Review of Reviews, 1/10/13. 



779 



XVII.-THE CONGRESS ON THE UNION OF 



CHURCHES. 



The Congress for the promotion of 

 Church unity in Victoria was held in 

 Melbourne during the first week in Sep- 

 tember. The idea originated at a dinner 

 given by Mr. H. E. Wootton last Feb- 

 ruary, where a representative Council of 

 169 members was formed. This Council 

 appointed three Commissions to pre- 

 pare reports to lay before the Congress 

 on the following subjects: (1) Union 

 Control of Home Missions, (2) the Stan- 

 dardisation of College Curricula and 

 the possibility of Combined Theologi- 

 cal Education, (3) the Difficulties and 

 Possibilities of Organic Union. 



The three Commissions went exhaus- 

 tively into the various questions, and 

 when the Congress met were able to lay 

 full reports before it. At the Congress 

 the freest and frankest statements from 

 all parties were asked for, so that there 

 could be no possible misunderstanding 

 as to the position taken up. It was fully 

 recognised that it was no use starting 

 out to settle difficulties unless all parties 

 were prepared to see the all-roundness 

 of those difficulties. The candid, frank 

 statement of the most positive views as 

 to what might be regarded as essentials 

 was one of the most cheering features of 

 the gathering. There was no belittling 

 of the Church. Rather was it that the 

 consciousness of the divine intentions 

 concerning the Church produced an 

 element of caution in the statements of 

 what each body represented at the Con- 

 gress, was prepared to yield. The most 

 conspicuous thing at the Congress was 

 the kindly and genial temper of the 

 whole proceedings It visualised to 

 everyone that growth of tolerance and 

 comprehension of the other man's point 

 of view which has been so steadily de- 



veloping of recent years. Mr. McCallum 

 presided throughout with admirable 

 tact and judgment, and it is largely 

 owing to him, backed as he was by Mr. 

 YYootton's careful work, that such satis- 

 factory results were achieved. 



There is no doubt that this Congress 

 marks a milestone on the road to union. 

 In Home Missions and College matters 

 some permanent agreement is now only 

 a question of time One very practical 

 result of its deliberations, too, is the 

 revival of the plans for union between; 

 the Presbyterian, Congregational and 

 Methodist bodies on really sound lines. 

 This matter is now receiving the earnest 

 attention of- the three Churches, and 

 comes up for discussion at the Annual 

 Conferences of the three bodies. 



After adopting the eminently practi- 

 cal reports of the three Commissions the 

 Congress appointed a Church Union 

 Committee — 



(a) To further consider, mature, and 

 take steps to give effect to the proposals 

 already passed, taking into view the 

 suggestions and criticisms voiced in 

 Conference ; 



(b) to carry on the work of investiga- 

 tion along the lines already laid down, 

 and to extend the sphere of its inquiries 

 so as to include Foreign Missions ; 



(c) to co-operate with the Churches 

 and Missionary Society in promoting 

 unit\' and active co-operation, and 



(d) to summon another Congress when 

 the time seems ripe to help forward the 

 cause of union, and hereby appoints the 

 officers of the Congress and the mem- 

 bers of the three Commissions as the 

 Church Union Com rait fee, with power 

 to add. 



Mr. Stead's second article on the Defence Act will 

 appear in our November number. 



As the Committees dealing with the Inspection of 

 Secondary Schools in Victoria and with University Reform 

 have not yet concluded their deliberations, the articles 

 upon these subjects have been postponed till a later date-. 



