NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 727, 28 January 1910, Page 6

NOTES OF THE DAY.

» : The. violence of feeling and of language with which many of the Nonconformist ministers at Home have entered into; the election contest is evident from a series of Free Church ministerial opinions on the questions at issuo published in successive issues of the Ohristiati World. The. incitements given by these, ministers to vote against; the claims asserfed by the House of Lords, are: astonishing in view of their, simultaneous professions of '.unwillingness to interfere in party politics. They cry ■ repeatedly—"Put aside all thought of party politics and vote;against the Lords,". which surely is: a very plain injunction to voto for a particular -party.' And that partjf "they especially > associate with, divinity in a' manner that might be' considered much more shrill, than reverent. Most of them begin by ; laying down ■ that party political issues should not be raised "from the pulpit," and this:'is the way, they raise them through ' the. press. The Eev.i T.; E. Ruth (Liverpool) thus describes the' issue; "It is the apotheosis of original sin, and weare. here, as; the heralds , of the kingdom of God.". The Rev. H. W Clark remarks: "The Lords: have always treated Nonconformists as if. they Were' dogs to whom no more' than a crumb need now and then be 'grudgingly thrown.": Principal Forsyth.say's: "In such an issue the last word is with the kingdom of God." Another minister declares: "Tho duty of Free Churchmen in: the present crisis is clear. It is , by the events that ring out the voice . of God." To the Rev. Henry. Varley (Bowcs Park) the issue, in respect of the' Lords:■; is' one "for class selfish-* ness against justice and brotherhood, for the spirit, of caste against the spirit of: Christ." The Rev. John Bradbury (Blackpool) finds the question is even more surprising and exciting. ; For him; "tho Peers' fate-: ful decision- means V ... ..that, the feudal age shall not pass away, and that Bacchus and Mammori ; shall rule the land. The decision is one wrong more to man,- one . more insult: to God." The Rev. J. N. Ewino (Peckham) calls aloud that "all that our Puritan;fathers won from the Stuarts is imperilled," overlook-: ing the great, fact that tho . Lords referred the; decision in this ' instance to the; people. The Rev. Thomas Phillips (Bloomsbury) finds tliat to the, poor • of -England "the House of Lords is ; anti-CußisT." Even tho Rbv. F. B. Meyer seems to lack"ingenuousness when he says: "Not as Churches, but as Free Churchmen, ;we must bear the brunt of this fighti" We are not surprised to- bear : of congregations ih their

turn interrupting _the' progress; /ofdivine'; service-Tasking : God to: wait while .they, applauded the'triumph of a political minister.. .: ./'/• In view of the protests which, were raised'-'against;ithe execution of the 1 anarchist Ferrer for complicity in the Barcelona; rising, the - Spanish Government has forwarded to its consulates. abroad translations of official dijcununts and evidence given at .-the-'trial, with the object of establishing the justice of Ferrer's fate.:., The' evidence of; fifteen witnesses, summarised in, the Glasgow Herald, points to Ferrer as "the ccntre ,of disturbances in various towns . and satisfied the : • military Court that he was the head and front of the. gqneral rebellion. All the members of the Court had taken. a more or less, active: nart'in the repression of the • outbreak. If the evidence is to be believed, Ferrer's schqmes ; were ■ purely' destructive, and he, was not a man to stop at half measures. A witness/named Ventura, .president of • the Republican Committee, stated that/when he demurred at some of Ferrer's plans tho] accused 1 insisted, "saying, that they should start by- exciting the people in order to get them to go out to .burn churches and. convents. Witness replied that he did not see how the Republic' could' come by these;' means, and Ferrer answered, that the Republic, did not. matter to him, that the question was to have a revolution." After bearing of the events-in/ Barcelona;. Ferrer, was said to have declared"Good, this ■goes . well. . Cburageeverything has. to .be destroyed." A circular, of which Ferrer, was affirmed to have been; the author, ..contained 'the words : "The revolution-' is near; trample on the infamous burgesses and ■ their ridiculous . programme. . . / Ride over, them,, kill them if necessary." Documentary evidence was produced that /Ferrer had been a. revolutionary: since/1880. ; . It is a pity /'that: the, Court' refused .to receive' documents which; the' accused claimed would prove his innocence if admitted.; . The. reason given for refusal was'..' that' ..the . legal -time .within .which these: additions to the evidence, could Iks notified had been allowed to pass by the accused,, who, the Court assumed, "must have been doubtful of ; their efficiency." Whether or not FEiiEER deserved death, there is little doubt' that he :will be remembered as a. martyr: by.' .thousands; of.. peaceful /revolutionaries ' who would' not dream 1 themselves, of firing 7 convents ,or : cathedrals. / ■ Those people who did not .know of ; it before will bo surprised to learn of the system of "compensation" in connection with' the marks gained by candidates/in the matriculation .examination/ which formed the subject of a rather lively.-discussion in the Senat-e on Wednesday. In order to satisfy matriculation, the ■ statutes state - that every' candidate shall be required to pass -in seven-subjects, except' those' L whotake Latin orGreek, who shall be required to pass in' six; subjects ''only. -. - It' .is; further provided that every- candidate must pass; in English, arithmetic, and one foreign ' language. It appears, how-;, over, that a custom has grown up, and has been followed for twelve or. thirteen yearsi. by which, .if a stu.dent ; fails-;.to obtain, the 1 ..-requisite' number of marks to entitle him", to pass in a particular subject, but ob-tains,more-.than/the requisite; num-, : bor -.in : another subject,/-the'' surplus; figures' for the second subject may, .be credited as .''compensation" to make; good the. deficiency in the first/' In January; 1908, the Recess Committee decided to limit ,this remarkable practice; .which went so; far to neutralise tlio -provisioji of . compulsory pass subjects, as from January, j 1909,■ so :as to allow no compensa--tion in three subjects. As the re-, suit of the new restriction, 179 candidates—or ;47 per; cent, of the total entrants—who would; ..have' ,\passed under the old conditions,. were recorded as having failed. Tho Senate decided, on, consideration, ,to let through 70 of i.those who were at first, rejected.. . The Rsv. Mr.- Cameron protested .that: in default of previous notice to the candidates, the Senate should have followed the same system as in provious years, and allowed 109 other candidates to pass; In the, discussion- which followed interesting examples /were prodijced ;of cases in which compensation would- or would not be allowed by the-. Committee. Mr.: Hooben indicated, that .if a candidate, -. ;got 47 less than,the pass total— in 'the/compulsory 'subject' of arithmetic/, and bad ' more than the required marks for algebra 'and geometry, his proficiency in the latter subjects would., cause/ the . Committee to > record - him. ■ as: having' passed. The.- suggestion evidently was that .'algebra, and geometry are kindred subjects to arithmetic, though .of . 'geometry that is. not true. But Mr. Cameron evidently.'considered, that if. a'student was deficient in/ arithmetic' lite surplus. marks in Latin should ..entitle him to pass ! The Senate very -rightly. - would not agree to this. VV'e consider that the Senate should .do more than limit "compensation"; the practice should be abolished altogether. .' To admit the system 'even's, in the mitigated' form amounts to. playing. fast and loose with , the principle; of compul-. sory subjects. The Anglican General Synod, judging : by its;: rejection' last night of: the -proposal that; the - Primate should take the' title of Archbishop, evidently does not delight in highsounding titles, though there was a good deal to be said, in favour of the defeated motion, inasmuch as it would 1 bring the of New Zealand into line with the majority of the -other .branches of the Anglican Communion, including (in addition to England and Ireland) South Africa, Canada, the West Indies, and Australia. The Scottish' Episcopal Church has adopted the title of Primus, and the Church in tho United States .has its .Presiding Bishop. ; However, the title of Primate is a simple and dignified one, and as all tne bishops but one seem to be quite ' satisfied with it, nothing more need be said. Tho New Zealand bishops appear to be imbued with the .democratic spirit, and do not seem quite comfortable even when spoken to as "Mv, Lord." Most of them would probably agree with the present democratic Bishop of London,'who, when consulted on one occasion as to how he desired. to be addressed in correspondence,' sent, a- reply to tho effect that ho, would be more- than content if anyone would send him a | letter couched in tho following modest termsMy : dear Bisnop,— Please accept the enclosed . cheque I for £1000 for Church work in your I diocese:"' If anyone is inclined to send a similar note to any. New Zealand bishop the same simple - and | friendly address, "My dear Bishop," 'will no,doubt be quite■ sufficient.