The Daily News WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 1928. 25 YEARS PRIMACY.

Taranaki Daily News, 11 April 1928, Page 6

The Daily News WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 1928. 25 YEARS PRIMACY.

It is rarely that the freedom of a city is conferred upon a dignitary of a church, but there are special reasons why the citizens of Canterbury (England) should have conferred upon Di. Randall Davidson, Primate of all England and head of the Anglican Church throughout the Empire, the freedom of the city from vzhich his title is derived. In the first place the honour, which is the highest any municipality can pay to the highest in the land, is so timed as to be associated with the Archbishop’s eightieth birthday, which occurs this month. It may also be said to be connected with the commemoration of the Primate’s twenty-fifth anniversary of his enthronement as Arehbeihop a quarter of a century ago. The position occupied by the Anglican Prmiat is most unique, inasmuch as he is the first peer in the realm, having .precedence over all great officers of the Crown, and all dukes not of royal birth, while upon him devolves the duty of crowning the sovereign, and he has the power to confer all the degrees that may be obtained from the universities, these being known as Canterbury degrees. It so happened that the opening of the Spring Session of the Church Assembly, at Horae, coincided with the Primate’s twenty-fifth anniversary of the confirmation in his election to the office, and! the occasion was marked by an eminently fitting demonstration of enthusiasm on the part of both clergy and laiety. The Archbishop of York took the opportuntiy of paying a worthy tribute to Dr. Davidson’s twenty-five years cf single-minded, wise,, and beneficent rule in the Church of England, and spoke of the admiration, trust and affection which, in common with the whole church, and, indeed, the nation, those present had for the Primate. It was on Thursday, February 12, 1903, that Dr. Davidson was enthroned in the presence *of a large congregation, and it may be taken for granted that the memory of that long-drawn ceremonial, which from beginning to end was in every way absolutely perfect, was treasured by all present. In view of the strain and anxiety to which the Archbishop has recently been subjected in connection with the revision of the Anglican Prayer-book measure, it is not inappropriate to recall Dr. Davidson’s speech at the luncheon which followed the enthronement ceremonies. Referring to the future work of the Church, he said it would be his aim to endeavour to do his utmost to meet the problems of the Church and to steer a course between those—and there were not a few, apparently—who looked back to the sixteenth century, and with strange ignorance of history, strove to make out that everything in the Church of England depended upon that, and on those on the other side who, with equal deficiency of historical knowledge, tried to make out that what happened in the sixteenth century was a lamentable blunder in church life. “We hear, nowadays,” said the Archbishop, “of alienation, growing alienation, between the clergy and laity of the land. It is not for me to judge what element of truth there is in such forebodings, but if it be found true —it must be proved—the root of the bitterness must be found and cast away. We must so work as to see that the clergy are in touch with every wholesome impulse and animated by a very burning and growing sympathy such as would make it impossible that anything of the kind should exist.” That Dr. Davidson’s elevation to the

headship of the Anglican Church met with universal approval was fully manifested by the flood of congratulations received from all parts of the world. That he Las thoroughly justified the faith of Queen Victoria, King Edward, and the leading statesmen and church dignitaries in his ability to worthily rule over the Anglican Church has been convincingly demonstrated, a remarkable feature of this appointment being that his wife was a daughter of his predecessor, Archbishop Tait. The year 1928 appears to be rich in events intimately concerning Dr. Davidson, for not only is it the eightieth anniversary of his birth and the twenty-fifth anniversary of his enthronement as Archbishop, but if he and Mrs. Davidson are spared till the coming month of November, they will be able to celebrate their golden wedding. The close connection between Church and State has made its impress upon the Eng-lish-speaking race as a whole, and both are working in their respective spheres for the well-being of the race, and in the interests of peace and goodwill of the nations.