The South Wales Star

,u_ -H AN OBJECT LESSON IN DISES- TABLISHMENT. When I count up the advantages, which have followed Disestablishment when I think of the renewed strength and vitality which our Church has derived from the admission of the laity to an active and responsible participation in her counsels, in the disposition of her patronage, and in the financial depart- ments of her work when I observe the spirit of unity and mutual respect which has been engendered by the ordeal of our common adversity and the increased loyalty and love which is being daily shown to their Mother Church by those who have had to make some sacrifice on her behalf when I remember, too, the freedom from agrarian complications which our disconnec- tion from all questions of tithe aad tithe rent-charge has brought about, and the more favourable attitude as regards our influence upon the surrounding population which we occupy because of our severance from any State connection—when I remember all this counter- poise of advantage which we enjoy in our new and independent position, and when I try to hold the balance evenly and weigh the losses and the gains of the whole, I say boldly and without reserve that, in my opinion at least, the gain out-weighs the loss." This is the experience of the Archbishop of Dublin, the Metropolitan of the Disestab- lished and Disendowed Church of Ireland as related by his Grace to the Special Com- missioner of the Western Mail. Not xonly that, but his Grace added further that Protestantism had increased relatively in numbers since its dis- establishment, that the contributions of the laity had considerably increased, and that the fear that had once been entertained that Disestab- lishment would lead to scepticism and irreligion had not been borne out. His Grace, keeping English and Welsh Churchmen before his mind's eye, was careful to add that because certain advantages have followed in the train of our Disestablishment, that is no reason for sub- jecting the Church of England, or even the Welsh section of our sister Church, to the same treatment. The case of one Church cannot fur- nish a precedent for that of another, except in so far as. the like conditions and circumstances exist." This is very true, and no fair advo- cate of Disestablishment would wish to apply the case of the Church in Ireland to that of the Church in Wales, except jn so far itS the like conditions and circumstances exist." What are the lessons taught us by the Irish Church ? The old Soman jurists said "jiat experimentiaii in roruorc rili," knowing that if the experiment proved successful in a bad, it would of neces- sity prove successful in a good case. In no portion of the kingdom was the Church so unpopular as it was in Ireland. It was the Church of only a small minority of the people it was the Church of Englishmen living in II Ireland, or of Anglicised or time-serving Irish- men it was the Church of the governing classes, not of the governed masses it was asso- ciated with the efforts of English statesmen to govern Ireland according to English ideas and to denationalise the country. As long as it was State-aided and endowed it could make no headway among the Irish people"; but within half a century after its Disestablish- ment-in the course of a single generation-it has gained in numbers and influence. Net only that, but it is found that its lay members now feel more responsibility in the maintenance of their Church, and the testimony of the Arch- bishop is that "it has undoubtedly proved to have been for the good of the Church that it has been thrown upon its own resources." The bogey that is being raised in this country that Disestablishment would lead to scepticism and irreligion is effectually exorcised by the words of the Primate and Metropolitan of Ireland. His Grace was also glad that the Church in Ireland was extricated by Disestablishment from "certain difficulties attendant on a form of agrarian agitation peculiar to Ireland." Agrarian .agitation may hitherto have been peculiar to Ireland but no one who has closely observed the trend of events in Wales of late years, and has read the statistics of Mr. T. E. Ellis and the boulderstone speech of Mr. Gladstone can doubt that Wales is on the f eve of an agrarian agitation. The Church has hitherto been made the buffer between the f squires and the people. The land question has ] been fought as yet not on the question of rent, 1 but on the question of tithe and tithe rent- ] charge. The loss to the Church in dignity and i spiritual influence through being mixed up ] with distresses and tithe sales has been in- i calculable. The Welsh squires have made .< a shield of the Church behind which they 1 have been able to fight their own battle with more impunity. We trust that Churchmen f will even yet awake to a true knowledge of the J case. By demanding the Disestablishment of the Church, there is nothing further from the thoughts of Welshmen than to pave the way to scepticism and irreligion, or to cripple a. section of the Christian Church. It is in the interests of justice and equality, of religion, and of the Church itself that Welshmen ask for Disestablishment. Next Thursday a Welsh Xational Council will meet at R'lyl to discuss what measures should be taken by the Welsh party to secure the Disestablishment of the Church by the present Parliament. We trust that the Council will take steps to get a Disestablishment Bill drafted, which will satisfy Welsh opinion in the matter. One or two well-meaning gentlemen have been trying to 11 draw" Mr. Gladstone as to his intentions with regard to the Welsh Church. These attempts can do the cause no good, and may do it harm. Mr. Gladstone has promised, in unmistakable terms, that the case of the Church in Wales will be considered by the pre- sent Parliament, and tliau an earnest of the Government's intention to meet Welsh demands will be given in the next session. This should surely be sufficient to satisfy everybody. In- stead of vainly endeavouring to discover what such an earnest may consist of, it would be far wiser and more practi- cal if Welsh Liberals met to formulate their demands. What is the measure of Dis- establishment which they require ? Should those parts of the four Welsh dioseses which lie in England be also disestablished, and should those portions of English dioceses which are geographically in Wales remain untouched ? To what objects should the alienated endowments of the Church be applied, and what body should administer them ? These are but a few diffi- culties which will have to be met, and we trust that the National Council will at once wt itself to solving some of them.

LOCAL NOTES. — THE LOCAL BOARD MEETINTT. Sometimes the Local Board is possessed of. a spirit of contrariness which cannot be explained, but which makes it impossible to make any great progress with the work. It was possessed of such a spirit at the last meet- ing on Tuesday afternoon. The reports of the Finance, Public Works, and Sites Committees were all rejected, and even the members of the committees themselves were sometimes voting on the Board against the very measures they bad advocated at the committee meetings. We would be far from saying that a member of the Public Works Committee, for instance, should refrain from criticising the report of his own com- mittee. In some cases, facts come to light in the interval which justify such an action. But, speaking generally, it is not right, and it is nn- bssiness like, that a member of a com- mittee should reserve his criticisms of his committee's action until the meeting of the Board. The committees are appointed to save the Board's time. It is mere waste of time to pass certain resolutions at a committee which are negatived in the Board. by the very men who Toted in their favour at the committee. It is small wonder that General Lee should have been angry that the recom- mendations of his committee should have been rejected by the Board. Mr. Meggitt, we con- sider, did not act with perfect fairness in criti- cising the proposed Is. (Jd. ratq in the way he did. Mr. Meggitt is a member of the Finance Committee, and his criticisms ehould have been made at the meeting of the committee. We are aware that Mr. Meggitt was not present at the meeting when the rate was fixed but it is hard that his colleagues should have to bear the onus of increasing the rates, while he should appear as the champion of un-heroic, but popular, measures. THE NEW HATE. At the same time we confess that we are at one with Mr. Maggitt in his attempt to avoid heroic remedies. There is no doubt that a Is. 9d. rate would be a very serious thing to the district in the present state of trade, and, as Mr. Benjamin Lewis put it, an increase of 7d. in the rate is coo big a jump to take all at once. At the same time the ratepayers shoull be fair in the matter. They should recognise that tha Board has had to deal with exceptional diffi- culties during the last six months. The pre- cautions against cholera—which have been taken in order to safeguard the whole country, and not Barry alone-have cost a good deal. The cost of a site for an Infectious Diseases Hospital is also included in the next year's estimate, and may, perhaps, be covered by a loan. There are thus one or two extraordinary expenses which will not have to be met again. At the same time, if the expenses can be cut down in any way, the Board should see that the most rigid economy is practised. If, as Mr. Meggitt asserted, the Surveyor's staff in the office and on the road is too large, it should be at once reduced and if a bet ter system of lighting can be devised, and more favourable terms from the Gas and Water Company secured, no time should be lost in introducing these reforms. But it will be im- possible to do with less than a Is. 7d. rate. As General Lee pointed out, the wiping out of the debt to the Treasurer will necessitate a five- penny rate, so that whatever economy be en- forced. the rate cannot be, in any case, less than Is. 7d. This1 is serious enough in all conscience. CAN SO MET II NO BE DONE ? The Board will have to consider whether something can not be done to effect, if not a. reduction of the present half-year's rate, at least a permanent reduction after this year. At present the Board is in a state of "funk," and is engaged in cutting down minor, and com- 11 paratively insignificant, expenses. It is quite right and proper that the Board should be economical even in small matters, but its atten- tion should not be diverted thereby from larger and more important matters. How is it that such a large increase in the rates is now necessary? If we can get at the true answer to this