Hawke's Bay Herald. FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 1895. CHURCH COLLECTIONS.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 10010, 7 June 1895, Page 2

Hawke's Bay Herald. FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 1895. CHURCH COLLECTIONS.

When the Bishop of Salisbury visited oar Bboros he was painfully struck with the poor support accorded the clergy under the voluntary system, He referred more particularly to the Church ot England. And, Booth to Bay, considering tho universal strength and relative wealth of the adherents of that Church, her clergy are, as a rale, very inadequately supported. It is the same la the other colonies. The Rev. Canon Stone- VVipg recently made an analysis of the offertory in tho Brisbane Pro-Cathedral for several weeks, and published the resnltß. They show that .oat of an average of 800, only 390 gave anything at all, and of these no fewer than 2:30 gave threepence or Icbb, This was the morning offertory. The evening was worse still. Sixty per cent gave nothing, 271 P er eout of tho givers put threepenny bits Into the plate, and the rest of them gave coppers. The subdean, commenting on the Cqdoq'b stable; tics ab a meeting of the parishioners, Bald, " It ia not the poor or the people of

small menus who ate represented by tho 60 per cent of non-Rlveiß, Those who are not well off In this world's goods ore generous — too generous, I sometimes fear. The non-contributors (no tho collectors toll me) are well dresaed, well-to-do, well fed to nil appenranceß, with beautiful kid gloves, bright ribbons, good clothes, and a general air of freedom from financial cure or pecuniary atraitneas." There is, hoyoud doubt, too much truth In thin. The nonconformist) bodies, though generally far poorer, tax themselves much uioro heavily for the support of their ministers. Bab It does not follow that the adherents of the Church of England are intentionally more Diggordly. It must bo remembered that they, or at leaab the older generation who lived in England in their youth, were not trained to give. There the great majority of the State churches are supported by tithes, endowments, and other sources ot revenue outside the collection box. It is otherwise with the nonconformists, wbo have no tithes or State aid, and very seldom any endowments. It is borne upon them from their youth upwards that their minister mainly depends upon the voluntary contributions of his people. Consequently syßtematio giving, us generous as their means will allow, become 0 , as it were, part of their education. Such education has been to a large extent absent in the case of adherents of the Episcopal Chnroh in the colonies. Some do realise their responsibilities to the frill, and give right generously. Bat the bulk, through a want of this realisation, we believe, and not from any selfishness or niggardliness, do not rise to their responsibilities in this mabter. Perhaps the very suggestive fig area published by Canon Stone - Wigg will do good in making them realise that tho support of their church depends upon her people