown it to Mr. Martin, Mr. Grace, and others, and they said it evidently had not been worked off without consideration. Mr. Tonks said it was for that very reason that he had said they could not now come to any deoision with respect to it. , After some further discussion it was agreed that the document be read, and it was read by Mr. Kempthorne accordingly. At its conclusion, Mr. Kempthorne said : There is something to consider there— is there not, Mr. Tonks ? Mr. Tonks : There is just exactly what I expected. Haying in view the probability of the very grave changes that will be made in the Church of England at home, I think we ought to be very careful, and to weigh whatever we may say ; and, in any actionwe may take, we ought first to very carefully weigh how far it would hare a prejudicial effect. Mr. Kempthornb said he had been in communication with the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of London on the subjects touched upon in the document The Archbishop said it was quite natural that the Colonial Church should wish to maintain its relations with the mother Church, and in another letter he said he was confident that there was no desire for any unnecessary severance of the bond of union. The Chairman said he would like to have some proposition before him as to what course would be adopted in respect to the document, Mr. Tonks said he had no desire to throw any obstacles in the way, but he would propose that the meeting adjourn until a future day, in order to enable gentlemen present to consider the important document submitted to them by Mr. Kempthorne. His (Mr. Tonks's) reason for making this proposal was, as he had already stated, that, as very important changes were likely to take place in the condition of the Church at home, the meeting should be very careful about taking any action whatever. He almost trembled at the idea of taking any action whatever without the very gravest consideration. No doubt some of the suggestions contained in that document were very good, but it would not be advisable at present to take any action upon them. He would therefore move that the meeting adjourn. Mr, Kempthorne requested the meeting to allow him to read a letter which he had received fromjthe South respecting Dr. Jenner, on whose account the people down there appeared to be much troubled. Mr. Kempthorne, with the consent of the meeting, then read the letter to which he referred. Some discussion ensued whether the document which had been prepared by Mr. Kempthorne should be printed, but ultimately it was decided that it should be reserved for future discussion. Mr. Kissmno moved," That the members present (with power to add to their number) hate copies of the paper just read supplied to them, and that they meet to discuss the matter on the 25th instant, at 11 o'clock a.m." The motion was seconded by Mr. Tonks and carried, after which the meeting adjourned.

If elementary,education, in the form of writing, be a jiut test of thecomparatiye amount of ignorance, it appears, by the returns published by the RegistrarGeneral, that the population of Ireland ig in a very ignorant condition. Among the number of persona, who were married in EDgland during the past year, 22 per cent, of men and 31 of women could not write. In Scotland the numbers were 11 per cent, of men and 22 per cent, of women j while in Ireland, during the same period, 40 per cent, of men and 52 per cent, of women were ignorant of thu part of elementary

education. In a town in Maine lived a man who, though yet in middle age, hud put on mourning for three wives. In the pourae of time, a fourth was brought home j in the course of her clearing up »nd putting things to -right!, ahe found in the attic a long piece of old hoard, and was about launching it out of the window, when little Sally interposed, and said : " Oh ! don't, mamma I , That is the board papa lays hU wives on, and he watfa tQ i*.ye it \ " Nevertheless put xt went,