THE BISHOP'S ADDRESS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1482, 3 July 1912, Page 6

THE BISHOP'S ADDRESS.

The address delivered by the Anglican Bishop of Wellington (Dr. Sritorr) at the opening of the Diocesan Synod yesterday was a strikingly able and interesting utterance. Ho did not confine his remarks to purely diocesan matters, but also dealt with sc.veral questions of farreaching general importance, including a masterly survey of the latest developments of modern criticism of tho Gospel narratives and their bearing on Christian ethics. It was an exceedingly luminous summary of the present position as regards the relations between the teachings of Christianity and certain aspects of modern thought. 'The man in the street has a more or less vague idea that German critics have made havoc with traditional ideas about tho New Testament, but ho has no definite conception of what this really means, or of the precise bearing of recent criticism on tho doctrines and ethics of Christianity, In a few broad and brilliant touches tho Bishop shows how fundamentally the question of practical conduct is involved, and ho contends that tho present social unrest, class hatreds and antagonisms, and international suspicions and jealousies, point to the fact that it is not the Christian ethic, but the dominant ethic which is impracticable and unsuited to tho age. If modern society will not accept the Christian ethic as its rule of life, tho Bishop is of opinion that society must eventually bo dissolved. On the whole, however, he thinks that in tho twentieth century, "the rebellious child of the nineteenth century," tho outlook is more hopeful in view of the fact that the mechanical view of the universe is fast losing its hold upon the human mind and the "iron hand of Victorian naturalism" is being shaken off. Dit. Sfrott has 6ome woighty words to say on the question of Sunday observance, and his reference to the _ new phase upon which tho Bible-in-Schools question has now entered will also be read with interest. With his assertion of the urgent need for efficient religious instruction for the rising generation most people will agree, but the practical difhculties in the way, in view of tho attitude of the Eoman Catholics and secularists, aro very great. It is, of course, a strong point to be able to show_ that tho system of religious education which it is now proposed to introduce into New Zealand is already in force in New Sonth Wales, Queensland, Tasmania, and West Australia; but any "de-sec-ularisation" proposals are nevertheless siiro to meet with very powerful opposition. It would be extremply difficult to get the average clcctor to make the matter a test question at election timo (as suggested by Dr Sfrott) when so many other issues are at stake, but if the principle of tho referendum is to be accepted then it is not easy logically to resist the demand that tho question of religious instruction in tho State schools should be finally settled by the direct vote of the people themselves.