LESSONS OF THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 176, 21 April 1919, Page 5

LESSONS OF THE WAR

EDUCATING AN ARCHBISHOP The Archbishop of Canterbury recently visited the Anglican Army chaplains iiv Franco, and.they have had many opportunities of tolling him-60ine of the things they havo learned dui'ing-tho war. "H may be interesting to:record," says n correspondent of the "Morning Post," "tlio general impression of somo of the subjects which both chaplains and officers were most eager In discuss and somo of tho opinions most freely expressed. The subject of unity bulked largely-in the discussions, ami there is no doubt about the interest which it arouses in the 15. E.F. Whero chaplains of tho Church of I'lngland have found themselves working side by side with fhoso of other denominations under the conditions of warfaro new methods of co-operation havo inevitably conic to iho.foro, as they have in the mission field.

"It is sometimes said that what has been dono in these abnormal conditions cannot ho a guide for the future of tho Church at home, and that with normal conditions there must be a return to normal methods. On this an interesting comment was made by one chaplain at one of the conferences, who probably therein expressed the views of many others—that, after all, it is the conditions of warfare and of the mission field which iiro really to tho Christian the'normal conditions, and that the conditions at home, whero tho Church has been inclined to drift, clutching to methods which were onco alive but are no longer so, aro not in the truest senso normal, but abnormal.

"However that mav bo, there can bo no doubt that as Hie .'• rchbishop listened to tho discussions he must have boon nvni'o that among tho greatest number of tho chaplains of all schools of thought of tho Church of England in Prance there is a willingness, and more than a willingness, to explore new paths towards, the ultimate goal of the unity of. Christendom, the goal that will he reached, not by demanding uniformity, hut by tho cordial recognition of what each part'-sun-dered part of a divided Christendom—has to contribute to the whole.

"The chaplains linve realised, as it was put by another of their number who spoke,'that flic Holy .Spirit cannot work with a broken instrument; that in face of the forces of evil the whole Church linist close up her ranks and have a united front towards the real enemy. This is nlso, as these conferences showed, I|iq point of view of the colilier as he watches the Church and thinks ai.out these things. His theology may be small, and his know, ledge of Church history small, but he wants to see the spiritual force mobilised, and one great comprehensive Church, militant becoming the instrument in God's hands for the furtherance of His great plan and purpose fcr the world. "If it is true, as one experienced aud able chaplain says, that 90 per cent, of the officers and meir now serving in France see no difference, as they would put it, 'between the Church of England and other denominations,' this nmy bo deplored from the point of view of regret that so many clvuvcuiue.il have not been taught to see and' appreciate the prin-' ciples handed down from the past for which each body in Christendom is n trustee; but from another point of view there is something really wholesome in il - ; ,' "It means that men's eyes are fixed on a truer objective which lies further ahead —a wider front from which the problems and difficulties of our ri.ee have to bo tackled. Such men would say: 'We, tho 90 per cent., are right. You cllaplains aro wrong. This is how, eo it 6eems to us, our Spiritual Unseen Commander views the whole field and plans the operation, and waits for your-co-operation before n real advance can be made for humanity."