THE EMPIRE

New Zealand Illustrated Magazine, Volume VIII, Issue 1, 1 April 1903, Page 78

THE EMPIRE

The reorganization of the Navy is to be thorough, and the addition in point both of ships and men allowed for in the very liberal estimates should insure Britain retaining her proud position as Mistress of the Seas. No less a sum than £34,457, 000 is to be spent for this purpose during 1903—4. Some ten millions of this enormous sum will be devoted to the building of new ship^. These, we are told by cable, are to consist of three battleships, fou, first-class armoured cruisers, throe first-class cruisers, four scouts, fifteen torpedo boat destroyers, and ten submarines. The proposed addition of men is some 4,600. Much needed reform in the training of men is also promised. It is evidently the intention not to be caught napping as the War Office was at the commencement of the Boer wpr. The general feeling is that the proportion of land and sea forces requires adjustment, and that the Army should be reduced in favour of the Navy now that Britain's interests, sundered by so many miles of ocean, are growing more and more valuable at a phenomenal rate of progress. This heavy additional expenditure on the defence of the Empire may prove to hasten more than any other means the good time when arbitration shall take the place of war among the nations of the earth.

Church people at Home are much exercised over the lack of dicipline

in the Church of England, which has enabled clergymen to adopt practices that are described as eccentric and extravagant by those who wish to draw it mildly. The matter was made the subject of a Parliamentary discussion, a Bill having been introduced "To strengthen the existing machinery for depriving contumacious offenders of their benefices,, and to abolish the bishops' power to veto prosecutions/ It would be well for the interests of religion if extremists in any direction amongst the clergy of all denominations could, be put down with a high hand, as they only give cause for the enemy to blaspheme and create divisions amongst adherents, when the tendency of followers of the Great Expounder of brotherly love should undoubtedly be rather the amalgamation of existing sects.

The death of Dr. Georg-e Granville Bradley, late Dean of Westminster, followed very shortly after his resignation of his office, which he had evidently postponed to enable iiiin to take part in the Coronation. Unlike many of the men of the old school who held high places in the Church, he was ever ready to march with the times instead of adhering rigidly to mouldy traditions. Resides this tolerance and sympathy with enlightened advancement and a most genial manner, the late dean possessed business ability of no mean order, and the great improvement in the financial position of the

Abbey has been by no means the least important result of his administration.

The death of the Very Rev. >F. W. Farrar, D.D., was recently announced, at the age of 72. He was an able preacher, and has contributed much to the literature of his country. He was born in Bombay, but brought up and educated in England. As a boy of 16 at King's College, he made the acquaintance of the first of the many men of note, whom he numbered amongst his friends. On leaving Cambridge, he was assistant master at Marlborough and Harrow. It was at the latter school that he taught the Duke of Genoa, afterwards King of Spain. Subsequently Farrar held the positions of head-master of Marlborough, Rector of S. Margaret's, Westminster, Canon of Westminster Abbey, then Archdeacon, and in 1895 Dean of Canterbury. Of his many works, the " Life of Christ " had a phenomenal sale, and few other preachers have had their sermons more extensively published.