Impressions of Synod.

Waiapu Church Gazette, Volume II, Issue 4, 1 October 1911, Page 63

Impressions of Synod.

[COMMUNICATED.]

The value of Synod consists as much m the opportunities it affords for mutual conference, for renewing of old friendships, for breathing the fresh and invigorating air of brotherly sympathy, as it does m actual business. The fundamental note of the present session is that of the Power and Presence of the Blessed Spirit. This note was struck first of all by the Bishop m his opening address, it occurred over and over again m the addresses of the special preacher. It prevailed throughout the session. The realising of the special presence of the Holy Ghost lifts all discussions to a higher plane, and it was noticeable that frivolous remarks met with little response. The meeting for men on Thursday evening was not as . well attended as it should have been, but the speeches of the Bishop and of Canon Curzon-Siggers, Mr. McCarthy, and Rev. Mr. Hammond were very good and much appreciated. Mr. Hammond captivated us from the start, his wonderful power of illustration and his forcible manner of expressing himself aroused much enthusiasm. The real opening of Synod was, of course, the celebration of the Holy Communion by the Bishop m the Cathedral, at 11 a.m. on Friday. There were about forty Clergymen present, besides many of the laity. ' To country Clergy who have so few opportunities for the celebration of the Blessed Sacrament amidst suitable surroundings, the Beauty of Holiness m this act of worship and Intercession was specially inspiring. And yet, if we may be allowed to make a suggestion, would it not be still more impressive and more becoming the Pontifical celebration of the Blessed Sacrament on such a solemn occasion if arrangements could be made to have it accompanied by the ancient music of the Church, as set by dear old Marbecke? Are there any

Clergy who do not know Marbecke? Surely with or without the assistance of a few lay Choristers we could sing at least the Canon and the Gloria. And could we have a procession ? And might we have real Eucharistic hymns? I think a great deal more might be made of this Synod celebration. The formal act of opening Synod took place at 4 p.m. on Friday. The Bishop delivered his address. The Eev. Canon Curzon-Siggers was invited to a seat. The Canon expressed his thanks for the honour done to him and the Diocese he represented. Nominations to Standing Committee were received, various reports were laid upon the table and read, and general routine business done. The hours .of Synod were fixed : 4to 5.55 and Bto 10. Notices of motion were given and the Synod adjourned. In the evening a Missionary meeting was held m the Athenaeum, at which addresses were given by the Bishop, Canon C. Siggers, Rev. F. Bennett, and Rev. J. B. Brocklehurst. The Bishop dealt with the supreme importance of Missionary work ; the Rev. J. B. Brocklehurst with the need of Intercession ; Canon C. Siggers with the financial question, and the effect of giving to Missions upon the other finances of the Parish : and the Rev. F. Bennett with the Maori work, making special mention of the work of the Rev. Pene Hakiwai at Ruatoki. The prevailing tone was one of disappointment at the apathy, both of Clergy and people, on this all-important subject. Missions are undoubtedly not a mere detail or incident m the woik of the Church, but her fundamental raison d'etre ; if she is not gaining fresh territory for her Lord,, as well as governing that which she has already conquered m His Name, she is failing m the most essential part of the task committed to her by her Master. It struck me that this subject would have been much more adequately dealt with if, instead of a sparsely attended meeting m an out-of-the-way upper chamber, a glorious Service of Intercession

and Thanksgiving had been held m the Cathedral. The original Mission to the Apostles was no doubt given by our Blessed Lord m an upper room, but under circumstances of such solemnity that we could feel its force better if reminded of it at a grand Service such as I suggest. Again, a Service of Thanksgiving for grace and strength already received would surely be powerful to give heart to our Intercessions for the future, and both when solemnly accompanying the addresses of the chosen speakers would lend a marvellous power and vigour to the utterances of those who, m God's Name, bid us go into all the world to gather all the nations into the fold of Jesus Christ. This subject of Intercession for Missions is one which needs to be brought prominently before us all, and a great united Service would help us a good deal. The Quiet Morning for Clergy was conducted by the Rev. Canon Curzon-Siggers. It began with a celebration of Holy Communion at 7.30 a.m., with an impressive address by the conductor, and continued at 10.30 and at 12 with further addresses. The Clergy are greatly indebted to the Rev. Canon for journeying so far to give them his addresses, so rich m suggestions and personal experience. The Garden Party at Bishopscourt on Friday afternoon was, of course, largely attended and greatly enjoyed. The Bishop's garden contains a wonderful collection of rare and beautiful plants and shrubs, and the visitors spent a most delightful afternoon m spite of the wind, which was, at times, somewhat boisterous. On Sunday the services at the Cathedral were Holy Communion at 8 a.m., Matins and sermon by Rev. Canon Curzon-Siggers at 11 a.m., Children's Service 3 p.m., Evensong and sermon by the Bishop at 7 p.m. The Rev. Canon C.-Siggers preached an instructive sermon on the text " What must I do to be saved ?" The Bishop's text was " For their sakes I sanctify Myself that they also may be sanctified through the truth," The Bishop preached

an eloquent sermon on the need of self-consecration for the sake of others. He showed how selfconsecration is essential to theproper , exercise of every office m the Christian Church. The influence of a man depended not so much on whafr he said as on what he was. There was a large congregation at this Service. At S. Augustine's the Rev. L. D. Thomas preached m the morning, and the Rev. Canon CurzonSiggers m the evening. At S. Andrew's the Rev. W. J. Simkin preached m the evening, and the Rev. F. W. Chatterton at Taradale. Synod settled down to business on Monday afternoon. Mr. J. B. Fielder moved— •" That this Synod desires to place on record its appreciation of the life and work of the late Bishop Edward Craig Stuart, D.D., formerly Bishop of this Diocese, whose whole life interest was m His Master's work among the people m the East,- and who was so well known and appreciated by the inhabitants and administrators of many countries. (b.) This Synod respectfully requests the President to convey its deep-felt sympathy with the relatives." The motion was spoken to by Mr. J. B. Fielder and Mr. Thornton, Revs. J. Hobbs, 0. Dean, and Canon Tuk-e, and the Right Rev. Bishop Williams. All of these bore eloquent testimony to the value of the work and the greatness of character of the late Bishop, whose love for the work at the front prevailed over all the persuasions of his friends to remain m his position as Bishop of the Diocese, and who, like an old war-horse that scents -the fray, could not be withheld from returning to the fight. Bishop Williams gave a short sketch of Bishop Stuart's life. Bishop Stuart began his work m India m 1851, he occupied important positions there, and m 1874 left on a well-earned holiday with his brother m Australia. The C.M.S. asked him to visit and report upon the Missions m New Zealand. Whilst he was here Bishop W. Williams resigned the Bishopric

of Waiapu and the Rev. E. C. Stuart became Bishop. The motion was passed by the Synod unanimously, all standing. Mr. John McLean moved, and Rev. W. T. Rawnsley seconded — " (a.) That m the opinion of this Synod it is desirable that members proposing a motion should be limited to ten minutes and members speaking to the same be limited to five minutes. (b.) That Standing Order No. XII. be amended accordingly." This motion met with consider able opposition, on the ground that important questions could not be dealt with m such short speeches as would be allowed by this motion, and that it was not desirable to restrict discussion of important matters. The Bishop sincerely hoped the motion would not be passed ; if the Holy Spirit had a message to Synod to be delivered by any member it was highly improper to propose to limit the member m his delivery of it. The motion was rejected. In reply a question, put by Rev. F. W. Martin, the Bishop said that the Vestry can request " the Board of Trustees to place all money at the credit of the Rent Account of the Parish to the fund for building the new Vicarage. The Board can do so. The Rev. Canon Tuke moved a motion respectfully asking the Bishop to request the Archbishop of Canterbury to call the attention of Home Clergy to the necessity of giving letters of commendation to any of their Parishioners who might be leaving for New Zealand. Several Clergy spoke to the motion. It was pointed out that English Vicars frequently did not know when people were leaving their Parishes, that when they did give- them commendatory letters the emigrants failed m many cases to present them on their arrival, and drifted away from the Church. The Archbishop of Canterbury is continually urging the importance of this matter on the Clergy but would find his hands strengthened by the resolution. The motion was finally amended so as to request that letters of

commendation be sent to the Clergy of the Parish m which an emigrant proposed to settle as well as given to the person himself. . The Rev. J. Hobbs stated that Colonial Clergy were more neglectful m this matter than even the Home Clergy, and it was desirable that they should first set the example. The motion was carried. The value of commendatory letters cannot be overestimated, and it is to be sincerely hoped that the carrying of this motion will have some fruit. The practice of giving and using these letters is growing and is proving a great help to Parochial Clergy. The next motion was one to recommend the General Synod to so amend Canon 11., Title A (General Synod Canons) as to provide that either (1) the Bishop of the Diocese should be ex officio Chairman of the Board of Nominators, or (2) he should be given a direct voice m the appointment of Clergy m some other way. The motion evoked a lively and instructive debate. The Rev. M. W. Butterfield, m moving the motion, pointed out that it is an essential part of the office of a Bishop to govern his Diocese, that he has committed to him the cure of all the souls m it, and that it is inconsistent with the theory of our Church organization for the Bishop to have no direct voice m the appointment of those who are to share his pastoral responsibilities. He was contending for a principle, and was not concerned m expected results or m the personal question as to the use of such power by individual Bishops. He outlined the various methods of appointment of Pastors m the Dioceses of Australia, showing that m several Dioceses the Bishop is the sole Nominator, while the Board of Patronage merely approves or otherwise, m others the Bishop is Chairman of the Board, m some the Bishop appoints absolutely, m two the Bishop holds a conference with Nominators before they meet, m no Diocese is the Bishop excluded altogether from a direct voice m

appointments as he is m NewZealand. ■ Bishop Crossley had stated that " he would not take this insult lying down,"— and it was an insult to the Episcopacy if those who had been consecrated a's Fathers m God to the Diocese, who had the administration of the whole Diocese committed to them, who were the channels through whom the Holy -Ghost was poured upon the faithful m Confirmation and. Ordination, should be excluded from a position on the Board of Nominators, to whom, under the Holy Ghost, was committed the choice of Clergy. It had been said that the Bishop already had too much power. He deprecated the use of the term power. It was a sacred responsibility that rested upon the Bishop as much m the case of Parishes as m that of Parochial Districts. It was a distinct blot upon the system to discriminate between Parochial Districts and Parishes for merely financial reasons. From a practical point of view the advice and influence of the Bishop could not be otherwise than most valuable on the Board, who required all the information they could get, and the Bishop was especially competent to give just the information and help required. The motion provoked considerable discussion. Various members of Synod objected to the method proposed m the former part of the motion, but would like to see some other method adopted giving the Bishop a direct voice as suggested m the second half of the motion. All agreed that the interests of the Diocese and of the Parish were those to be considered rather than those of the Clergy. Mr. Fielder thought the Bishop should be ex officio Chairman of . all Diocesan Boards. " . The argument that his influence and presence on a Committee would overawe the laifcy made the Bishop a bogey — laymen were not afraid of the Bishop. Many members, although not quite agreeing with the motion, would support it as a step m the right direction and as one that would bring* the whole question before

the General Synod. A large number of most interesting speeches were made on both sides. It was stated that m a certain Diocese every Parish was manned by a Clergyman brought m from outside, and that a Clergyman had never been appointed from a Parochial District to a Parish. It was suggested that if the Bishop had been on the Board this would not have been the case. The Bishop did not approve of the method of making the Bishop Chairman of the Board but had ideals of his own. He would have the Bishop and the Archdeacons as the Board of Nominators, and give the Vestry the power of veto, but he would abolish the distinction between Parishes and Districts and treat all alike m this matter. He had great sympathy with the difficulties of Lay Nominators, and on the whole he thought that, despite its great imperfections, the present system had worked wonderfully well. He was grateful for the tone of the debate and especially for the speeches of the laity. The motion was declared carried. Various reports were received and adopted. Mr. S. E, McCarthy moved — " That the suggestion made m a recent number of the N.Z. Tablet, that there should be a round table Conference of the heads of all religious bodies m New Zealand on the subject of religious education of the young m the State Schools, be approved by the Synod." Mr. Fielder advocated the use of the Irish Text Book. Mr. Tanner said the present Education Act allowed ample facilities, which were availed of at Havelock and other centres. The Bishop pointed out that it. was not consistent with the dignity of Synod to discuss articles appearing the N.Z. Tablet. If the Roman Catholics, who had hitherto opposed such a conference, were beginning to think it desirable, their course was to approach the Bishops of the Church of England and the heads

of other bodies and arrange for one. Archdeacon Ruddock thought an active Religious Education League was required. The Bishops, as a body, were too slow m taking combined action. Mr. McCarthy withdrew his motion m deference to the opinions of the Bishop. Archdeacon Williams brought forward the report of the Social Questions Committee. The report stated that the Committee had devoted considerable attention to reading books on social problems, and had concluded that the vastness of the subject and its immense importance needed to be emphasized. It was the duty of the Church and Clergy to be prepared to lead, and it could be so only by keeping well abreast of social movements and literature. He proposed — " That this Synod respectfully requests the Bishop to nominate a Committee of Clergy and laity, whose duty it shall be to make a special study of social problems and of literature bearing on the subject, to publish m the GAZETTE from time to time lists and reviews of books dealing with these problems, to place itself m communication with any similar Committees which may be set up m other Dioceses, and to report to the Synod from year to year." The aims of Socialists and Christianity were, to a certain extent, identical, but differed m that Christians sought the realisation of the Brotherhood of Man m Jesus Christ and the Fatherhood of God. The terrible inequality of wealth and opportunity under present social conditions presented a problem that must be faced. Socialistic literature provided no entirely satisfactory solution and different schools of Socialists were m entire dis- ' agreement as to methods, and critics of proposed methods were looked upon as maintainers of the present order. Extreme Socialists advocated the complete overthrow of the present social system. Mr. Thornton, m seconding the motion, declared that the only

way to deal with the present system, which was contrary to all Christian principles, was to overthrow it — if the Church did not overthrow the system, the system would overthrow the Church. Archdeacon Ruddock asked for articles on the subject for the Church Gazette. Archdeacon Tisdall thought the faithful preaching of the two duties — to God and our neighbour — was what was required, and that it would result m a high-toned public opinion' which would be reflected m politics, and result m a proper solution of social questions. The Rev. M. W. Butterfield, as one of the Committee, dealt with the difficulties and vastness of the subject and urged its importance. The motion was carried. The Commission appointed to consider the proposed boundaries of a part of the Waipawa Parish to be cut off, reported that they thought it desirable to postpone the question until the Boundaries Commission of the Diocese had considered the whole question of new districts and boundaries. On Wednesday afternoon, the Bishop announced that m accordance with the resolution of Synod passed on Tuesday he would appoint the following as the Committee on Social Questions : — Yen. Archdeacon Tisdall, Vev. Archdeacon Williams, Rev. F. W. Chatterton, Rev. F. W. Martin, Rev. M. W. Butterfield, Messrs. I. Thornton, and R. Gardiner. Archdeacon Ruddock announced that there was still required about £1700 from private subscription to complete the Bishopric Endowment Fund, and that the offer of the Williams family to subsidise the fund £1 for £1 would be definitely closed on the 30th. June next. This liberal offer has now been open for a long time, and it is to be hoped that' those who have not yet given, or who intend to give another subscription, will do so as soon as possible. Mr. Thornton's motion re the " Ne 'Temere " decree was the next business. The Rev. H. P. Oowx and Canon Eccles warmly supported the motion. An amendment of similar import, moved by Rev. J. Hobbs and supported by the Bishop, was accepted

by Mr. Thornton and carried unanimously. The amended resolution reads as follows : " That this Synod desires respectfully to endorse the remarks made by his Lordship the Bishop m his opening address to the Synod on the subject of the 'Ne Temere ' decree." The Eev. M. W. Butterfield moved •=^" That a Eecess Committee be appointed to discuss the organisation of a Social Work Fund for the Diocese and report to Synod." He urged the extreme importance •of benevolent work. One of the first duties of the Church as a body, as well as of individual Churchmen, was the active prosecution, of work for the outcast, the sick, and the poor. Although the Church was already doing this work by the agency of individuals— Clergy and laity — and by that of societies of devoted men and women, this was not enough. The ordinary layman was under the impression that the Church did nothing, and this idea was fostered by the Salvation Army, who claimed to have a monopoly m rescue work, and gained a very great deal of financial support from Church people who would much more willingly give to their own Church fund if one existed, and if they did this the money would be spent consistently with Church ideals and much more effectively. The motion was supported by Eev. Canon Mayne, Eev. Canon Tuke, Eev. F. Eobertshawe, Eev. F. Whibley, and the Bishop, and was passed by the Synod. The Committee, consisting of Eev. Canon Tuke, Eev. Canon Mayne, Eev. M. W. Butterfield, Mr. J. P. Williamson, Mr. C. Saunders, Mr. Wallis, and Mr. H. Hill, met on Thursday after-: noon and drew up a draft report. There is every prospect of a fund being established to support a House of Eef uge and similar institutions m the Diocese, and the Committee feel no doubt that it will be generously supported. In the meantime all who feel m anyway specially interested m this important work will oblige . by communicating with the Secretary of the Eecess Committee — Eev. M. W. Butterfield, Waerenga-a-hika, GKsborne. ' The Eev. F. W. Chatterton moved — " That . considering the great hindrance to the work of the Church occasioned by intemperance, this Synod urges the faithful members of the Church to realise their responsibilities m the matter, especially m

view of the approaching Local Option and National Prohibition polls, and to do all that m them lies to cope with what cannot but be regarded as a national curse." Mr. Ohatterton said he would personally have preferred a motion worded somewhat more strongly, but he had drawn it up m this form so as to secure the support of every member of Synod. The Church must be abreast of the times m all social questions, including this. He would advise all who had not already studied the subject to read Professor Salmond's book, "Prohibition a Blunder," and the reply to it by Mr. A. S. Adams, so as to see both sides of the question. The word " prohibition " is distasteful to British people, but the fact must be acknowledged that nearly all laws, from the Ten Commandments onwards, were prohibitive. Something must be done to attack the greai evil of intemperance. One of the benefits of No-License was that it "almost entirely prevents the formation of the drink habit m the young," as had been said by the Crown Prosecutor m Oamaru. The Rev. F. Bennett warmly supported the motion. He urged the Pakeha to consider the No-License question seriously m reference to its relation to the Maori. Bishop Selwyn on leaving New Zealand, had said, " Here I leave you a precious legacy, and I hope the influx of Colonists will not divert your attention from these people," This "precious legacy" was still fettered hard and fast m the matter of the drink traffic. The Maori had no opportunity to prohibit, they were at the mercy of the Pakeha. The open bar system was a curse to the Maori race. The Rev. W. H. Roberts proposed an amendment to delete the words " especially m view of the approaching Local Option and National Prohibition polls. ' He thought, if the Synod passed the motion, members would be compromised m favour of No-License. The Rev. W. J. Simkin supported the amendment. The Bishop explained that the words, to which Mr. Roberts took exception did not commit members to vote for Prohibition. The Rev. J. Hobbs supported the motion, and thought it was one with which all might approve. The Rev. W. H. Roberts withdrew the amendment, but said he would decline to vote on the motion. Mr. Henry Hill supported the motion. He hoped the Synod would

show themselves decisive against the evils of intemperance. The motion was passed. The report of the Special Committee on the proposed boundaries for the subdivision of the Parish of Waipawa was discussed, but, owing to a technical irregularity, it was finally ruled out of order, and the farther consideration of the subject is therefore postponed until next Synod. It was agreed on all hands that a division of this Parish was highly desirable, its extent being far beyond the powers of one man, but there was considerable difference of opinion, as to the proper boundaries to be adopted, and the Boundaries Commission will deal with ihe whole question of bound' aries, not only of this but of other Parishes, during the recess. A Eecessional Committee, consisting of the three Archdeacons, was appointed to consider and report upon the scale of fees. Mi*. J. Thornton moved — "That viewing the widespread desire now existing m various parts of the world to bring about a greater degree of unity amongst Christian bodies, and of the honest efforts being made to give practical effect to this desh'e, this Synod desires to express its thankfulness for what has been done, and commends the question of unity to the prayers and efforts of Church people generally." The motion was seconded by the llev. M. W. Butterfield, and, after a short discussion, was carried unanimously. A very high tone characterised this and other debates. Several members of Synod, including the Bishop, referred to the value of prayers for Unity. His Lordship expressed his desire that Clergy would use the Prayer for Unity at the end of the Accession Service, and that all would join m private Intercession for this object. He emphasized the need of strict loyalty to principles as the only solid foundation for unity. In discussing this matter we must not leave out. of consideration our Blessed Lord's words as to His Kingdom am I the historical facts recorded m the Book of the Acts of the Apostles and m the Epistles of the New Testament. The Synod passed the following resolution (all standing)—" That this Synod desires to convey to his Lordship the Bishop and Mrs. Averill its best wishes for a prosperous visit to the Old Country." His Lordship, m returning thanks, said he was going Home to attend the

golden wedding of his aged father and mother, as an act of filial duty, and that if he had time he would also take the opportunity of receiving from his University the degree of Doctor of Divinity which had been offered to him, and which could not bo conferred m absentia. Votes of thanks were passed to hosts, Secretaries, &c, and the Synod adjourned. A great deal of useful work was accomplished, and all agreed that we had a more than usually profitable Synod. During the session three Bills were passed: One establishing an Endowment Fund, another establishing a Loan Fund, and another making provision for insuring the lives of Clergy against accident.