“ON EVIL DAYS."

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3496, 26 May 1920, Page 7

“ON EVIL DAYS."

FINANCES OF THE CHURCH. PRIMATE’S URGENT APPEAL. LONDON, M_arch 11. In the words of Canon Partridge, the secretary of the Central Board of Finance, “the financial position‘ of the Church of England is worse than it has been fio-r sixty 01- seventy years,” and the Archbishop of Cani'erbury has issued. a pressing"appeal for generous contributions to the Central Fund on Rogation Sunday, 9th May. “CLERGY I-pI_AVL SUFFEREQ MOSTJ’ “The training of the Ordination candidates who_ served on our battle frollts will,” says ‘the CancTrf"‘inv:olve certainly an expenditure of about £1“00,000 in the current year. The number of such candidates at present training is about 1100, and is expected to increase, eventually, to 1500. Last. year the Central Church Fund provided £120,000 forthe help of the poorer clergy, but this was not nearly sufficient, having regard to the facts that there"’al-e 20,000 clergy in the country, and that among all classes with fixed incomes who have suffered most. It is not that Church people are not gerferous. It is that they do not up to the present realise the serious position in which the finance of their own Church stands.”

The Primate places in the front line of obligations cf the Church that of substantialiy aiigmeiiting ‘the incomes of the poorest clergy He says that no idea c'oufEl ’be more mistaken than that the large funds requir’eH"Tor this and other urgent needs have been obtained or are in process of gnowth from some unexplained but trustworthy source. The ‘Archbishop doubts whether the gravity of the matter is adequately realisedby churchmen and churchwomen at large. "We undertook large responsibilities for the training of «ordination candidates who had served in the Army, for the C-entral expenses of many parts‘ of our Churchfs new and strengthened organic life; a‘l”so“‘f(')r furthering a Wise and adequate pensions scheme in cornplemenl: or support of dizccesan effoiys, and for many otlfér things. In the fiicnt line of these is our obligations already incurred, depends absolutely upon a full recognition by the members of the Church of England, both in congregations and‘ as individuals, of the bounglen duty lying on us all to cozztififiute adequately to the fund. Ens "c‘o:rfributi:on'mu‘st nUt be a. cursory or incidental or‘ conventional contribution; it must be worthy of the greatness ‘or our purpose; it nius't' be such as we can, in our hearts, regard as ou”r' own discharge of the sacred iobligation which is cfilrs“in the

sight -of G.-2:! of-our fellow men.” It is often said that ministers cuf. religion with fixed incomes have, on

account of increased expenses all round, suffered more than any other class in the conununity. This fact is regarded‘ by the Daily Telegrapli as one set the glaring anomalies of our time. “The men who have the most sacred duties to perform in the spiritual ..service of the State are a good deal worse off than the artisan class, while they are also forced t6"lncur an expenditure much greater than any which comes on the shoulders of the w~.crl<in_g-classes. If religious comnirrnfiies are unable to subscribe in aidiof the inconies of their spiritual teachers, they ‘cannot rea.son’a‘i3Ty ask for or expect assistance from the State. If once the Seriousness or‘ the present situation were realised, and the almost desfierate position ct‘ the poorer clergy taken to heart, we feel sure that a special effort Wtollld ‘be made to help a deserving body of men who, through no fault: of their own, have fallen on very evil days." '-_ - PAROCHIAL “S.O.S_l” “The Church has fallen on‘eVil days and many parishes are sending "out the 5.0.5.,” declares the Rev. J. Cartmel- Robinson, a London Vicar. “Chilrchnlen :Cf discernment. must make a big sci-apheap of old Inen_..;old ideas, and old-nlanhfn‘er.v. Tnstead of urging the or/libate life on cura't'es, ‘we should ‘raise their wages.’ The idea of a clieap church cheap vicar. cheap curate. -cheap niusic-master, C_i;lr€‘.:;.p Verger, in the midst of extravagant riches, is one of the reasons Why We are so poor, and have to fall '-back on pious ancestors for our upkeep." &

'1 THE BUSINESS EXCELSIORWE _____ mi 4; The times and Inodos are cl1:111giH1g fast; 3”” Old methods now have long since . ~'-I'?‘ passed} ,_,‘:‘ And those who reach the topmost r_tlugCry to the world in cv’ry tonguci"."‘ V A.dverti.se! T'~‘*'¢ b . :__,l The old man said: “I’d have "§'o'll'h know. My stock is good, but bllsillcsS slo§{~".‘s’ Thell Youth replied‘: “Wllat.’s hv'l"ong with pl'i.llf‘}‘ M In Clo3l‘ black type’. 01' evéh tint, ./‘\dV’Cl't"l.'s‘(!3"' H“ . . .1 “'l‘l‘;(>So gowns T’vo Innde," the m:l’idol'l‘ sighed; _ . ":7 “I c:llmo'r sell, aHhou;:}l I've ‘tried; ’l.‘he_\"x'o fil'.'-T-czlzxss work and fllif"'op Stuf}'3 ’ ’ Thou r*.‘.n‘no the :.Ins\\'ol' deep u.rul g‘r'ufl': ‘‘Ad.vm'l‘ise!’’ \ If you would win :1 sure success, Your trade mark on men ’s min'«l'im- ‘ press, Display your goods in pl'in't‘er’s ink. W'hate’el' you do, or say, Tn‘ think—~

Advertise!