EXEMPTION OF THE CLERGY

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3193, 18 September 1917, Page 6

EXEMPTION OF THE CLERGY

SOME FACTS WORTH CONSIDERING,

Sir,—Your contributor "L.8."" does not put the position at all fairly as regards the proposed exemption of clergy. 1 believe I am right in eaying that all the belligerent Powers, with the exception of France, have exempted their clergy from combatant service. In France the exemption of the clergy was abolished before the war by an nnti-Catholic and anti-Christian Government in tho course, of a bitter and uncompromising struggle with the Church. The soldier-priests of France have fought most bravely in the trenches, but they are fighting under protest, having been compelled to break one of their vows. The gallantry of rhe.se priests does not prove that the clergy should not bo exempted, but it certainly does indicate that tho clergy are not lacking either in courage or the spirit of self-sacrifice. History has laid many shortcomings at the door of the clergy, but cowardice is certainly not one of them. It was in deference to lay opinion that they wero prohibited from being soldiers. ■The Minister of Defence put tho case for the exemption of tho clergy very fairly when ho stated in the House of Representatives last week that ''there arc not a great many of them in New Zealand. The denominations have supplied their quota, on every occasion for service with the troops at tho front, and that service, which has been rendered willingly, has been excellent. Great and good work has been done by the clersry of tile several denominations who have served at the front or who have assisted in the training camps. That is one reason why I think it is justifiable to exempt them Ijy jaw— partly because they are comparatively few; partly because they have sent to the front their share; and partly because we should leave sufficient clergy in New Zealand to carrv on 'he very valunblp work that tlic > clergy do among the civilian population." In this controversy tho attack seems to be more especially directed against the

Anglican and Roman Catholic clergy. It does not appear to be generally known that several of our Anglican clergy have gone to the front as combatants; quite a number of them have gone in the Ambulance Corps; the theological colleges have been greatly depleted; St. .TohuV College, Auckland, hae been closed : because all tlio students, so I believe, have donned khaki. ' Before the war there ivas. a shortage of clergy, and now the supply has been cut off at its source, whereas the bishops will have to continue to provide chaplains for each reinforcement until the war is over...;

The Anglicans have sent more- men to the front than any other religious body, and also proportionately more. Their percentage, up to and including the Twenty-fifth Reinforcements.- is 7.91. The Presbyterians come next with 7 per cent., and the Roman Catholics third with 0.26 per cent. The bishops must find it difficult to keep up the /supply of chaplains for the front awl for the training camps, and it should not be forgotten that in this time of war, when;so. ninny families have been bereaved, and when, sorrow and anxiety are so widespread, thejiewl for the spiritual ministrations oi the clergy at home is mucli greater rhan-in ANGLICAN LAYMAN.