CONSCRIPTION OF THE CLERGY.

Greymouth Evening Star, 24 February 1917, Page 3

CONSCRIPTION OF THE CLERGY.

ARTICLE *BY THE BISHOP OF ■ - 'NELSON. Apropos of the controversy at present proceeding in the newspapers of the Dominion on the question as to whether the clergy should be- exempted from military service,, other than chaplaincies, it may interest Home — if not many—of our readers if we- reprint an article written laiit month by the 'Bishop of JNoboo, Div Sadlior, and printed in the February number of the "Nelson Dio&Bau ■ Gazette." The artoile deal* with the*question as it affects the Nekton diocese, and is as follows: It ia adorable that I should, at UII9 "•rave crisis in our history, statement as to the position/of • the clergy, who are working in this diocese, in relation to the ballot for military service. As the clergy are mors liable cto public criticism than most men such a statement nuvy be of value: to them in their pastoral ministration:!, and has the additional advantage of enabling them to place the responsibility on the proper, person. Now it seemsi to mo that it would have been a meat undesirable state of things had the. clergy as a body been | exempted, from military service; As ■ oitixoiw of the Empire, which is passing through the most perilous times, the v should take their place with their fellow-citizens in service for the common weal. It is true that there are ancient canons, which prohibit a clergyman from bearing arms; but in the hititory of over a thousand years | there iu conclusive evidence that the authority of these canons has, times without number, been set aside. Only at the risk of the most glaring in'consistency can they be quoted to-day to j justify the exemption of the clergy aa ] a>body, There i% however, another , side to the quest km The well-being - of the Church must be considered, and it is wjth.thia object that I make the following observations:

According to the census' of 1911 there wore about 32,000 Church of , England people scattered over an area of some 20,000 square miles in the Dioceue of Nelson. Under ordinary' circumstances the spiritual needs of this number of people should be sup- . plied by 36 clergy; but at the present moment there are six curacies and two parochial> districts vacant. Thus our active sitafl' ig redueed«to 28. Of this number three vicars are on active service as chaplains and two, if not tnree, are waiting for the call to similar service. Our staff is now 25. When we turn to the candidates for the ministry we find that there arc none available either in New Zealand or Engianu : nor cam I accept as a candidate any man who is lit for military service. At tho, outbreak of the war 1 was depending on four men ' to till vacancies in the ranks of the clergy. One of these wan killed ui Calhpoli; the second ig in France; the third is in Trentham; the fourth is now engaged iu other work, Our Diocesan Secretary has altid' gone to serve inn Empire, and Canon. D'ait is' bravely conducting the work, of the »!;!!■■ iiuti at the Maine time carrying on iiis' parochial duties. Our staff, therefore, is 25, and there are 'no candidates- This is the position which I have to face until the war is ovei".

It will be soon from the foregoing that in a diocese such as this, whore Church work is conducted for the-most part under missionary conditions, and where many of the districts are .over 100 miles long, our srraft' is ifcduoed to the minimum. It will alao be seen that I have 'no intention of applying for the exemption of the clergy as a" body. The position, however, is very serious, and I have come to the conclusion that I must be guided by the following principles: (1) The Church is in a different position-from 'ttiiat of other institutions. When vacancies occur in the latter thev can, as a rule, be filled;' but in the Church's, work this is not so. Even in normal times it is very difficult to obtain suitable clergy and candidates for Holy Orders. In war time it is all but impossible. But the difference lies, "much deeper than this. Laymen can never fill the places of clergymen. They may read Morning aiud Evening Prayer, but no' one wlio is not in Holy Orders can administer the sacraments, and celebrate marriages. This is the office of the clergy alone. (2) There is a double incidence o£the national call upon our small body of clergy. Finst I am in duty bound to supply chaplains for purely ministerial work among our soldiers. This obligation I am prepared to fulfil to the last man. It is imperative that men should be forthcoming to minister in the tilings pertaining to' God. Secondly, there ia the incidence of ,the ballot, (8) When.'therefore, a clergyman is selected in the ballot I shall consider each rase on its morits, and whatever nvy be the personal desire of the clerg;, ma'i hi question, if I decide to appeal I shall do so in the public interest only. Our clergy have done nobly in thid great crisis We aro /I honk fill and proud of the splendid siervieofi our chaplains nr» rendering. And the sons of the clergy have equally been doing their dutv. Ther> is not a stacker among them. The. grown-up ■ sons of every clergyman, of the

Bishop, the Bean, the ArchdeaconsI,' 1 ,' the Briest'si have all rallied ,to the colors. It is. no morn than their duty; it is/ however, a. splendid record. We can only put our faith in God, continue our witness for the Saviour, and patiently abide the results, whatever they may be. WILLIAM C.'NELSON,.