THE ANGLICAN SYNOD.

Tuapeka Times, Volume VII, Issue 397, 7 October 1874, Page 6

THE ANGLICAN SYNOD.

. Th« annual meeting of the Church of England Diocesan Synod was opened on 30th Sept., in the Temperance Hall, Mcay placed Tho Eight Rev. Dr Ndville presided. There were also present— Toe Ven^ Archdeacon Edwards, Rev. Messrs It. L. Stanford. G. Beaumont, J. Jones, E. G. Penny, R. Coffey, E. J. Withy, W. N. Llcoii, W. P. Tanner. Laity : Messrs Quick, N. L. Buchanan, G. P. Reid, W. Pillans, T. A. Mamford, H. Howorth, A. D. Lubecki, John Dowe, D'Arcy Haggitt, and James Smith. The right rev. President delivered a lengthy, but interesting address, from whi«h we make the following extract : — The following is a list of the subjects upon which the Gene;r?,l Synod desires an expression of our mind, to which it would direct our attention, viz.:— The practical working of Stat. No. 5, G S., together with the motions of Archdeacon Ntock and Mr - Lpsk thereupon; the Pension Board; Education ; Intemperance ; the recommendations of the reports of Select Committees on the Supply of Candidates for Holy' Orders, and on the Circulation of Religieud Knowledge; the * Alteration of Formularies Bill; the form for General Synod Returns ; Resolutions J on . Missions, Jindewments, Christian ■ Unity. Also a recommendation upon ths Management of Trusts, p. -206, and a re- -- ference ,ta tbe Instructions to Trustees, Formidable as this list may appear, I would resaind you that it is by no means necessary that we should undertake the consideration of all the many and very important questions contained therein during the present session of our Synod. Into some of these subjects, indeed, it would, probably, be undesirable to enter bo long before the discussion of them oan be of practical value. I venture to think that we should do well to defer the •xprftaaionof our.epiniaii on the Alteration •f Formularies Bill, fie* example, until nearer the time of the next General Synod. We should be able to apply to the question minds matured by the calm study of it, and our conclusion wquld carry corresponding weight. Again, it is doubtful whether we can profitably enter upon any consideration of the projects of the Pension Board before that Board lias had time, either to submit a scheme for our approval, or even to present to xl* the form in which it would have tha necessary preliminary data supplied. . Of the remaining subjects there are" some with regard to which nothing more is reoaired Irom me than the direction of your attention to them ; but of others I will speak more fully as being those upon which I think we may most advantageously concentrate our minds. Among these, perhap«, none is of greater importance than the subject of education ; by which I mean of a system of education which does not ignore the highest attributes aud grandest capabilities of the being to be educated. I give prominence to this subject over that ef intemperance, on the principle that it is better to asaail the root of an cv 1 than to attack the effect. True, we occupied much time at our last meeting upon this question, yet i think that we shall do well to be engaged upon it again, as there are few whica die more directly in the pathway of our duty as a church, and iew, ioo, I regret to say, which have recoiv«d less serious attention at the .hands of Churchmen*. I should be doing violence to my own convictions, as well as, L believe, failing to present the question upon its true basis, were I not t» say at once that I regard education as pre-eminently the duty of the Church. lam aware that some of my brethren, possibly even some within these walls, will be unprepared to admit this: they have come to regard the work as rather appertaining to tho State. And yet I think that when the matter is either pondered in the abstract, or viewed in the light of history, as revealing the opinion ©f the past, yea? even back to the primitive Church — this will be found to be so. The argument in ■ the abstract rests upon much the same grounds as ths abstract argument in favor of ' & geparate ministry, the complex condition . of society, which involves the delegation of the priestly functions inherent, viz., iv the individual — tke ordinary parent cannot ordinarily be either priest or preceptor of the child to any great extent ; and of functions ■o kindred, so interwoven, as these of the teacher of adults by the teacher of babes, why skould/tka delegated instruments for the ( carrying oHt of ea«h derive tbeir authority fr»m a separate source ? This can only consistently happen by first degrading the conception of education itself. When at length, not only every sanctifying influence, but almost everything that is really ennobling and «levaving, is severed from it, the Miserable residuum of the structure of "pothooks" and the cultivation of the calculating faculty, may perhaps be entrusted to a mere Agent of the State ; though in truth ie is the very severance of that which in itself is one into widely divorced zones of so-called Becular and religious education, which I protest agaifist. The border line shouldnot be strongly marked ; the distinction iB artificial, not real. Every kind of knowledge is, in its degree, a revelation of the Mind which " meted out the heavens with a span ; and therefore the importation of every kind and degree of knowledge should be by those^ who have been trained to see God ia everything, as they should do who take their mission from the Church. The lowest rounds of tii« ladder of knowledge rest, indeed, upon the earth; but the topmost, aa in Jacob's vision, reach to heaven ■ aud there is no breach of continuity. Let the rudimeats, indeed, be taught by the less instructed, and the sublimer steps by the ordained minister j* but let the teacher of every grade f eei that he receives his delegation from the Church to do a sacred work. Why rtstrict to the ordained, the scope of St. Paul's direction, M The^Jjh'ings which thou hut heard, of me the same-^commit thou to ' faithful men who shall be able to teach others »lio ?" It is doubtless owing largely to the growth of convictions ia thiß direction, and *to the stimulus to zeal in work which springs therefrom, that we may ascribe the unquestionable hold which the Church Schools of England have of late years obtained on the minds of the people. That Church Schools were founded in the earliest ages of Christianity ii highly probable. Mosheim, indeed, states it as a matter not admitting of doubt, that St. John, at Jfiphesua, aad Poly«arp at Smyrna, bounded guch gchools ; and considers it most likely that St. Mark was the originator of the school at Alexandria, which in subsequent, but scill early times, became so famous. And though one hears sneers many levelled at the Church Schools of the middle ages, yet those who makjf* them might at least remember that outside of those the light was darkness indeed | and ii the Church did forget then that it was hers to throw down the shutters aud let her light shine forth, at least at this time she desires to do so, She would execute her appointed task. The initiative has already been taken in th« matter, so far aa this Diocesa is concerned, by the Bey. B. L. Stanford, v/ho, %ith commendable zeal and courage, followed up the discussion which took place at our la«.t me«ting of the Synod, by opening a school in his own parish, which has been attended with a considerable amount of sue- ' cess ; already a wing has been addee to the original building for the separate teachkg of girla. I may add that steps have aleo been takes ia the direction of 'establishing m *ekooliac»Miwfciom with St. Paul* j»*rjil>>

which it is intended to place under the ch?rg« of an efficient certificated miatreß3, who has received her training in one of the Chirch colleges at Home. '«£ } will take this "opportunity ef informing you that inquiries have been made, with a •view to the opening of schools of a h'gher gre de for both sexes, aud that there is a probi >ility that ere long the^e will be in existon.;©. It may, therefore, be desirable tor th'B Synod to proceed to th* eoßstiojtion ef OU ' school system. j We summarise the rest of the Bishop's address, the iubstance of which was as follows : — He felt highly satisfied with the successful working of the Board of Theological studies. As a matter of course, those who had studied in the Universities at Home would be always welcome ; but they would be received only in exceptional cases. His commissary in England wrote word that graduates would not come out, as curacies in Eugland>were good and numerous. He was therefore auxious to establish a system beth of training and examination that would secure well qualified ministers. He might have preferred Divinity Profesaorshipa in counection with our University ; but failing that, tutorships or theological colleges at the chief centres, and a Board of Examiners appointed by the General Synod, could efficiently carry on the work. He considered a bcoly should be appointed to co-operate with himself in organising a Divinity School, in order to arrange the order of study, its duration, and other details. Mr Penny was in a position to impart systematic instruction. He intended all students to pass theBoard examinations before being considered eligible for deScons' orders, reserving to the Diocesan Board the right of presenting the names of candidates educated elsewhere. Although he would recommend to students the Newj* Zealand University course, it should not be a sine quA non. The supplementary report of the committee hinted at the possibility of restoring the deaconate to its original and permanent character. To the loss of tbat arm of the Church's ministry he attributed the estrangement from the Church cf tha middle aud working classes at Home, for it was virtually lost when only those were admitted deacons who would in a few months be advanced to the Presbyterate. Although for pastors and teachers sound learning and piety were essential, Christ's Church was not founded merely for the highly-educated, but for the training of human souls. No doubt there were uangers to be guarded against, and one under the voluntary system was the insufficiency in number of ministers compared with the people. The work really required more deacons than presbyters, and the latter naturally looked to becoming the head of a parish, a position fo which a deaconr was not eligible. If each parish priest in Dunedin. had deacons working under him there would be a probability of following immigrants to their homes, who are now lost sight of. In hia parish in Staffordshire niue or ten deacons found work. In using tha word " permanent" he did not wish to be understood that deacons should not advance, i hey might go up higher to whom the call should come. He had replied to the General Synod, in answer to a question regarding missionary collections, although his conseienee was not quite free on the matter. The Macedonian Churches contributed to the pioneer work of the Church out of their poverty, but that could not be said of the Church in New Zealand. Resolutions on the subject had been passed both by the General and Diocessan Synods, relating to New Zealand, the Melanesian Mission, and the thinly peopled districts of the diocese. To these the claims of 4,000 Chinese should be added. To harmonise those resolutions, he would restore one which had fallen into desuetude, and devote the offertory of the Epiphany or tbe succeeding Sunday to missionary purposes, the amount to be divided in fixed proportions between scattered members of the Church and missions to the' heathen. To secure this end, he would advise the apppointment by the fciyaod of a secretary for missions. The Bishop concluded by a few general remarks on transactions within the Diocese. He mentioaed that a Chinese convert had been baptised, after instruction, by the Rev. Mr Fenny. tfinca the last meeting of the Synod, he (the Bishop) had travelled 921 miles within the Diocese, visited el-sven parishes, held six confimations, in which eighty-four candidates were admitted, and in the course of his travels had made inquiries preparatory to further organisation He had also conducted divine service and ' baptised in several outlying places. At Laurence, assisted by the Revs. R. Coffey and G. P. Beaumont, he ordained the Key. J. i'ewe to the presbyterate, as subsequently tha Rev. W. W. Leeson in the Pro-cathedral Church of Dunedin. Mr JN'ichol and Mr Tuson had been licensed as lay readers for Campbelltown and Gummie's Bush respectively. #He had recently organised as a parochial district Balclutha and its neighborhood, together with Clinton, to be placed under the charge of the Rev. C. ]?. Withey, and hia correspondence with clergymen on behalf of two other districts, specified in his last address, was likely to result in appointments being made thereto ere long. The parishioners of St. John's, InvercargilL desired to have the district formed into a itural Deanery. He had informed them he would refer the matter to the present meeting of the Synod, at which he requested a representative from Invercargill to be present. The Rev. T. J. Smith, of Queenstown, having an offer of preferment at Home, had resigned his charge. He was about to proceed to Lancashire, and he (the Bishop) hoped hia .New Zealand experience would prove of advantage to the Colony. Holy Trinity Church, Port Chalmers, and a sma.l one at Sbiel Hill, near Anderson's Bay, had been opened for divine service during the year, and six others were either now in course of erection or projected. THE BEST MEANS OF CHECKING INTEMPERANCE. - The Rev. R. L. Stanford moved— I.' That the principal of total abstinence from alcoholic liquors is not the best means of checking the crying evil of intemperance, inasmuch as it is not a method suited to the needs ot the majority, and ii in its nature inapplicable to a great variety of characters and constitutions, although wholesome discipline for habitual drunkards. 2. That restrictive legislation, whethw by mtana of a Permissive Bill or by the adoption of more stringent method*, is not likely to effect the cure of the intemperate or hinder the weak from falling before temptation; while it has been shown by experience to induce the vice of hypocrisy as well as such other evils as a widespread contempt and disregard of the law of the land. , < 3. That the members 4 ;^ the Church of England should use increase! endeavors to explain and teach, by prscept and example, those principle! of moderation taught in the New Testament. 4. Than it is desirable, in the interests of temperance, that*n inebriate asylum shonld be founded in this province for " dipsomaniacs," inasmuch' as it is now an ascertained fact that the inordinate desire for alcohol is a bodily as well as a mental disease, and requires constant medical attention as well as the p«rsonal restraint of th« sufferer. 5. That the clergy and laity of every parish in this diocese should direct their attention more especially toward the creation and support of all schemes which are intended to provide innocent recreation — e.g., the diffusion of healthy literature, workmen's clubs, mechanics' institutes, athletic clubs, concerts, glee clubs— inasmuch as such counter attractions are likely to prove most effeotiva means in keeping men fma . ejewiiy*/ indulgence ia ulcoholit

He was anxious that the whole of the present resolution!* should be dealt with in their integrity. Wos. 1 and 2 were negative in their ( character.' Some means they, as a Church, should especially employ to endeavor to stop this growing evil. The polioe courts, the asylums, and the gaols were all replete with melancholy instauee3 of ths growing tendency of intemperance — over-indulgence in drink. They, as a Church, should give a decided expression on what are the moßt satisfactory means of hindering the spread of intemperance. Total abstinence should have some place in the Church's society. Seclusion from the outer world for a sufficient length of time to insure a thorough alteration of tastes and habits seemed to be the only known means of removing the constitutional derangement of a dipsomaniac". The total abstainers should be to the Church what the begging friars and aisters of the gaols were to the Komao Church. He looked upon the Good Templars as likely to work enormous ills upon a free State. They were not likely to correct the evils which they tried to dispose of. Restrictions had created a disregard for the law, aud a hypocrisy most disgusting in its victims. He knew very well, both from his own experience, from what he had heard, and substantial witnesses in this Province, that in the country districts where a license has been refused, sly-grog selling immediately takes its place, as surely as the legitimate trade was stopped, no amount of care from the police could prevent the sale of intoxicating drinks. It had created a contempt and disregard of the law, but the hypocrisy was even a worso evil. History Bhowed that permissive legislation was a failure. ttis three last resalutions were moat practical in their character, and showed the best way of repressing the curse of intemperance. It was a most important point that the Church of England should be called upon to state the duty of members in this matter. The teachings of Christ; were in direct opposition to abstinence, and the I Synod would not be doing its duty if they did not tell men they were acting iv groas negligence of eh« tea-hiugs of the New Testament. The Inebriate Asylum mentioned in the fourth resolution took the form of a practical way of carrying out the pro - pased system. An asylum of that kind could be carried out most .successfully in Dunediu. It was to provide counter atractions to the public-house. Similar conclusions had been arrived at in Canterbury, where a Temperance Society was endeavoring to impress oti the public the fact that repressive' measures, however excellent, would aot alone suffice to check the evil ; effotts must be made to promote the intelligence, the self-respect, the comfort, and the innocent recreations of the people, That society proposed the following remedies :— To promote strict moderation in the use of alcoholic drinks in private life. — To discountenance all customs which teud to foster habits of useless and excessive drinking — such as the custom of shouting, drinking at sales, of conducting bargains in ,publichouses, of drinking and inviting friends to drink at unseasonable hours. — i'o promote the cause of temperance by counteracting influences— as by the extension of education, the establishment and support of public libraries aad institutes, and the setting forward of recreations and. amusements of a wholesome character. That association has not realised the anticipations of its f denda, because there had been a desire to have new machinery. He was content to use old means. They had a sueiety in existence, they had their Church, aud they had an agency iv every parish — the clergyman. He thought they would do wifeely it they sought to stir up, to invigorate, to renew their own established agencies. He trusted the Synod would pass the resolutions— he would not say intact, but without altering their principle. If fairly carried out, those resolutions would declare what were the views of this branch of the Church on a subject of overpowering gravity, and would, with the blessing of God, have che effect of fairly coping with the evil of intetnperanee. Mr James Smith, in seconding the resolutions, expressed his opinion that total abstinence was not^the best means of suppressing Che evil. , Tho Key. Mr Costkt charged the General ; Synod with cuwardice in shirking the question. He could not vote for the first of these resolutions simply on account of three or four words at the end, which asserted that total abstinence was wholesome discipline for habitual drunkards. He did not think Mr Stanford meant to reflect upon the Good Templars, but he thought the use of those words iv the resolution was equivalent to telling them that their body was recruited only from drunkards, or those who feared to be drunkards. He' was quite at one with the Rev. Mr soanford with reference to restrictive legislation, except as regarded the statement that it induced the use of hypocrisy. The last resolution was simply abhorrent to him. It was Hneeclesiastieal that the clergy should be called upoa to give their attention to " workmen's clubs, mechanics' institutes, athletic clubs, concerts, and glee clubs." The Key. Mr Oldham- maintained that the only true remedy for this growing sin of intemperance was total abstinence. Seeing the good total abstinence had done, they ought to speak of it with great respect. It was certainly a very valuable handmaid to religion. He, was strongly in favor of the Permissive Bills He would oppose the first aad second resolutions, and support the others. On the motion of the Rev. Mr Tanner, the debate was adjourned. On the motion of Archdeacon Edwards a committee was appointed to consider the best method of obtaining a supply of clergy for the diocese. In moving a resolution expressing the disapproval of tbe Synod of Sunday funerals, and affirming-that such should not take place except when absolutely necessary, Archdeacon Edwards said the clergy in Dunedin were often placed in a painful position by being called upon to officiate at funerals on Sundays, to do which obliged them to give up other very important work. A resolution had been come to in Dunedin that they should do all they could to discourage Sunday funerals, except when absolutely necessary ; the question as to the necessity of any particular funeral on Sunday being left to the decision of the committee of management. After discussion a resolution was come to requesting the members of the church to discourage Sunday funerals. Friday, October 2. In answer to Mr Lubecki, tbe President said that the termh of tho Diocesan Statute JSo. 3 had not been complied with in all the electoral districts. The Registration Officers appointed by the Standing Committee were the persons responsible for the omissions. Mr Gibbs moved — " I hat a Committee be appointed to consider the requirements of the proposed Hural Deanery Board for Southland, and that such Committee consist of Hey. W. P. Tanner, Bey. W. F. Oldham, the Chancellor of the Diocese, Mr Conyers, Mr Brunton, Mr Howortb, D'Arcy Haggitt, and the Mover." Agreed to. \ The Rev. Mr Beaumont moved — " That a Society similar in its plan of operation to the Church of England Buok-hawking Associations be established, and that the Standing Committee be requested to c*rry out the above object." Agreed to. The Rev. Mr Leeson moved— "That in the opinion of this Synod, steps should be token to enjuie the bettor obferyance p£ the

season of Lent." Services were held during the season of Lent, 'but they were net at all well attended. He thought that; if something were done in the way of exchanging pulpits during Lent, it would certainly be productive of good. After considerable discusion, tho motion was withdrawn.

Major Richardson moved— "That the Prssident be requested to ascertain by telegram from the Most Reverend the Primate Whether toe committee appointed on the sth June, 1874. bythe (General Synod, have devised and put in operation a plan by benefaction, in land or money, funds for necessary Church purposes, in particular, as the primary object, for the adequate endowments of bishoprics, including Bishop's residence, and for other objects properly belonging to the work of the Church." Agreed to. INTEBfpKRANCE. The Rev.' Mr Stanford then moved the first resolution on the intemperance tionMajor Richardson proposed asjau amendment — "That theprincipleof total abstinence from alcoholic liquors is among the best means of cheeking the crying evil of intemperance, inasmuch as it ia a method suited co the needs of those who are not strong enough to resist temptation from excess," which was carried. On the Rev. Mr Stanford moving his second resolution, the Rev. Mr Penny moved, as an amendment — " That restrictive legislation, whether by means of a Permissive Bill, or by the adoption of more striagent methods, however particularly beneficial, is not likely to effect the cure of the intemperate, or hinder the weak from falling into temptation," which was carried. Resolutions 3, 4, and 5, with slight amendments, were then put and carried.