II 



N 



i of ritualist* thai the 



the time* were opr rating to hasten the termina- 

 ting connection between tin- mil 

 pom and terkviaslksU bodice As 1'nrlmm, n: 



.03 *1. 



J.-al la&aliou. it might become necessary to mist 

 llnaiH tal charge* which would pmrtically further 

 widow the establish^! rhurrli nt j.ul... 



the pa* year * Churchman's Liln t 

 had been established. A resolution was 

 adept*! callin*; upon the friends of religious liberty 

 to tJwjWTwiSaut delay oo an educational | 

 to be pre**rd uj>n the constituencies and u|>on the 

 nU administration. The year's Income 

 -d been 4^886, and the expenditure 



. The first report 

 prated 



of the Church Krform Ixwrue, which 

 at thr annual raw! ing. May 



^- v% 



lit. covers oni 



prestnte<i that substantial progress 

 bra made in advancing tin- purposssaf the 

 Dilation. The membership was increasing rap- 

 and nearly half <>f the present 800 members 

 future action the council 



advised the concentration of all efforts on getting a 

 short enabling act through Parliament which would 

 -set the Church free to right 



' Htftuti nal wlf-government, sul.je.-t t,, tin- 

 control of the Crown, and in all matters <>f 1. 

 lion subject also to the veto of Parliament/' The 

 Church could thus gradually effect all needful re- 

 forms itself, especially those connected with the 

 position of the laity* discipline, patronage, and 

 finance. A letter was read at the public m< 

 of the league from Mr. <i lad stone expressing his 

 sympathy and approval in the tentative efforts for 

 the gradual enlargement of self-governing powi r in 

 the Church, and adding: " I am far from sorry to 

 have belonged in 1858 to the Cabinet of Lord Aber- 

 deen which gave to Con vocation its first in-talliii'-nt 

 of fn-o action, a gift which had been rcfu- i l.v Mr. 

 Walpole on behalf of the Govern im-nt of Lord Derby 

 in 1858. Viewing this, with other ( 'hurch mutters, 

 as a whole, I am astonished at the progress made in 

 the la** fifty years, and am confident that many a 

 convert ' would have been arrested on the I. rink of 

 lange could he have been endowed with a pro- 

 vision of what was to come. It also excites 

 a lively thankfulness to observe that all this progress 

 has been attended with a marked improvement of 

 feeling as between Churchmen and nonconform- 



;-'v" 



The Church Amoriatlon. The chief proposals 

 of the scheme of Church reform recommended by 

 the council of the Church Association ci.nt.-m: 

 the readjustment of the incomes of the dignr 

 and inferior clergy on a fairer basis than at pr 

 and amendment of the mode of ap|N>intmcnt of the 

 bishops; that the Church should t the 



election of its chief pastors, and the bishop's veto 

 should be abolished. The scheme aims at securing 

 valion instead of imt.ri-.nrm-nt of clergv for 

 disobedience, greater equality in incomes, with com- 

 pulsory retirement for gross scandal, immorality, or 

 incapacity, and provision of liberal pansfolM for 

 long service and old age. It advises that the < 

 Uon of church wardens be restored to the parish- 

 ioners and their number increased according to the 

 size of the parish. All requisites for services should 

 be provided by them alone. And either of them 

 1 have power to remove ornaments introduced 

 without a faculty. It proposes that pari-hi..n,-rs 

 should have a veto on all appointments of parochial 

 clergy, and the laity should have a legal franchise 

 secured t hat power to form parochial 



councils be given to the parishioner-: that no 

 change be made in the services without approval 



parochial council ; that sales of I, 

 u ami *ai< ntattan be abolished: 



that a diocesan patronage l-.u-.l be f.-nm 1 ami ail 



i I iy and with ii.s ad- 

 vice; that parishioners should ha\.- p..\v.-r to |. m -- 

 chase advowsonsof their O\MI parish; that il.. 

 hold of the fabrics be vested in the inciiml.riit and 

 church wardens f,.r the tune being, but only as 

 trustees for the parMi. ilereliciimi of duty to be a 

 vinlatmn of trust: that the linaiicrs be OODtrolled 

 by the incumlN'iit and th- church warden- jointly 

 un<ler the direction <( f the parochial council ; tha't 



n be reformed so as to secure a I ru. 

 resentatioii of both clergy and laity, thus couMitut- 



national council ; and thai 'the & 

 courts be fused into the high court of justice and 

 their pcooednre be assimilated to that of th. 

 courts. 



A memorial a.ldressed by this as>.M-iat iu to the 

 Queen, bearing the signal ur. men. 



asked her Majesty when selecting future bj<.||,,j,x to 

 confer her patronage <>n tli.-e \vh" are opjM^nl to 

 the efforts being made to revive the conii ional 

 and to re-i.,re the N the ma. which her 



Majesty <n her accession to the throne publicly de- 

 clared to IK- both ".superstitious and idolatn 



i Inii-cli hclciise. , Church Cnmniitiee for 

 Church Defense ami Church Instruction was 

 forme<l in the autumn .f IMiiJ b\ the amalgama- 

 tion of the Church iM'eii.s.- [nstitutioo and th<- 

 Central Church Committee. The \\ork of educa- 

 tion and organi/ation performed | to the 

 union by these two bodies is now continued and 

 carried im by the amalgamated body, which, with 

 the assistance of the .md other local com- 

 mittees. is endeavoring to extend the field of its 

 operations throughout the whole of I'.ngland and 

 Wales. The receipts of the two bodies during 

 1896 amounted, including two special gir 



2,000 and 1 1.200 respectively, to I" 1 ,'.." I*, while 



the expenditure wa The w.-rk of the 



societies proceeded without interruption through 

 the negotiations for union during the whole year. 

 The general committee, at its annual meeting. 

 April (5. by resolution, reaffirmed the necer 

 continued and extensive organ i /at ion in defense of 

 the ( 'hurch and of the di-eminat i"ii of information 

 among all classes as to its origin, history, and 

 work. The Archbishop of Canterbury add'ressed 

 the meeting in reference to methods in which 

 boys could be taught and encouraged to learn 

 concerning Church matters. 



Home Hciinion Society. The report of the 

 Home lieunion Society, presented in .June, r 

 sented that there wen* many sign- of an ad 

 toward that out ward unity which must eventually 

 be accomplished. Wherever social Imrrier-. had 

 been remove, I a more friend!} was now 



assured in all communications with Nonconform- 

 ists. Avoidance of overlapping in the mis-ion field 

 was also mentioned as a means of promoting a bet- 

 ter understand. 



( hrislian K mu Ic.lire Society.- At U 



Dg of th- for prom. .ting Christian 



Knowledg. 's amouii' E !.'' I \ 



were voted for the building of :W < -him -hes ami 

 schools in Canada. British Columbia, the V 

 Indies. South Africa. Mid-China. Australia. 

 Zealand, etc. : f -hip* for the training of 



Canadians for holy orders and for studentships for 

 < 'hristian girls in 'in-: ' for an endow- 



ment fund for clergy in the poor diocese of Alg 

 and 2,000 for the maintenance of the medical 

 work of the society in India. Grants of publica- 

 tions were made for various it at home 

 ami abroad, the aggregate value of which was placed 

 at fl. 



