ANGLICAN GENERAL SYNOD.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1199, 22 February 1895, Page 38

ANGLICAN GENERAL SYNOD.

Nelson, February 8. . The Anglican General Synod is now being Jield here. At the Synod this afternoon the Bishop of Christohurch brought up the report of the commissioners upon the status of visiting, retired, and superannuated clergymen* especially in regard to their relation ■to diocesan synods. The committee was of ■opinion that the Bishops should have the xight to issue " permission to officiate," •which shall carry a seat in the Diocesan Synod without the right to vote. Amendments to the canons were recommended, to enable this to be done. This committee also reported upon the case of Archdeacon Stock, that the loss of lis license was due to the hitherto unsatisfactory . state of the canon law, and that the proposed amendment of the same should satisfactorily meet his case. Upon the case of the Rev. Algernon Gifford, the committee reported that the decision of the Standing Committee renders it indisputable that the license held 3by him entitled him to sit and vote in the Diocesan Synod. The report was ordered to be printel, ftnd notice for consideration was given.

Recommendations of the Select • Coraaxiittee regarding the boundaries of Auckland and Waiapu dioceses were referred to the Bishops and Synods of Auckland and 'Waiapu. A motion was introduced by Mr Morrison and carried, /'That this Synod expresses sympathy with those members •whose seats have been declared invalid through no fault of their own." This had reference to Dean Fitehett and Canon Lucas, who left for Dunedin yesterday. Resolutions passed by the Synod of Auckland as to increased attention being given in the training of candidates for holy orders in elocution and extempore preaching were referred to the Select •Committee on educational institutions.

The following were appointed the Standing Commission :—The Primate, Colonel Haultain, Messrs Seth Smith, E. 3H«sketh and T. Kissling. On the motion of the Dean of "Waiapu, ifc was resolved to request the bishops to consider the desirableness of issuing a form of service for use in cases where the ■fourial services in the prayer book may not "he used. Several clergy spoke of their difficulty at present in cases of suicides, ttnbaptised persons, &c. At 7.30 p.m. Sir John Hall moved the second reading of the Bill to give women ■votes, at parish meetings by amending clause 10, canon V., table B, with the proviso that this should not confer the right to be elected as a member of any synod. There was a large attendance of the public to hear the debate. The mover, in a, speech of some length, urged that *' it was essentially a laity question. It was not an innovation, for women held office in the Mother Country as churchwardens. "Who, he asked, formed the greater part of the congregations? Who did the most important work in the church and in the tSunday-school, in visiting the sick, and in collecting for the various funds ? Who enabled the Roman Catholic Church to teep the first secondary schools of the Colony? His answer was, Women. He touched on the Scriptural bearing of thf*| anatter, and the equality of women with znen in intelligence and influence. The Bishop of Christohurch seconded the motion. He said the Scriptural argument against the measure was beside the mark. . There Was no principle there to forbid women voting at simple parish meetings. The Church must go with the times, •which was forcing women into the professions, &c, and if they did the work they -were doing so nobly, why not the simple voting at parish meetings ? The admission of women into church-work with the vote would lead to a wider Christian spirit, which was the greatest need. The strongest speech against the measure was made by the Rev W. Beatty {Auckland), who said that the women of the Colony had not done their own work so •well that they could come to the men and say, " Your work has been done badly; we -will do it for you." The argument of equality was a sham. Taking the political example, female franchise had not led to political purification. The cry of equality of the sexes was at the root of the modern cry in regard to divorce. The debate was interrupted by the 10 p m. adjournment, and is to be resumed on Monday. Bishop Julius is to address a public meeting at the Theatre on Sunday on the Bible in State schools question. At Thursday's sitting of the Synod, the following .resolutions, passed by the Synod of the diocese of Auckland, were sent to a select committee: That the Synod respectfully submits to Bishops and General Synod that great uniformity and security would be gained by—-(1) Making various forms of licenses for clergy, to be drawn on one set of models for the province ; (2) making it necessary that every priest or deacon coming from other dioceses and travelling through the country or sojourning anywhere in the province more than a month must have authority in writing from one of the bishops of the province in order to administer ; (3) making it an instruction to all churchwardens that in the case of any person coming to minister in the church, and the curate in charge be absent, it shall be their duty to satisfy themselves regarding his authority to minister; (4) making the designations of the clergy the same throughout the province. The election of Canon Docld and the Revs W. C. Cotes and F. W. Martin, for Dunedin, was declared valid, and it was decided that to fill the two vacancies caused by the resignation of the Rev W. C. Cotes and Canon Dodd a fresh writ should be issued by the Bishop of Pvuiedin.

, Nelson, February 11. A t the Anglican General Synod to-day, the Bishop of Christohurch introduced a Bill to provide that priests in sole charge of parishes, and licensed clergymen to assist same, should be styled throughout I the province of New Zealand " vicar" and " curate " respectively. Sir John Hall gave notice to move that to give effect to the resolution of Synod, the Bishops be requested take steps to as far as possible co-operate with the heads of other religious bodies to press upon tLe Government and Legislature the desire for reform in regard to Bible teaching in the public schools. Mr Cochrane gave notice to move that the assessment of the various dioceses for the expenses of the Synod be the same as in 1892, viz. : —Auckland, £4O ; Christchurch, .£45; Dunedia, £24; Waiapu, £24--, Wellington, £24; Nelson, £2O. Nearly the whole of the afternoon was taken up with the adjourned debate on Sir John Hall's Bill to give women votes at parish meetings. The speakers were fairly evenly divided upon the question. The majority of the laymen who spoke were in favour of the Bill, j and the majority of the clergy speaking were opposed to it.

As far as can be judged, the Bill will be thrown out by the clergy, a majority of each order being required to carry any measure. The Bishop of Nelson spoke against the measure. The debate was interrupted by the 6 o'clock adjournment. On the Synod resuming at 7.30, the Bill of the Bishop of Waiapu regarding- the appointment of bishops was read a third time. After other business was transacted, the Synod went into committee upon the second reading of Sir John Hall's Bill to turn parishes not fulfilling the conditions as such into parochial districts. Nelson, February 12. - At the Synod the adjourned debate on Sir John Hall's Bill to give women the right to vote at parish meetings lasted the whole afternoon. The tone of the debate was adverse, seven of the 11 speakers opposing the measure. These included the Bishops of Dunedin and Waiapu. Mr Hunter-Brown raised a point of order that the question affected the constitution, and that thorefore a two-thirds majority was required. The Primate ruled against this contention. The motion for the second reading of the Bill was lost. The following is the division list: — Bishops.—Ayes, 2 : The Primate, Bishop ' of Christohurch. Noes, 5: Bishops of Dunedin, Nelson, Melanesia, Waiapu, and Wellington. Clergt. Ayes, 4 : Dean Hovell (Waiapu), Dean Jacobs (Christohurch), Archdeacon Grace (Blenheim), Canon Webb (Gisborne). Noes, 13 : Archdeacon Dudley, Revs Beatty, McMurray (Auckland), Archdeacons Harper, Lingard{(Christchurch), Rev Martin (Dunedin), Revs Kempthorne, Baker (Nelson), Archdeacon Williams (Waiapu), Archdeacons Fancourt, Towgood, Rev Waters (Wellington), Rev Brittain (Melanesia). Laity.—Ayes, 13 : Colonel Haultain, Messrs Cox, Cochrane (Auckland), Sir John Hall, Mr Webb (Christohurch), Colonol Morris, -Mr Allen (Dunedin), Colonel Pitt, Hon. Barnicoat (Nelson), Messrs Gill, Pilcher, Field (Wellington), Mr McKellar (Melanesia). Noes, 6 : Messrs Speight (Auckland), Brittain (Christchurch), Hunter-Brown (Waiapu), Captain. Hewitt '(Wellington), Messrs Lubecki, Pogson (Dunedin): It was resolved that the Primate cause copies of forms of prayers sanctioned by the Bishops for the Governor out of session, and for the Governor and General Assembly in session, to be circulated. Archdeacon Harper moved the second ' reading of the Bill to confirm provisional j legislation of last Synod to amend the con- ■ stitution to the effect that no alteration in doctrine or the book of common prayer shall, after the same is* carried in the ordinary way in the General Synod, then sent down to the Diocesan Synods, then returned by these to the y General Synod, require to be carried in that body the second time by the two-thirds majority before the alterations can be made. The debate upon the Bill was proceeding when the Synod adjourned. Last night the second reading of the Bill dealing with the turning of parishes under certain conditions into parochial districts was carried. A few members have obtained leave of absence, and have returned to their homes. It is generally believed the session will be brought to a close on Friday night.