DEGREES OF DIVINITY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 15050, 25 January 1911, Page 3

DEGREES OF DIVINITY.

A NEW DEPARTURE IN VICTORIA,

At the meeting of . the Senate of the New Zealand University oc Monday the following motion, proposed by Sir Maurice O'Rorke, was passed/by 13 votes to 8:— "That in the opinion of tho Senate it is derogatory to the dignity and usefulness of tho New Zealand Universfy- that it should be debarred from granting degrees in divinity"; and "that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to the Government, with a. request that it mil have the law amended next session so as to authorise tho granting of such degrees." As Archbishop Clarke, of Melbourne, was in Dunedin yesterday a Daily Times reporter waited upon him to ascertain liis views about the bestowal of divinity degrees, particularly as'a course has recently beta decided upon in Melbourne, which represented a unique departure for Australasia in connection with this matter.

Archbishop Clarke said in reply:—"The question of conferring degrees in divinity has been discussed for some time in Australia, and many- efforts have been made to induce the Australian universities, which ut the present time exclude the Faculty of Divinity, to have their statutes, altered' so that divinity may be a recognised course jf study. During last year the Council of tho University of Melbourne was approached with a view to this end and, whilst refusing to take part in recommending the State Parliament to alter' the constitution of the university, it suggested that provision should be made for the bestowal of degrees in divinity by the establifbment through Parliament of a College of Divinity authorised to confer such degree Aoting upon this resolution a ■/lumber of persons interested in the establishment of a Faculty of Divinity approached the Government of Victoria with the result that shortly before Christmas an act of Parliament was passed in Victoria establishing the Melbourne College of Divinity. This college consists of 16 persons, six of whom are representatives of the Church of England, four of the Presbyterian Church, four of tho Methodist Church, one of the Congregational, and one of the Baptist Churches. The colLge is empowered to confer the degrees of B.D. and D.D., but only subject to certain educational restrictions. . D(ftrees must be given after a severe examination in theology, and no one is eligible as a candidate unless he has previously graduated at Melbourne University or at some other university which is recognised by it. The effect of this is to establish for the first time in Australasia a college -with Government sanction which has the power to bestow the recognised degrees of divinity. In the working of the college it is understood that the examination will be divided into two parts. In the first part the subjects will be perfectly general and in tho second part there will be a sufficient number of subjects from which to choose, so that persons who desire to present for examination subjects distinctly connected with some denomination will have the opportunity of doing so. At flic same time it is cx-prca-ly provided that, no religious test shall be imposed upon any of the candidates for the degrees, and that the degrees will Lc bestowed for knowledge only without ward to the denominational views of tho candidates." And does tho Church of Eneknd m Australia contemnlate establishing its own College of Theology? asked the interviewer at, this stage. "The Church of England in Australia," answered Archbishop Clarke. " has had for many years its own College of Theology, tut this college has granted diplomas only and has not given the recognised degrees of B.D. and D.D. The difficulty in tho way of establishing ii college which slmll givo these degrees has been that if tho Church of England had done it, .many of the smaller colleges would probably have followed euit, and thus in the rivalry twecn the different colleges the value of the (logreeK would have boon impaired. The Melbourne College of Divinity has been established by the joint effort of all the loading religious denominations in tlio hope of ministering lo the spirit of study and learning, afi well as thnt of union. And great hopes," concluded . Arch-1-iislion" "are entertained in Victoria and clrsiwlvrc of the advantages to l>e derived from this effective and definite move in the direction of Church Union."

Three toys eummoned at Fellbam for trespass on the London and Sout.liWVf.-rn railway near Fulwell golf links sm-l rrolfors offered them rewards of 4<l and 6d if they nrent ueoh the railway to recover golf balls.