ANGLICAN CHURCHES. 



15 



repetition of the offense, and condemn him in 

 the costs. The conduct of the minister in in- 

 stituting the proceedings was, however, justi- 

 fied. Such a departure from the order of pro- 

 ceedings in the celehration of the holy com- 

 munion was no light matter. The rubrics of 

 the Prayer- Book were not merely directory, 

 hut were in their smallest incidents nothing 

 less than positive commands of law, strictly to 

 be followed and faithfully obeyed. So serious 

 a departure as this case disclosed could not be 

 passed over, in the opinion of the court, without 

 ecclesiastical censure, except at the risk of im- 

 plying that the breach of them was venial, triv- 

 ial, or unimportant. 



The Convocations. Both houses of the Convo- 

 cation of Canterbury met for the dispatch of 

 business, Feb. 29. The archbishop exhibited 

 to their lordships of the upper house letters 

 patent, dated Sept. 16, 1887, conveying the 

 royal assent to the newly amended canons as 

 to the hours of marriage, agreed to by both 

 houses, and gave notice that it was necessary 

 that the two houses should meet together, in 

 order that the new and amended canons might 

 be made, promulgated, and executed. The 

 ceremonial of summoning and receiving the 

 lower house, in full official form, was then 

 performed for the first time, it was said, since 

 1603. The archbishop read, in Latin and Eng- 

 lish, the new enactments which brought the 

 law of the Church into harmony with the law 

 of the land, after which the document of assent 

 w;i< signed by the archbishop and bishops, 

 and by the prolocutor, deans, archdeacons, and 

 proctors of the lower house. A resolution of 

 the lower house relating to the election of in- 

 cumbents by parishioners in cases where the 

 living is vested in the parishioners, was amend- 

 ed and approved. It recommends the inser- 

 tion of a clause in the Church Patronage Bill 

 providing for the selection of a permanent com- 

 mittee by the parishioners, through which the 

 election shall be conducted. A petition was 

 presented from the Lord's Day Observance So- 

 ciety on the subject of the relaxation of Sun- 

 day observance, which appeared to have in- 

 creased of late years, and to the great increase 

 of Sunday labor ; to which the house respond- 

 ed that it deemed it its duty " to appeal to the 

 clergy, to all instructors of the young, and to 

 all who exercise influence over their fellow- 

 men, not to suffer this Church and country to 

 lose the priceless benefits of the rest and sanc- 

 tity of the Lord's Day. Its reasonable and re- 

 ligious observation is for the moral, physical, 

 and spiritual health of all ranks of the popula- 

 tion, and to it our national well-being has been 

 largely due." Sympathy was expressed with 

 the clergy in the difficulties to which they were 

 subjected in the collection of tithes, and the ef- 

 forts of the house were pledged in favor of 

 measures for remedying them. The president 

 (archbishop) was requested to appoint a com- 

 mittee to consider the question of an increase 

 of the episcopate. A desire was expressed to 



have an opportunity of considering the details 

 of certain proposed bills dealing with the ec- 

 clesiastical courts before they are settled in the 

 parliraentary committees. 



The lower house, recognizing the urgent 

 need of an increase of the clergy, declared by 

 resolution "that it will welcome the accession 

 of duly qualified persons possessed of independ- 

 ent means who will offer themselves for the 

 work of deacons; but that it deprecates any 

 alteration of the law and of the ancient usages 

 of the Church which would involve the relax- 

 ation of the solemn obligations of holy or- 

 ders." The governmental measure for the re- 

 striction of the opium trade with China by giv- 

 ing control of the matter for a period to the 

 Chinese authorities was approved, and the 

 hope was expressed that measures would be 

 taken to prevent the importation of opium into 

 Burmah. and that the Government might see its 

 way clear to " bring about the final extinction 

 of the Bengal monopoly." A further devel- 

 opment was suggested of parochial guilds, in 

 which, the house declared, might be discerned 

 a wide possibility of increased spiritual good, 

 both in town and country parishes. 



The Convocation assembled again April 24. 

 A report was presented in the upper house 

 from a joint committee of the two houses on 

 the relations of the Convocations of the North- 

 ern and Southern Provinces, the consideration 

 of which was deferred. A motion was carried 

 for the appointment of a joint committee to 

 report as to any new organization required to 

 enable the Church to reach the classes of the 

 population now outside of religious organiza- 

 tions. Satisfaction was expressed at the unani- 

 mous passage of the House of Commons of the 

 resolution of Mr. McArthur in regard to the 

 traffic in drink with native races. The bish- 

 ops acted favorably upon an articulus fieri of 

 the lower house respecting the exclusion of 

 the clergy from the county councils proposed 

 to be erected under the new Local Government 

 Bill, asking them to take steps to obtain such 

 alteration in the measure as would prevent such 

 exclusion. The lower house having, without 

 instruction from the upper house, acted upon 

 motions suggesting additions to the Church 

 Catechism, dealing with questions of doctrine 

 concerning which the Episcopate claimed the 

 exclusive right of origination, a resolution was 

 passed by the upper house, declaring itself un- 

 able to consider the action in question, because 

 it could not regard it "as regular and desirable 

 that synodical validity should be given to form- 

 ularies professing to set forth the doctrines of 

 the Church for the drawing up and circulation 

 of which the consent of the president had not 

 been applied for and obtained." A report was 

 made in the House of Laymen recommending 

 an increase of the Episcopate, and the adop- 

 tion, as far as possible, of county boundaries 

 as the bases of the boundaries of dioceses. 

 Concerning the principles which should regu- 

 late a system of pensions for disabled or aged 



