CHURCH MEN'S SOCIETY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1617, 7 December 1912, Page 9

CHURCH MEN'S SOCIETY.

- -OVERSEA - WORK. The annual conference of the Church ,of. England Meii's Society was opened ori October -Ki in Laeas. liUeven hundred dele-gates-arc attending Hie proceedings, iiv;chuliiig 31- from Africa,- Australia, New-Z-ealaud, India/and Newfoundland. The lirst's-ession was held in the.Town Hall.' The Archbishop of York was.-in the chair.

the annual report was presented, ■ together with a supplementary, report, which stated tint since the publication of the annual report 96 new branches had been established and nine new federations and two dioceses had organised a Hefcnco'Diocesan Union. The number of members and. associates at homo. and abroad Avas now 1-3,655. 'During the past three months an import-ant step had been taken with the object of strengthening :tha work of the movement in the West of England and in South Wales.- Jlethods had also been adopted with a view to nnilcing more efficient the work of their movement in India. In other Ways their work, had been fully maintained during - the past year, and real and solid progress was being mailo in regard to the 'appointment of travelling secretaries over-/ .seas. The report was adopted on the motion of. Mr. G. A. King, the treasurer. , Considerable discussion took place' on the report of the council on overseas iwork. It urged that tho Overseas Subcommittee should continue as a consultative body to advise tho executive regarding oversea work, and should be allowed. to invite representatives from overseas when in England to its deliberations, and that in the co-option of members to the council regard should be had to suitable persons who had been ■ members-of' the society overseas , and were, i now resident in the United -Kingdom. •' Several dele--gates,' chiefly from the colonies, spoke in support of the adoption of the report. Stress was laid amongst other things ; on the advisability of meeting and talcing "in hand emigrants when they arrived'in the colonies, i ..

The-Archbishop of • York said they should remember that nothing was . more important than that white men in India should give faithful witness to their, religion. (Hear, hear.) Their hope was that the Men's Society, though' it had peculiar difficulties in India, would be able to pro'inoto that great end. Ho looked forward to the growth of the interchange of action with their brethren overseas as one of the incst efi'ee'-'ve. durable, and warm-hearted means' of obtaining true fellowship between the different branches -of tho. Anglican Union. Ho was convinced there was nothing which would hold our own Empire more truly than fellowship in flra deepest cf all bonds—the bonds of common faith and the membership of a common Church. (Cheers.) The repirt was adopted.