The Dominion. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 1911. EPISCOPAL ELECTIONS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1061, 25 February 1911, Page 4

The Dominion. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 1911. EPISCOPAL ELECTIONS.

The.Anglican Church of tho i?rovineo of New Zealand, which includes the missionary., dioccso ' of Melanesia, is at present in a rather unsettled state as regards its Bishops. The Seo of Auckland, after having been vacant for nearly six months sinoo the ' retirement of Bishop Nelioan, has just been filled by. the appointment of Archdeacon CrosshEY, of Gcelong, Victoria, and now Bishops havo now to be found for '^ c .l" n gton and Melanesia,-while tho Primato of New. Zealand .. (Dr.. AEViitj Bishop of Dunedin) stated in .nis address , to tho last General uynod that, _ in view of his advanced age, it was not improbable that that would be his last opportunity of addressing tho supremo legislature of tho Now Zealand Church. This means, of course, tho almost simultaneous withdrawal of no fewer than four of the seven Anglican Bishops, creating a situation which has never previously heen experienced in the history of ' this ceclcsiastical province. The Wellington Synod is to meet early next month to elect a successor to Bishop Wallis, and the Bishop of Melanesia hopes that someone may ho choscn to tnko his place before the end of tho present year. For the Wellington Seo an exceptionally able man is needed. Wherever tno Primacy may from time to timo bo located, tho Bishop of Wellington,' tho seat of Government and a great centre of religious, s&cial, commercial, and industrial activity; must naturally take a' leading part in shaping tho destinies of the Anglican Church of New Zealand. That he must bo a man of the highest personal character of course (joes without saying, but in addition to this ho-should' be' a distinguished scholar and an intellectual, moral, and spiritual fjuido for both clergy and laity. As it will bo his business to superintend and direct tho duties of his staff of clergy,- it is essential that he should himself have had actual experience of parish work, and so bo in a position to lielp, encourage, and sympathise with them in their trials, difficulties, and disappointments. In a large diocese liko this it ; is very necessary that the Bishop should bo physically.fit; able to travel in all parts of tho country in all weathers so as to becomo personally'acquainted with his people in the back-blocks as well as in the centres of population. Such, work requires a comparatively young man, but ho'ought to bo old enough to havo acquired that wido < experience of human affairs in their manifold phases which is necessary to inspire confidenco in his counsel arid advice. Ho should also bo a man of broad and liberal culture, with a thorough grip of tho latest developments of modern thought; yet not a mcro literary recluse, or' arm-chair religious philosopher; but ono who knows his fellow men in their daily life, and understands their point of viow, their spiritual dangers and difficulties, their hopes and fear 3. If lie is to deal helpfully with tho great intellectual problems of tho day in their bearings on roligious thought, ho must himself ho fully abreast of those aspects of tho now learning which arc having such farreaching offccts upon tho moral and spiritual outlook of the present generation. The whole Anglican Church of New Zealand must of necessity very often make tho Bishop of Wellington its spokesman on urgent questions which arise from time to time in connection with tho relations of the Church with tho Government of the country, with other religious bodies, or with great movements for the social welfare of the people. It is thcrbforo essential that, in addition to his other qualifications, ho

should be an ecclesiastical statesman of no mean order. i

There is said to bo a tendency in certain quarters to belittle the intellectual requirements needed for the Bishop of a diocese like Wellington. There are somo who contend that if tho Bishop has the power of- imparting and evoking a high spiritual tone; if ho has a good Icnow.ctlgo of parish work, is a good organiser, and has an acquaintance with modem scholarship sufficient to save him from making glaring intellectual mistakes, nothing more is required. But surely there never was a time when a greater kiccd existed for outstanding leaders of tnought, able to speak with authority on the great questions which the new ideas in scicnce, philosophy, and sociology, arc raising in the sphero of religion. These problems must be wisely and resolutely faced, or elso wo must bo prepared to see a divorce between Church and culture which would have an effect on educated laymen which no Anglican Churchman could contemplate without dismay. It would be deplorable | indeed if, as far as New Zealand I is concerned, tho Church of Hooker, Berkeley, and Butler, of Whateley, Milman, and .Mansel, of Westcott, Ligmtoot, and Hort, .of Cr.Eioitton, STunns, and Gore, should sink to the position of an obscurantist sect, content to leave intellectual leadership to other Churches, or to scholars and thinkers unconnected with organised Christianity. At the recent Church Congress in England Dr. Lock stated that every clergyman sho'uld have a clear knowledge of the foundations of his faith with that sense of security which comes from study in the open daylight in tho face of criticism, and up to the level of modern thought. If this is necessary for tho ordinarv minister, how much moro should it be essential in tho case of one placed in a high position ■of leadership .like the Bishop of an important diocese likeWellington V Professor Sadler, a prominent English educationist, recently gavo his conception of tho ideal roligious leader from tho intellectual standpoint. He should be, he writes, a man with courage and independence of mind, ho has faced tho issues for himself, and who speaks without, flinching the truth to which ho has fought his way. "Character, Bays Goethe, makes character. Spirit kindles spirit. Thought with lifo and courage in it makes those who' come under its influenoo moro real in their thinking and braver in their quest of truth." The question' whether the bishopric of Wellington should ba" offered to a ' 1 New . Zealandcr, or whether -the Synod should look boyond tho shores of the Dominion is already being keenly discussed. One thing, however, seems to be quite'clear, and that'is that the best man availablo for the position should bo obtained. If he should'prove to be a'Ncw 'Zealander, it would bo a-EOurce of prido and pleasure to every citizen of tho Do-minion;-but whether a' New Zealander, an Australian, an Englishman, or a Churchman who has made liis mark in somo other branch of the Anglican Communion, tho man chosen'ought certainly to-be the best man. ' All things being equal a local man should havo preference, but it would bo a disastrous mistake if an inferior , man were' appointed just because he happened to reside witljin this diocese or this, Dominion, when a better Bishop could be obtained from some other part of the Englishspeaking >'orld. •