"THE ELECTION OF A BISHOP."

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 523, 2 June 1909, Page 4

"T HE ELECTION OF A BISHOP."

•'T ?? Ms of Ma y 3 1. you publish ai account of the recent election of Aichdoacoi Wright to the Archbishopric of Sydney, ii your note re the methods of election o bishops. Possibly it may be a fact that Dr Wright was tne only ono nominated for th< position, though it is hardly possible t. suppose there was only one name befori the Synod. It generally follows that om man haying a clear majority in the vot, of orders, there is usually- a move « make the appointment unanimous. You als< state that tup Archbishopric of Capo Towi was twice declined. 1 hope you are not con toundmg the Bishopric of Mashonaland anc the Archbishopric of Capo Town, for th< same Bishop has been (Dr. Campbell, oi Wasgow) ottered both. Some few monthi back the Bishopric of. Mashonaland was offered to the Bishop of Glasgow". He lefl tho choice of his accepting the office w three men, and'they decided that, in the interests of all the parties, he should remain in Glasgow, which, I may say, pleased his own diocese exceedingly, Then, at tht commencement of the recent Pan-Anglican Congress, the Archbishop of Capo Town died, l tnmky aftor his arrival in England. Then a minister of the church /in South Africa wrote to the Bishop of Glasgow, whether, m the; event ofhis being elected, he should deem it a call. He could not well refuse. Xo use-his own words, "I. was obliged to answer that I had never been able to ask tor Uods guidance in. a hypothetical case: 1 tried to make it-clear'how unfit I was for so great an office." He was elected, and tho Episcopal -Bench refused to ratify his appointment, so the Bishop of Pretoria was elected. Dr. Campbell, though no doubt a very able man, has one bodily defect, which tho.Bishops thought would unfit him for tho otneo, as from the nature of the varied discussions that would.take place, ho would hardly be able to; arrive at a clear judg?eS:, Hls , hearing is slightly affected. This was the only fault that could be found, and it will be seen it was:a very real one. No doubt:ho received the support of the great body of churchmen, on account of the workhe performed in' South Africa in the "Mission of Help"'that was sent out some few years ago.—l- am,', etc;, -~ "- ;•■; THOS. M. MILLIGAN. • Taitville, Jnne. 1, 1009. _ [The statemeat that the Archbishopric of apo J -° wn ' was twice :declined is quite oorSfwH ~h& on ''Kmes" of November 21, 1908, statedth at .the Bishop.of Southwell (Dr. Hoskyns) had Keen i elected, aud the fact that he had declined thoposition was announced on November,24. The election of the Ven. Winfred Burrows, Archdeacon of Birmingham, was announced on November 25,\and on December 3 "The Times" stated that he also was unable to accept; With reference to Mr. Milligan's'statement that Archdeacon Wright was possibly the only one nominated for the Archbishopric of Sydney a cablegram published; in TiiE Dominion on May 27 gave the.names of. nine wellknown Churchmen, and expressly stated that they had been nominated;]'-'