PAN-ANGLICAN CONGRESS

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 261, 28 July 1908, Page 9

PAN-ANGLICAN CONGRESS

■♦ . . NEWS BY MAIL. ' I ' ' OUTSPOKEN DISCUSSIONS. i Two hundred • and fifty archbishops and bishops, and nearly- 10,000 priests, laymen, and laywomcn gathered, in, London for the the greatest meet- , ing of its kind tho world has ever seen (says the London " Daily Mail "). Tho opening act ■ of.tho Congress was intercessory servico at Westminster, Aboev on Monday (Juno , 15). . ■ , -- MARRIAGE AND MORALS. \ " The burning, problem of marnago lh Chris- , tbndbin,. and in,' : particular, .with a deceased a divorced : person,' was dis- . cussed at a great-meeting held at tho Albert Hill : • ' This; was'fortunate 'in haying' a vigorous and", interesting chairman m tho , Bishop.', of. Montreal.' Dr.'.Carmichael's, thick ■ grey : hair, 'strong aquiline nose,' and deeply r marked , face recalled to many present tho striking head of Cardinal Newman; but his ; powerful Voice,' with-.its'-distinctive' American i. accent, and the straightforward, terseness of his ;sj)eech revealed an ''up-to-date, administrator.i 'of, ecclesiastical affairs'; and . those affairs.'; iri'anup^to-date,Canada.; ' ; •; ; : The'.first ' speaker Canon ,Tucker — roused ;tho^Mt,;;audi«icft;.lo. : :cheers by declaring that j in'; Canada'-divorce; was,: practically: un-.i ';' lribwn—thus : affording ;a ; sharp contrast ; 'to' ' ri^iiieighlipur^tho-^nited; States; -and ■ ho. v" ''again., roused his listeners, to enthusiasm by -'•'stating ;.that 'n9t':;a'; single Canadian ■ clergy: V- man : would celebrate a" marriage .with a : de : , ; ..■'Ceji.scd'Tnfe's sistijr, although such.a marriago ha'd.-lbng been"legalised in Canada. ;• ' Tho venerable, figuro of iho Bishop .of -Al-. /-.bany;' shrouded :in- a:large- cloak, ,with; just•/.'oho .touch ,cjf..brightness where his, 'episcopal, '.cross'swung on his breast, was immediately. j recognised when. ho tamo, to the front. '• '.He , ' of. - ; the.' United •' tlid>prjerious 'speaker, but he was ' able tb -.'show, ' amid; loiid applause several . .times'.renewed;" .that'.'owing to tho' action .of ,tho;'Church in , America thp, divorce/scandals : wore . steadily •if abating. : -. -, . : ' ' .' Ho' pointed, out' tha.t tho, number ;of tho grounds for divorce was. diminishing, 'arid •"that States iwhich granted the annulment 'of mairiago [oh : six :qr : /seven . different grounds.; hhd;beeri- stea'dily : passing legislation to re- 1 ~ ,'dUco'."them!tb'^he; ground which ob■taihediin jthß'.St'ite,'of-. New York. "Tho • . ; addbdj.- : " seems ,'ripe right' now to\ " niake>;a radical arid 'rousing', effort." ' : .| ; ;,'Th> ;Right;Hpril' E..'Russell, speak-. ; ir(g ; -iwith some.;reticence, declared/that; when > . he.. : reKards.;tho' .field.- of. social endeavour 'he' •fihds : ;nis vie.w'srtingcdVwith; a.'sad pessimism. , Ho noted a gerieraT relaxation' of, moral stan- / -dardsi In .a - recqnt 'roview; 'of 'Socialism •»' ' writer described fallen' .women -as the queens,; 'high;priestesses, .and' saviburs';of • --/and-that article, was . signed by'V.womarif And the - declining \ that, arid - alhit-implied;-' receive'tho ''rbpfobation'ib'.'db: : v6eired? ;: . ';Mr.A'RusSoll; hinted that if-, the i ■Uaityi; ; a're L -too: lax-the clergy,''aro ; too' easy- . .going and tolerant; and 'his .remarks;' wero - recoivedjri 'thoughtful silence/ He.-described; the'yiews' of of some Socialists' • "■ ---ptf: marriage,!'as...''the .doctrine, of devils"—'' strong '-wore- punctuated. 'with, applause-^and^he'^finally. .put this question. ■ to :his listeners:s"MD.oJyou 'treat .divorced ' fjer-; ■ who :havo remarried as;persons living in ; ' .legalited-'coricub,in'ag'e.P";''-'^.': : j" ■ , ' • J3ut'i tllis.-'strpngj'-uncompromising : speech' ..was :meet; ; with: an unei-" I 'clergyman,-':Mf. recter_ of . ;■ Siterford,;; rbsaft'o.. ideprb'cate ;.:tho;i: sivdeping - : : condemnation ;qf ;such!' He do- , ~~cl?fed j 'Aiigliian ''.Com- ■ miinion : WDre;tdb strict,',at-wliich thero we're ■ sign's- tho an-. : - cient and the recognised. '. tlidt; tl^ere'M^t'^b6;:sj?ch^•' : i,nrofficiendy ■ of-;; .. consent as;to''corisliitut6.'a>marriage null, arid " ■ •'•-lie quot-ed'the. example: of other'tranches .of. : tho Canon . Law,; fetiliiKinjainß>6ii-;tKe-jcle^arh'- t J?rj?liplV' i 't , '*a^ : • ■ "insufficiency i'agairi'a'nd; again; beeW'' .tb for : ,;amVullirig'.,a marriagoy .and.v'making'.' it,; possible to re-; , marry with. the, Chur6h's v cbris"Bnti'uu:;.. ; | . California, es-p]aihed.-''that'.j'ih^th'aV^beaitttiful/.''but\-:uri—, happy.'..State, l to every, six/-marriagi?s.:';;the ':audiencq:,;sebmed. _.ready ;, tw ; \b<di^b'-4him*: : ;tHat,'-^Bio' i .jbf.*-t|iospJ'div'orces ( -'.irastothefo-tiia)j.^e^rewl{;.;6f- : .the' reckless ■ relaxation; of. -social'- Gardiner : ■ madti' an • eloquent appeal 'fbri mbre- chivalry i towards women -in young '. men, -evoked . a i,tremendous- .burst \pfv applause''.when : 'he v said that a. good' feature;.of, Californian ■■ life' i. was tho fact thatvth'e; young; men "t in that t State, when .they"went:' courting,' called. it : "queening.";;; '.'. Teanjestne.ss,"' : Dr: Harris, of oHereford,' Appealed " to iall-;: Jiheri ;and , ••• wbnien -'to!; use: tlieir 'influence /'.against'' t-ho ; growing practice,"of raco suicide/ and, added, «' with-bitter irony;\ari v appMl'to ordained .men to do .the they.'can-spjfr'e'time from their ' intermiriablo; : 'discussions - on". canon law!" . . .'' '; . . .' After, many' other . speeches—some almost too ' outspoken to be ■'printed, except with their full context —the: chairman ..wound up ,th : o;;discussion. :! '.'lt. does -my .old - heart go'6d;",...hei'declared, ; ;"to hear ;_tho . magnifi-; -.ceiitly-'conservativo ring of this "debate' on . J th'e, 'cjiiesti'on of 'marriage. Although ■ no . I .resolution mayr-bo passed,'',tho voice of .this, ;meetiri'g : is s.o distinct'arid clear that it. cannot ;fiiil.-to" make, its>influenco felt to the ■ very - ends of .";the earth; Church, in Canada lias '-already ; practically. ordered its clergy ; not; to : perform -tho ' marriage ceremony for divorced persons." ..." , ' PARISH 250,000 MILES SQUARE. '.' But few meetings;.during, the 'Conference , hive..been ; so interesting or. so; well, attended as-that'which dealt,,with'tho .work of-tho .churches of the Anglican Communion in. Now - "iZealiiiid,'Australia,',,and South ,Africa. Thero wero gathered on tho platform, iind6r . thp_ chairmaiiship. of- the, Arqhbishop of Melbounie, a : group of men -of.unique experience; Thero was the 'bishop.',of: the largi est dibpese in the world, tlio'Bishop of Perth, ■ . ' on -whose genial 'countenanco , and readiness • of wit no shadow, of even that responsibility co^ld-be',noticed;.thero .was Canon Groscr, "the; vicar'of the largest parish in the world, 250,000," square miles in extent, and all of it t- .in the " bad north-west" of Western Australia, full of: flies,'cockroaches, heat, and ' drought, and; desperately empty of. anything •Christian or civilising.' , : . . . [ the , paganising effect of tho ' oystem of secular education in Now Zealand, ! . tho. Bishop ;of Auckland said that a . great newspaper in that country, after, quoting a Bpccch which, likened the action of somo public, body to the story of Naboth's Vinc- —.. . yard,.had thought it necessary to. print immediately afterwards a synopsis of that story fo,r ilie information of its readcrsl Canon Walter Williams, of Queensland, told an astounded audienco that ho had seen in thp ,I'back blocks " m- that Col- -'- piiy..-biirst-;into-;laughtisr'.upon seeing some ' people. kneel dpwn to pray—thoy had never - seen such a {sight before, and they .thought ' it. looked : so - ridiculous.' ~ What wonder, ho asked, if such paganism/should exist, whoro i there is but, one'clergyman to a parish of 80,000 square miles? Great laughter 'and; a full endorsement "• gfectcdVtho-outburst of another clergyman: (' Every curato.in Britain ought to be turned out neck and crop into tho.bush. Ho could comp back in'fiyo years and then get mar-, ried iAnd' this, lod : Archdeacon Halford 'to add that if men ; 'did go out-to the colonies on the "short.service", system, which had already- done, and was doing, untold good, . tlid\bishops at homo should play fair with them when they, returned. And the venerably archdeacon proceeded to give instances . of iwhat the British bishops did do on such occasions, which drew forth cries of '•■"Shamel" from the crowded benches. : iSfoRIES-OF, SWEATED LABOUR. '.'Sweated industries"-were debated at tho section of the Pan-Anglican Congress over which .the Bishop of New Hampshiro presided. • ' . • '' Miss. Constancb, Smith, _of the Christian Social Union, a tall, admirably gownetl woman, spoko.,with a fine enthusiasm. "Thoro 'is,not a person in this hall whoso homo doea . not contain' soino product of sweated labour. J. The'racquet-arid tennis balls you play with, tile ; toys; you ■ give ; your ;children,' the very . .embroideries of tho altars nt: which you, worship; and the books you open for your religious devotion, are tbo product of sweated ■ laljour."

Sho described the Sweated Industries Bill bofore Parliament as a hopeful experiment. If the nation hesitated, should not thf Church encourage? . A .woman had to make forty : shirts between Tuesday'ovening and Thursday morning, and children wero set to work at. homo before they wero, four.

' Mr. G. R. .Askirith, K.C., of the Board of Trade,' hold that tho Government .must deal 'with'the ; matter,' arid could do' so only by 'selecting certain' trades by way, of, experiment. Wages, boards, consisting partly of lomplbyers and employed, ought to he established to lis, cither by agreement'or other moans, tho lowest rate, of : wages, to-'be paid to'homo workers in particular localities, and to formulate statements-of piece-work.. It was agreed that a minimum wage would drive trade out of the country—say to. Germany. His reply was,' "Let Germany hare tho sweated trado rathor than kccp.it here." (Cheers.)