16 



ANGLICAN CHURCHES. 



J.~>. resolutions recommending the giving of power 

 to the convocations to reform their own clergy, to 

 constitute in connection with themselves repre- 

 sentative houses of laymen, and to arrange for the 

 joint sitting and acting of the two convocations 

 and houses of laymen as representative bodies. 



Missions to Seamen. The report of the Mis- 

 sions to Seamen, presented at the annual meeting, 

 May 2, represented that the expenditure in 1899, 

 42,514, exceeded the income by 3,898. Sailors 

 had given 1,535 in offertories, had bought 5,741 

 Bibles and Prayer Books, and had furnished 98,500 

 attendances at 13,500 services or Bible readings 

 afloat and 348.000 attendances ashore. 



The Convocations. At the meeting of the 

 Convocation of Canterbury in February (Feb. 

 6) petitions were presented in the upper house 

 from two rural deaneries in the diocese of Truro, 

 praying the house not to initiate or take coer- 

 cive measures to enforce compliance with the 

 recent decision of the archbishops concerning in- 

 cense and processional lights unless their lord- 

 ships were prepared to enforce strict compliance 

 to the Prayer Book impartially on all alike, hav- 

 ing regard to variations of defect as well as of 

 excess. A prayer was included in one of the 

 petitions that their lordships would take steps 

 in the endeavor to gain for the Church of England 

 a larger power of self-government than it had at 

 present, but not self-government incompatible 

 with the position of an established church. In 

 view of the failure of the two convocations in 1899 

 to agree upon a joint report upon ecclesiastical 

 courts, a committee of conference with the com- 

 mittee of the Convocation of York was appointed. 

 The resolutions passed by the lower house in Feb- 

 ruary, 1899, respecting missions to Israelites, were 

 agreed to. They recognize the title of such mis- 

 sions to special attention; advise co-ordination of 

 the several agencies engaged in the work so as 

 to avoid overlapping and wasteful expenditure; 

 emphasize the responsibility laid upon incumbents 

 by the presence of many Israelites in their par- 

 ishes; advise the provision of prayers for the 

 salvation of Israel for the annual day of inter- 

 cession for missions; and invite the attention of 

 divinity and other professors to the existing need 

 of clergy to undertake the Jewish side of paro- 

 chial work. 



In the lower house, the prolocutor having re- 

 signed. Archdeacon Reginald Prideaux Lightfoot, 

 of Oakham, was chosen to that office. A resolution 

 was passed affirming the necessity of the spiritual 

 agencies of the Church, and a committee was ap- 

 pointed to consider and report as to the desira- 

 bility of a revival of the subdiaconate. A second 

 report, drawn up by a joint committee, on clergy 

 pensions, which explained in detail the work of 

 the clergy pensions institution, was adopted in 

 both houses. 



A resolution was adopted in the House of Lay- 

 men, asking for a joint committee of the two 

 convocations to consider and report upon the best 

 means of securing a fit and adequate representa- 

 tion of the laity in the House of Laymen of each 

 provin.e. 



At the meeting of the convocation, May 8, the 

 upper house, upon the presentation of an article 

 adopted by the lower house on the subject of 

 temperance legislation, resolved unanimously, 

 "That it is desirable that a bill be drafted and 

 submitted to Parliament based upon such recom- 

 mendations contained in the final report of the 

 Royal Commissioners on Liquor License as are 

 common to the majority and the minority reports 

 of the commissioners." ' The Committee on Eccle- 

 siastical Courts reported progress, representing 



that they desired to confer with the committee of 

 the Convocation of York on the subject. The 

 Committee on the Position of the Laity in the 

 Church submitted a statement that they had not 

 yet been able to prepare their report. The ques- 

 tion was a large and important one. The com- 

 mittee of the Convocation of York, with whom 

 they had conferred, had appointed a committee 

 of experts to examine fully the historical aspect of 

 .the question, and they were waiting before pre- 

 senting their own conclusions until the report of 

 that committee had been drafted. 



A resolution was passed contemplating the ap- 

 pointment of a joint committee to confer with a 

 committee of the House of Laymen to consider the 

 desirability of appointing a central Church com- 

 mittee to work with the chaplain general and the 

 chaplain of the fleet for all purposes concerning 

 the moral and religious welfare of soldiers and 

 sailors and their families, and the status of chap- 

 lains working among them. A draft bill was 

 brought forward by the Bishop of Rochester 

 which was characterized as an attempt to promote 

 the object of giving the Church more voice in its 

 own affairs. It did not deal with the question 

 of the best means of carrying out the reform of 

 Convocation, or of how the houses of laymen 

 could be recognized by Parliament; but it aimed 

 to provide a method by which, if it should please 

 Parliament that power should be given, Convoca- 

 tion itself could take the initiative in the matter. 

 The archbishop gave notice to both houses that the 

 Archbishop of York and he had agreed to sum- 

 mon a meeting of both convocations in the form 

 of committees, to meet July 5 and 6. In the 

 consideration of the resolutions of the lower house 

 on elementary education, an amendment was sug- 

 gested proposing that voluntary schools should 

 receive support from the public funds. The lower 

 house approved the elementary education bill in- 

 troduced into the House of Commons by Sir John 

 Gorst and the Government burials bill, except as 

 to certain sections, respecting which further in- 

 formation was desired. The action of the upper 

 house contemplating the appointment of a joint 

 committee on the moral and spiritual welfare of 

 the soldiers and sailors was concurred in. The 

 report of the Committee on the Supply and Train- 

 ing of Candidates for Holy Orders, embodying a 

 series of recommendations to the schools, was 

 adopted. A report on the reform of Church gov- 

 ernment was approved, to the effect that in the 

 opinion of the house the next step toward the 

 attainment by the Church of a greater measure 

 of autonomy should be to urge her Majesty's Gov- 

 ernment to introduce a bill into Parliament de- 

 claring, first, that the convocations have power to 

 reform their own constitution in respect of the 

 representation of the clergy: second, empowering 

 the convocations to constitute in connection with 

 themselves co-operative houses of laymen; and, 

 third, authorizing arrangements being made by 

 the two convocations and houses of laymen for 

 their joint sessions. The house expressed an ear- 

 nest hope that legislative effect might be given to 

 such of the recommendations contained in the 

 final report of the Royal Commission on the 

 Licensing Laws as received the support of all the 

 commissioners. It also expressed general approval 

 of the burial grounds bill. 



At the meeting of Convocation, July 4, a discus- 

 sion took place in the upper house over the report 

 of the committee of the lower house on the supply 

 and training of candidates for holy orders, in 

 which the fact was brought into view that the 

 number of candidates was diminishing at a time 

 when the population of England was rapidly in- 







