THE NEW BISHOP OF NELSON.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1498, 22 July 1912, Page 5

THE NEW BISHOP OF NELSON.

CONSECRATION CEREMONY,

interesting, sKinroN*BY bishop CHOSSUU'. (By Tclciya ph.—Special Correspondent.) Nelson, July 21. T'no consecration of the llev. William Chiles Sadljoi-, M.A. B D., as fourth • Hi jlwp uf Xvlsou took place at Clrurch Cathedral lliis morning. No prev'.ous bishop of the diocese had been cons Perilled in the Cathedral Church, and ; Uie ceremony created n great deal of /utcie-st among church people. Admission was by ticket, but lons before the ccre- , mony commenced tli-3 (iccommodation of I the bnild;]ii> was taxed to the extreme. The, intriJit ivas sung by the combined choirs- of the local Anglican Churches as ' the procession of bishops, with their chap- ' loins and s-ixteen diocesan clergy, entered bv the nv.viu door. The. Bishops present were: Tho M est Kev. Dr. Ncvill (Bisnop 'of Dunedin and Primate of New Zealand), \ .Bishops Crosslov (Auckland) and fiprott (Wellington). Dr. Mules (the retiring itishop of Nnlson) was absent ihrough indisposition. The Primate wits celebrant; < at tlio Communion, which is included in the consecration service. The cervico was fully choral, the music being #/% **-» most impressive. The bishop-elect ,»■*«' presented to the I'rimato at the nltar by the Bishops of Auckland awl Wellington. After answering (ho prescribed questions, the consecration service proceeded. Tho litany was sung by tlio Bishop's commissary (tho Kev. J. I s Kempthorne). THE SERMON. Tho Bishop of Auckland (Dr. Crossley) prefaced his .sermon—which was based on , tl\« text "Yo cannot; discern tho signs of the times (St. Matthew xvi, 3), with tho follow-in;,' words;—"We meet to-day to as-' sist at tho consecration of another bishop a successor to ono whose unfailing courtesy and Christian character has won -*-/ the esteem.of all. Your late Bishop, with a true, seuso of the proportion of things, . lays down his arms before the day arrives when, it would bo impossible for him to carry on the leadership. Every man , wishes for him honour, rest, and hope _ in his aftermath."

The Education System. Dr. Crossley proceeded •—"Brave," "broad," and "sure" ought to be our watchwords. First, we must be bravo tor tho children of Now Zealand. Collectively i.-o have undertaken their education, for the State is ourselves. They must not 1)6 ovcrpressed nor underfed intellectually, and there is danger of both. 1 honour tho splendid band of teachers, especially those holding the fort in the loneliness of country districts; my brothers and sisters, wo regard you as workers, for God! There is a growing vou have to struggle with requirements of a time-table dissipating its strength '■) ineffectively over too wide ah area, home of us would like to seo reading, writing, arithmetic, history, and manual training oxhaust the compulsory . subjects, . and . loavo a schedule of tho 'frill' subjects, from which you would be free to select one or two which appealed to your own enthusiasms, subject to tho special re- ■ quirouients of your neighbourhood and tho paternal guidance of a sympathetic inspector; moreover, wo do not think youi pay is adequate. But, I can hear a teacher say, Are you not an advocate ior increasing* tho burden of the time-table. J Do you not wish to seo the Bible taught in school hours on what is called tho New South Wales system ? I'nhcsitatinglv I do. lior I l>e\ievc with conviction . that such a system will both lighten and inspire your work. You aro character- i\ moulders, whether yon will it or not, and • : under tho present system you ,aro robbed .; of an appeal, an inspection, and a sane- ; Hon which tile world intellectually and -■> ethically acknowledges to Imj at once the greatest, and tho best. Cadet Trainlno. Wo welcome tho advent of military j| training, which will now accompany j school life. Compulsory combination, the discipline of common action, tho supreme- ; ly wholesome twin virtues of restraint and prompt obedienco aro those winch ovevy' labour organisation ought to wcleorno tho inculcation of; for they make for tho very principles on which they build. Hero I would put in an earliest plea with tho military authorities for tho Bov Scout movement. You cannot embody it compulsorily to any system of cadet training for it rests finally upon an ethical standard voluntarily en ereil upon. You cannoti make the scout boys oath a part of cadet requirements. It would surolv bo far wiser to recognise that splendid movement as a part substitute, for cadet training rather than to try to absorb it, which, in its finer, features, would bo an impossibility, or to crush it, which would bo a crime. But tho Church of God cannot rest upon either tho school or tho cadetforcefor tho ample training of childhood. There aro temptations which come early in school life here which no school ■ system nor special lecturer can give tie power to resist. That power must m the main rest upon religious motives, toi tins end all our Church strength shou d\ ho - directed. Tho Church should bo a homo, and the parson a friend to any growing lad or girl. Confirmation, if possib-.e, before school lifo terminates, and . tho Sunday School, graded and modernised, are the most effective agencies the mode™ clergyman could put bis whole strength into In these things let us 1)0 brave . for the children. Pew Rents. Secondly, let us ho broad in offer and embrace.' We arc not satisfied; if wo were we should bo a dying Church. We know it is true that tho block of working men in'our cities ore not found within our churches; wo know that, mam- of tnfl better off are badly oft in this sense of responsibility and example in the public recognition of God. I nm convinced that in our cities our churches aro not that homo they might lie to our people. And tho reason that they fail to lie a home and offer tho broad welcome and embrace thev should lies in our pow. rent system, to enable a, fnmilr to sit i"- j' ge-thor without uncertainty of place is ho . |- nno spiritual value of owned seats m the House of God. 1 acknowledge that <n tho full. I also recognise that the hiiancial problem involved is a most. serious one. But I do at, least plead in the cities of New Zealand for tins. our churches at night be missionary. It is then, and then only, we get the crowd. Tho unattached, and the occasional then wander in. Open our city churches free and without reservation of !''««,, at nights. 1 would even dove to go further and sav bnnish the collecting pinto, and let the'lovors of God and His Church underwrite the deficit.

The New Bishop. Addressing the Bishop-elect, Dr. Crossley said. And now, my brother, it is a happy augury that at the joint; request of your predecessor and yourself, J, your former neighbour as a parish priest in tho great cily of Melbourne, should bo ■allowed to bill you welcome as a Bishop to New Zealand, chosen by the ordered Synodieal proceedings of the Syuod-the inlluenco behind scleolion which is now to be followed by the impetus of authority oiul the affluence of Divine Grace. You come to a' diecesa ready for leadership, vour interest and your equipment in tiieo-. logical study will, 1 ico.l. confident, aid us in advancing flic educational standard of the ministry Your pains-taking powers of organisation will find a new and spacious held for their activity. Your missionary spirit will be enlarged ill tho two fields of dominant New Zealand responsibility. The niissinn to the. wonderiul Maori people'of this land, ami the mission to those islands which, like stars in the ocean firmament, make the Pacific constellations, linking-us to the great world of tho East. May you find (hat your high oiliee demands and enables the iibaiido\i:ne:i(: of partyism and the embrace of tliat surpassingly higher ideal of partnership, that it both, widens and wim'alidate.s your vision of the Church of God, bringing with, it the twin gills of tolerance and of hop.\ May you win t:h<- trust and love nf your people as yon lwve done elsewhere, ior a llishop's work without that is punctuated with pain. M,iy yon find the Umre of the Comforter t-usiaiu when you have to bear alone within your heart sorrows and enxielies which you <vmnol share. May the great Bishop' of our souls set your episcopate in piMvei', <-arronnd it with' mercies. ami crown'it. with the consecration of obedieucu to His "Will. In the afternoon Bishop Sadlicr ,wns enthroned, the other Bishops and clergy, again assisting in the ceremony, the Cathedral being tilled by a very largo congregation. The preacher was tho Bishop. o{ IWcJllustott £Di\ SprotU,