IN THE MELTING POT

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2188, 29 June 1914, Page 4

IN THE MELTING POT

i -' I | Tiffi present generation has already winv. stA*:! softi« m'©inoiitous changes j r in t.h.e_ British Constitution, and still! j mrtte far-i'c'.'i.chiijg alterations are ui>tk'f consideration. The [lowers »i th-e Housfl of J.ords 'h.avc. ba.ui seri-1 '•'ii.-ily erirtailsd, and wo are told , that its whiihi structure is abcu!. to. bti transformed by ths aliandotimc-nl.' oi the hereditary princii>l:r. ivhidi, would pnietieaily mea.riths f-MBUt-; tion ©f a now Second Chamiicr. This Would bo a Wvokvtri-oii.a.ry cjKingii in j t'l'ie Constitution fives if it stood j alone; but other eriun.lly important reforms are ai?o conffinplai.cd. Bis ■ general!)' understood that the grant- : i.iig of Home Ku'o to lro!an.il is only' the first jnst-al-mftnt of a system of' federfl i for the whol:- at' the United Itiftgdw—-En-gl-andf Scot- ■ laiid. Wales-, and Ireland. This' Would, o-f course, involve such enor- : niott-3 cor.stitiiii.onal changeb tot it is i:q exaggeration to say that the : eiii-stiin-g legi'daiivi/. machinery ef the i Brjtktj Islands fa going iiito tho. iiip-lting-pet, a;id it is inipossi-ide lor anyone to foretell what the final oatcmiie vv:;l be. One .lepart'.ire leads; to. another. Sad so tlie area of li.nsetilomeiii spreads. The disostabirsh- ■ ment of the Ghurch ia Wales .1' striking- example of this, tendency, arid provides an interesting illirstration of the interdependence #f ihos" ancient i'tistit-utiOns which have grown ii.p -with -tile nation. This i)iscstablßhtnciit: Bill makes important alterations in the- Saiiatiofts bPtweeti. 'Hie. four Welsh dioceses and tho: Province of but it does not exnmsly remove them from Che jnr- ; isdiction of the Archbishop, and'the «.nostion ) now arises wivetlrer the Welsh bishops will be permitted to sit in Convocation. If not, then the constitution. &f Convocation will have "-•en -a lie red by Act of Parliflmeiit >vitteut the cQii,s?.rtti of Oo.nvocatiofl:, ■. It is contended, that such a- course ■ woti'd be- with out. precedent, an d a ..catalegnuii which appeared, in Ratur- ' day's issue -of Thf. Domlvios state that tlrs Ciovchiment. has agreed to %. appointment of a Select Committee to inquire into the matter In reply to a auestion in the Homo of Commons. M ii. recently stated that taq four Walsh bish'ops would he. proliibitei! from atteftdioe Convocation, brt he was not- prepared to &i,;v what steps would b? taken, to excluda them tf they presanteii tlien;s»!v"s. ' Ho lem'arkcd, however, (hat if unauthorised ppr> : sons teok part ift its dsitberafcioiis Convocatioti would not bo • Ccytrv-oc-a-tioru In reply to this, it has been , pointed out that "the Bill does not separate the Welsh- dioceses from the Provir.rc of Canterlniryj ami if the Welsh liisho.ps arc excluded from its meetings,_ Convocation would net be Coin vocation. The Slat»- no doubi has a riid.t to difestabiish the Chv:rch, and it may;nvon have the right hi certain cireitm&fej&c&s to divert its property to secular uses but dismcmbtrmeiif. is a very different matter. !

The history <jf C'tiWoeatron iii its ■present form, begins in tie Middle. Agog. lis legal recognition -ami association with Parliament arose out cf tl:c question vhether the cionry on«iitr to be. t-asc-ci by or with tlig laity, or vvh-iiher they, oncht to tax themselves. It- was decided in the wi.gfi of Eiav vbd I that- they shonkl tax tli.easo/rcs i'tt.Cftnvopatiea, their own Assembly, This loci to the isolation of ilio clorr l ' mmrt. except the bishops, -.vho sat in the House (if I.mvis, «nd it also had other iiwifiyf aiii.. l-csutts- ■ Only tiros e rienry who wore actually taxed — thai. i$ the tiJidofrcci or heneiieet! clergy—voted tht taxes, anil they iijc-h-j were rapvescn'ted in Convocation.. They thus obtaiiwd control ot the \rhcle of the. ecclcsiastieal Iwssi- • ness to the exclusion of the rest of the cterfry. This position -rontinned practically nncliimiicd uftt'il the days of UinsLKj 11. v.h.m tho right of the clergy to tax tholftsolws was abandoned hy an agreement Ijrtxvten AscHßiskop Suemmx aiicl Lord 014®' exdon. and sinec then tho clergy have. beer, taxed in the ordinary \vay with the laity, rho.y then received the privilege of voting for members of parliament, but a envious anomaly still prevents thonj from sittiag in the Jlonsn of Commm;?:, By another strange survival, the unbet: .'iioed clergy pan not vote far ificftibcrs of Ooftrocvatkm, though,, if elected, they' may sit thy re in. This is a manifestly ■iuifa.u' a.rraepcm'iit. a'tttl effc-rta have : been made of recent' years t« place the uabonefieed derfy in a botier position, but so far this reform has not been socavsd. . During: the- Nineteenth Century H<nir<?s- of Laymen. we-;e set up in with .ihe Co.uv(ictiCio : ns of b&th Canterbury siad Vork, and also a fimessntfltiva • (.'iiiuth Cmmeil, in ftltjeh bifhi-;>s, and laity ai'i? all jr.;it-esi':ik'ic, ■ hut ihevf Kiodi'fn instit«t.U:His iiav no legsil -Juiidiiu? of legislative ■ iH'wvrs. Tlicy are. simply :wh is.?;; v . bodies. Til" t'.!S.' c :l'ii.'li;:|>.e(i ('1111!'#.; in Wales will no doubt, form its o\n.. govemiojc assiiiablks, find .1 way raay : i pojilbiy be found ol working them;

in connection witli Can vocation and I 'lie jurisdiction of the AMraiisriof' op CAXtEftßrsr. so that there will not bo a sudden arid clear sr.U separation from tho old order of tilings. Whether tiie Welsh hi simps will Iji? excluded from Cunvec it ion or m l smno method will probably bo deviweti of maintaining ail rifpetivo coniMetioii with the rest o:f , the Chilrch of .Eaglaivd; ufiless the, Welsh Church decides to become, like tha Church of the Province of New Zea land, an bukpendent and self-gov •?nu»g braiieh of i.he A;?glicn.ii Coinraunion.