WELLINGTON DIOCESAN SYNOD.

Evening Star, Issue 10747, 6 October 1898, Page 4

WELLINGTON DIOCESAN SYNOD.

WELLINGTON, October 5. The Anglican Synod was opened this afternoon. In his opening address Bishop Wallis said that money had been collected to pay the passage from England and defray the maintenance of a trainee} and experienced woman who had been chosen for rescue work among fallen women, and there was a sum in hand for starting a home'when time came for such a development. The total amount of money received and expended in the diocese during the past year exceeded £19,000, an increase on last year of nearly £3,000. This total was unprecedented in the history of the and was just twice the amount received and expended eight years ago. The bishop referred at some length to the stipends of the clergy, the New Zealand Maori mission, the General Synod, the proposal in connection with discipline, the trial of bishops, and courts of appeal. On the subject of the recomrnenda r tions of the General Synod in regard to religious education in the State schools the Bishop said: "It has been a real disappoint ment to me that tins, which we conceived to be a just and workable scheme, should have been silently ignored by the mass of the church people in the colony. If we feel it to be a shame to us, a source of danger to our colony, a terrible wickedness that many of our cliildren should be growing into manhood without a knowledge of God, we must learn to fee! strongly and speak strongly. We must form leagues and associations all over the country, as men do when they mean to attain the object which they have at heart. We must entreat and welcomo the support of Christians of all denominations, and I will not believe for a moment this support will be refused. But if we are not prepared for this we had better leave the thing alone. I will add only that men will never believe that we are in earnest if we are not making the most of the opportunities which are rarely refused of teaching children in the schools in school hours. I know how difficult the task is, and therefore am thankful that there are among us some who are attempting it."