XIV DISESTABLISHMENT AND DISENDOWMENT 245 



could be done without infringing any existing right, while 

 it would, on the other hand, confer on every section of the 

 community the right, from which they have long been 

 debarred, of an equal share in the use of national buildings 

 and in all the benefits that may be derived from a proper 

 application of the national propert}^ It now remains to 

 answer, in anticipation, a few of the more obvious 

 objections that may be made to this proposal; to discuss 

 briefly a few important details ; and to point out some of 

 the advantages that would almost certainly result from 

 its adoption. 



Ohjedions Answered. 



The first objection that will probably occur is a 

 financial one. It will be asked how the existing endow- 

 ments of the Church can be increased so as to make the 

 position of Rector worth the acceptance of men of the re- 

 quired high standard of ability ? The answer to this is 

 to be found in the fact of the excessive inequality, both as 

 regards area and population, of our parishes. In the 

 north of England they are said to average six or seven 

 times the size of those in the south, and we shall find 

 that more than half of the parishes in England and 

 Wales are far too small to require the exclusive services 

 of a rector. A judicious system of union of small 

 parishes, and approximate equalization of endowments, 

 will entirely overcome the financial difficulty. A few facts 

 and figures will make this plain. Some thousand of 

 parishes have an area of from 5,000 to 12,000 acres, 

 and even the largest of these are not too extensive for 

 the supervision of an active and energetic man, while 

 those of 4,000 or 5,000 acres and an average rural popu- 

 lation would be comparatively easy work. But an 

 examination of about 200 parishes, taken alphabetically 

 in two series, shows that there are, as nearly as possible, 

 one half of our parishes which do not exceed 2,000 acres 

 and have less than 1,000 population, the average population 

 of these being less than 400 by the last census. Of the 

 thirteen thousand parishes or places in England and 

 Wales which form distinct ecclesiastical benefices, no less 



