INCIDENT IN SYNOD. UNUSUAL POSITION IN CHRISTCHURCH. THE CASE OF MR. HARGREAVES.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXII, Issue 63, 12 September 1911, Page 3

INCIDENT IN SYNOD. UNUSUAL POSITION IN CHRISTCHURCH. THE CASE OF MR. HARGREAVES.

Tit MLKGRAPfI'-ftMECIAL TO THS FOST.] CHKIfcTCHURCH, This Day. The sequel to the action of Bishop JtiHus in declaring Mr. W. H. HargfeAves, a member of the Diocesan Synod now in session, ineligible for a position on the Board of Nominators occurred yesterday. Immediately upon the opening of the afternoon sitting the Key. H. T. Purchas asked permission to refer to the incident of Friday night, and upon being given permission, stated that he desired to say ia the first place that Mr. Hargreaves withdrew what he had said on I'riday evening in t-egaid Ito leaving the Chufch. (Applause.) I That statement was made by Mr. Hargreaves, as all would understand* under great pressure. He «vould read Mr. Hargreaves'*! written statement, which was as follows :-»"! withdraw my expression on Friday last that I would leave the Church. tJnlees 1 am forced to do otherwise I desire to remain a member until my life's end." Mr. Purchas, continuing, said that the removal of Mr. Hargreaves from the Synod had given fjse to a, very general belief that some serious charge had been made against his character, h charge which could not be made in open Synod, but which Could only bo disclosed to a select few. The newspapers had been pressing Mr. Hargreaves to give a statement, but he did not desire to do that. Mr. Hargreaves would, however, like an opportunity of making * full statement to Synod, a statement ■such as he could not make on Friday evening. The speaker considered that all Would agreo with him a* a matter of common fairnees that. Mr. Ha-rgfeare* should he given this opportunity. Bishop Julius : I am very thankful indeed that Mr. Hargreaves has with, drawn the words vre mttet have all re gretted. With regard to the- second point 1 have iio doubt tbefe is some mi*, apprehension. I hope it has not been supposed there was any hindrance putin the Way of Mr. Hargreaves making an explanation. He might have done so on Fridaj* night, and I cla*not think the Synod would hesitate for a moment to allow Mr. Hargreaves to make any statement h© desired to make before the Synod. For myself I should be ex* tfemely thankful. Failing this I would certainly have informed the Synod of the exact state of the case. 1 thought it was clearly understood that there ■was nothing whatever affecting Mr. Hargreaves's character. That ought to have baen understood from the first. Mr. J. Studholme said that Mr. H. D. Andrews, the chairman, bi the committee appointed to wait upon the Bishop on Friday night, was prepared to make a, statement. The Rev. H. T. Purchas : I think Mr. Hftrgreaves would like to be present when the statement is made. May I call him in? [ Pennuseion was at c-flce gi'a-nted, and i Mr. Hargreav.es, on entering, was received with friendly applause. The Bishop said he understood Mt. Hargreavee desired to speak to the Synod. He would frret call upon Mr. Andrews to make a report, which would be official, and then the Synod would be able to hear Mr. Hargreaves. Mr. Andrews said that the committee appointed on Friday night had met the Bishop after the sitting. The mem* bens of the committee had met that afternoon, and had very hurriedly prepared a very bald and brief report. Tho report was a« follows :— "The Committee desires the Synod to know that the whole ground on which the Bishop acted was that Mr. Hargreaves had himself voluntarily told him on Friday afternoon that he had not received the elements of communion for some years past, that the Bishop, having informed Mr. Hargreaves that he could not allow his nomkiation to stand, requested him to have his name withdrawn, by leave of the Synod, and en Mr. nargreaves declining to take, this course before or after the first ballot^ the Bishop, in the opinion of the committee, had no option but to take i the course he did. MR. HAKGHEAVES EXPLAINS HIS POSITION. Ift a speech of an hour's duration, Mt. Hargreave* explained his position to the Synod. He said that last Thursday he was told there was a movement afoot to keep him off the Board of Nominators, on the ground that he was opposed to the interests of the local clergy. He denied the impeachment, and went on to say that he interviewed a clergyman whose name had been mentioned in connection with the movement. This clergyman told him that he had heard it stated that the «pea.fcer must be kept off the board because he was not a colnrousicant. He then approached the Bishop, detailing what he had heard and explaining why he had been unable, for two reasons, j to partake of the element* at the Lord's table. One reason was a physical one, which he had been labouring under for forty-two years. The other reason was purely a matter of conscience, but this obstacle had now been removed by death. He had been a communicant foV nearly forty-four years, and it had been «. great loss to him to have to abstain from communion. Th« Bishop mentioned to him that the matter had been discussed, much to the speaker's astonishment, and that it liad been found tlut he did not attend either of two city churches. The Bishop interrupted Mr. Hargreaves to say that no enquiries had been made concerning his churchgoing. Mr. Hargreaves went on to say that if he had known objection ivoufd be taken to his nomination he would not have allowed his name to go forward, but the Bishop had been in possession of information, and he wae sorry his lordship had not given him an opportunity, of explaining or withdrawing his name. He could not accept s the suggestion made on Friday by the Bishop that he should ask the Synod to allow him to withdraw on the ground of A private communication made to the Bishop. The result <if lne little talk with the Bishop was that he was asked to think it over. Afte* thinking, he wrote to the Bishop stating that he Claimed to be still a communicant, but it was not till the election of the Board of Nominators had proceeded as far as the second ballot that the Bishop called him up and asked him to withdraw. At that stage withdrawal clearly was impossible. Proceeding with his statement Mr. Hargreftves said that the rubric ordered parishioners to communicate three times a year, but he knew ctf one synodsman who had not complied with the rule and he .hinted that there weTe other.*. He maintained, that he was still a communicant in the best sense of tlte word. Mr. Hargreaves concluded by asking the bishop to 'define a communicant and to &ta*e whether the speaker was any longer a member of the synod. THE BISHOP ANSWERS. Bishop Julius said he had listened to Mr. Hargreaves <vith great sympathy and attention. For his own part in the matter he had no regret. But fo> - Mr. Hargreaves's voluntary statement to » ijim he. .wojdd, uoj, havjg £haUeug«jl Jlie

nomination. He could not agree that Mr. Hargreaver was still a communicant and having had a statement from Mr. Hnrgreaves he had required to make no enquiries, and it had not been his busin<!?s to listen to or to take action on rumouis which had been current 1 for at least three year.* that Mr. Hargreavfia was not a .-emmuhieant. "I hav> only to s=ty,"' added his Lordship, "my definition of a communicant is a perron who communicates, and if Mr. IIsr» greaves is prepared to sign a declaration that he is a communicant I have nothing further to say, but when it comes to a position on the board of nominators, with the knowledge I have I feel it necessary to ftpcak plainly and a« emphatically as I can put it, and in answer to all the rumours that immediately rise abont any question of this kind I say that ther© is nothing whatever of any sort behind this question except the fact that the church requires that every member of a board of nominators should be a communicant, and that in the judgment of the bishop Mr. Hargreaves is not. The Rev. H. T. Pnrchas said that, although Mr. Hargreaves. did not desire him to mention it he would slate that Mr. Hargreavesi had' attended Holy Communion the previous day. That should remove' every difficulty. The Bishop : It removes every difficulty in my mind in regard to his place in synod. (Applause.)