The Cambrian

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THE CHILDREN'S CORNER [CONDUCTED BY UNCLE ROBIN.) Between the dark and the daylight, When the night is beginning to lower. Oomea a pause in too dav's occupations That is known as the Children's Hour.' Ail teachers are invited to send to UHCL* RoBIN, "The Cambrian," Wind-street, Swansea, farticnlars of anything suitable for publi- tation in connection with their schools—in- teresting personal notes about the children 'with names, etc.) curious sayings, note- worthy examination results, etc. A HANDSOME PRIZE Will be given every week to the boy or girl who sends in the best letter. Bd brief and definite, and strive to write that which you think will interest. TO SCHOOLMASTERS AND OTHERS. Uncle Robin will give a handsome prize to the boy or girl who sends in the best report of any school concert. Schoolmasters and teachers whose concerts have not yet been held would oblige by making this known to their scholars. HAVE YOU AN IDEA ? IT MAY BRING YOU A VALUABLE PRIZE. Uncle Robin wishes to introduce a good and new competition among his little friends. There is often wisdom in the multitude, and so a handsome book prize is offered. for the best suggestion sent in by Wednesday, Feb. 18th. THE SUGGESTION SHOULD BE BRIEFLY AND DEFINITELY STATED ON A POST-CARD. Now, boys and girls, put on your thinking caps and set to work at once. and you may win a very handsome prize. Remember, on- ly post-cards should be used, and they should be addressed to Uncle Robin, c.o. the Editor, The Cambrian/' 58. Wind-street, Swansea.

WELSH DICKY BIRD SOCIETY FOUNDED BY UNCLB ROBIN. MAKCH. 1899. FOR THE PROMOTION OF KINDNESS TOWARDS BIRDS AND ALL LIVING THINGS. EULES.llÍEMBERs-" PLEDGE. I hereby promise to be kind to all living things, to protect them to the utmost of my power, to feed the birds in the winter time, and never takf or destroy a nest. I also promise to get as many girls and boys as possible to join the Dicky Bird Society. GENERAL RULES. Every boy or girl is admitted a member on taking the above pledge. Each new mem- ber must sign his or her name to any list 4ent to Uncle Robin. Each list must be ac- companied by a letter attesting the genuine- ness of the signatures, signed by the teacher of the school which the proposed members attend, or by the parents or relatives of the girls and boys who wish to join our Society. The names, when thus guaranteed, will be entered in the Big Book, aid printed in The Cambrian. All letters, which should be addressed to Uncle Robin," c.o. Editor, The Cambrian, Wind-street, Swansea, must be written on one side of the paper only.

A MOTHER'S GRIEF. One little anecdote of Sandringham life. It occurred some short time after the death of the Duke of Clarence. As all know, the Princess tried to hide her grief, which was shown only in her fading health and tender consideration for others. One day, while walking with one of her ladies in the lanes, she met an old woman weeping bitterly and tottering under a load of packages. On-in- quiry it appeared she was a carrier, and made her living by shopping and doing er- rands in the market town for the country people. "But the weight is too heavy at your age," said the Princess. said the Princess. "Yes, you're right ma'am; I'll have to give it up, and if I give it up I'll starve. Jack carried them for me—my boy, ma'am." "And where is he now?'' "Jack, he's dead. Oh, he's dead," the old woman cried wildly. The Princess, without a word, hurried on, drawing her veil over her face to hide her tears. A few days lateT a neat little oart and stout donkey were brought to the old car- rier's door. She now travels to and fro.with them, making a comfortable living, and has never been told the rank of the friend who has tried to make her life easier for the sake of her dead bo/.

WAGES IN THE TINPLATE TRADE. An adjourned meeting of the Dockers' Union (Tinplate Section) was held at the Dockers' Hall, Plymouth-street, Swansea, on Saturday, and lasted most of the day. One of the workmen was voted to the chair, and Mr. Ben Tiilett and Mr. James Wignall were present. The object of the meeting was to discuss the list of wages proposed to be put in force at the expiration of the present list in June. The whole matter was gone into in detail, and the men resolved in nearly every case to stick fast to the 1874 list. The strongest feeling prevailed that the masters should not be given in to on this wage ques- tion.

TEMPERANCE CRUSADE. The temperance workers of the town met on Friday at the Ragged School, and decided upon the formation of a Vigilance Com- mittee in view of the approaching Brewster Sessions. Objection was made to the consti- tution of the Licensing Committee, it being alleged that justices were interested in "the trede." The meeting was adjourned. COLOURED RAIN. The "blood rain" which recently fell ia Italy and elsewhere has been proved to coa. sist simply of mineral dust caused by the wind from North Africa. The "blood rainel is caused by the presence in the water of ma- oroscopic forms of low plant life, each of them being a little actively moving red body, to which the name of "Aphaerella flavials" ia given. A near neighbour of this little plant, the "Speraerella nivalis," is known aa tbi red snow plant." It occurs in the Aretio regions, gives a red appearance to the snor*, suggestive of the occurrence of some san- guinary combat. The red rain plant occurs in pools, and when it has attained a higb development and a whirlwind sweeps the water out of the pools it gets diffused in tb4 air, and breeds and multiplies in the new pools and ponds to which-it has thus beett conveyed. "Sulphur rain" is quite a differ- ent thing. The yellow dust which is often found covering the ground for acres is the pollen or fertilising matter of plants, and chiefly that of pine forests. Discharged from the cones, it is carried by the winet. and often falls, ineffective as regards ita purpose, to the ground. The occurrence of this yellow matter, however, has often given" rise to superstitious fears, especially in the North of Scotland, where theological tenets have not yet become quite dissociated from sulphurous surrouadir.gs.

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■■ THE METROPOLITAN LIFE ASSURANCB SOCIETY. The ordinary general meeting of this So- ciety was held on the 9th instant at 13, Moor- gate-street, London, E.C., Mr. Sigismund y. Mendl presiding. In moving the adoption of the report and acoounte, the Chairman said the report was not an eventful or a sensational one, but it was not the less satisfactory oo that account. The Society pursued the even tenour of its way, unaffected by wars or rum- oura. of wars. The past year has been a fav- ourable one so far as mortality was con- cerned; they had paid claims on 184 policies. assuring £ 129,361, whereas the expectation" according to the table used in the valuations, was 205 policies, assuring f 165,505. The new business was better than last year by J310,110, and although that was not a very large increase it compared favourably with other offices, for he found that out of 26 of the leading life offices there were only eight besides themselves that showed any increaaa at all. They had had during the past year a number of striking testimonies, entirely un- solicited, from assurers, to the value of their system, and it should be remembered that in the case of an office like theirs where no commission was paid they had to depend largely on the members themselves recom- mending the office and pointing out its ad- vantages. There was no additional division of profit to be made this year; that was hardly to be expected. The most important duty of the directors was to strengthen the reserves so as to make the Society absolutely impregnable. They had therefore decided to reduce the rate of interest on participating policies of the fourth series from 3A to 3 per cent; that absorbed £7,685 from the profit into reserve. They had also carried JB 10,000 to the investment reserve fund to provide for ths depreciation that had taken place during the year in the value of their investments. The report and accounts were unanimously adopted.

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VERNAL VISITATION AT SYS ANSKA. THE ARCHDEACON'S CHARGE. The annual vernal visitation of Archdeacon Lewis, of Carmarthen, took place at St. Mary's Parish Church, Swansea, on Wed- nesday. There was a large attendance of the clergy and churchwardens of the Arch- deaconry. The Rev. Chancellor Smith was present in his robes, and the senior curate (the Rev. Thos. Morris) officiated at the brief service which preceded the following charge given by the Arahdeacon: — CHARGE 1901. My brethren of the clergy, churchwardens, and sidesmen, before reading to you my charge, according to prescribed custom, I will take the opportunity of tendering to you my sincere thanks for the constant and uni- form courtesy and kindness you have exten- ded to me since my appointment to the Arohdeaconry in 1899. At that time I was, of course, unable, on the occasion of my first visitation, to consider and discuss mat- ters which had not then come under my official supervision within the Archdeaconry, and last year it was our privilege to listen to our Bishop's primary charge, which, I am sure you will agree with me was entirely worthy of the occasion. It deals very thoroughly with the much debated question of church reform, and its survey of the pro- gress of the Church in the diocese during the last oentury. supplies facts and figures which may weil encourage us to faoe with faith and confidence, the greater responsibilities which the quickened life of the Church calls upon us to undertake. I hope we shall all read the charge again and again, and? do what we can to place our people in possession of the sound principles it enunciates, the reliable statistics it records, and the hopeful pros- pects of further progress it holds out to us. Though I have now entered on my third year of office, I regret to say that owing to indiffer- ent health at the date of mv appointment, and for some time after. I have been able to visit only the majority of the churches of my archdeaoonry, but it is my intention to complete my visitation in the ensuing sum- mer. After these few preliminary remarks, let me now ask your careful attention to some matters connected with our respective offices, such asi I think will have some interest for us all. THE OFFICE OF ARCHDEACON. As to the office of Archdeacon, there are ic some minds much vagueness and mis- apprehension, in others, positively no ade- quate idea at all as to what are the duties of an archdeeon, or what the purpose of his office. Now, the office of archdeacon is a very ancient one. Its origin is indeed in- volved in great obscurity. The exact date of its first institution has been the subject of much dispute. As it is mentioned by St. Jerome, and other writers of the 4th century, it ia safe to say that it must have been founded before that period. Originally, and anciently, the archdeacon was the principal deacon, and on this ground some have con- tended that the first holder of the office was St. Stephen, the first christian martyr. The four archdeacons of our diocese appear to have existed in the time of the first Norman. Prelate Bernard, who was Bishop of St. David's in the begining of the 12th century (1115). Whether the office was first founded in the diocese at the time is not clear. In any case, it is in the time of Bernard that we have the earliest nbtiee of archdeacons in our diocese. The primitive duties of the archdeacon appear to have been to attend the bishop to the altar, and to order aP things relating to the inferior clergy and the ministrations of the Church by the in- ferior clergy was meant an order of clergy lower and other than those of deacons and presbyters existing in the early Church. It was his duty also to assist the bishop in the distribution and management of the Church's revenues, to assist him also in preaching, and to bear a part with him in the ordination of the aforesaid and inferior clergy over whom he exorcised certain authority. Such appear to have been his duties in early times. In a later age, the office has adjusted itself to the Yarying needs of the Church. The work that now devolves upon an archdeacon may be summarised as follows It is his duty in the absence of the bishop to hold visitations of the parochial clergy, and to admit into their offioe the churchwardens and sidesmen who have been elected in the Easter vestry, to examine, either personally or by deputy, and to present to the bishop fit and proper per- sons for ordination. It is his duty also to institute or induct, either personally or by deputy, each newly appointed beneficed clergyman within his archdeaconry to the temporalities of the living. It belongs also to an Archdeacon, either in person or by his official, to hold a court whereat he can deal with any proposed alterations in the fabric, furniture, or decorations of the Church, or any proposed change in. other ecclesiastical property, but from this court an appeal lies to the Diocesan Court. And, lastly, an Archdeacon is an ex-officio member of the JLxwer House of Convocation, and is thus I balled upon to take part in its deliberations. It will thus be seen that many important duties devolve upon the Archdeacon—duties that relate to the regulation of public wor- ship, the administration of Church property, and the government and the welfare of the Church itself. It will be seen that beyond his legal duties, the office of Archdeacon pre- sents great opportunities for work and use- fulness. To realise such opportunities, it only remains foi us all in our various spheres to work together in hearty co-operation for the general good of the Church. THE OFFICE AND DUTIES OF CHURCH WARDENS. The nElXt subject which I wish to address myself to is that of the office of church- wardens, together with such duties of church- wardens. as more especially came under my sotice on the occasion of my official inspec- tion of the Churches: I would observe that piobably some of the church-wardens here present have been so long in office, and have had so many oppor- tunities of acquiring the knowledge of the duties that pertain to their office, that any- thing I may have to say will not be new to them; but, presuming that many of you are new to your work, I do not think it will be altogether superfluous for me to dwell a little on this occasion of my first charge on the office, its position, and its duties. First of all, it must be noted that the church-wardens are the officers of the Bishop. They are alected by the parishioners, but are admitted to their functions in the Bishop's name, and by his representative, the Archdeacon. Through the same functionary, they report to the Bishop year by year about their du- ties, and receive their instructions. I am afraid that thia importnat fact, and all it involves, are often overlooked. "Church- wardens or questmen, sidesmen or assistants," as Canon 90 runs, "shall be yearly made in Easter week." By Canon 89 the choice must be made "by the joint consent of the minister and the parishioners, if it may be; but if they cannot agree upon such a choice, then the minister shall choose one, and the par- ishioners another." In a recent case, known as the Camp Church-warden Case, the Bishop of Salis- bury decided ,and his decision has been since confirmed in the Law Courts, that an in- cumbent, after he has exercised his right to appoint his own warden, has no right after- wards to vote for the second warden. Though churchwardens are thus elected in the Parish Vestry, they are admitted into the privïeges and duties of their office at the Court of the Archdeacon, who therein acts aimply as the Bishop's lieutenant. The cl urch-warden's superior officer is the Bibhop, tc whom alone he is ultimately subject. In connection with this question of admis- sion of a church-warden, the notion is some- time's entertained that a churchwarden once elected and admitted to his office, may be re- elected. and will thus continue in office with- out readmission until another person has been elected and admitted in his stead. In the cr-se of new parishes, I believe there is no un- certainty on this matter. There the wardens are elected strictlv for the year only, and their office terminates at the end of that per- icd. As rrgirls old parishes, it appears that there has hren no authoritative decision as to the aufst:on whether a re-elected church- warden irus* not be readmitted. As it al)- pears to he thp universal rule that church- wardens ain "Jtber elected or re-elected at the Easter V»sfrv, the presumption is that they should PISO BE Emitted .or re-admitted. ammallv in tb" < rnhdeacon's Court. Now as to the duties of church-wardens. I will remark first on those relating to the Church and Churchyard. Canon 85 orders that "the church-wardens cr questmen shall take care and provide that 1\ the Churches be well and sufficiently repaired, as best becometh the House of God"; "the like care," it is added, "shail they take that the Churchyards be well and sufficiently re- paired, fenced, and maintained with walls, rails, or pales, as have been in each place accustomed." The repairs and the care of the Church and Churohyard are therefore obviously con- f ded to the church-wardens, though it should he borne in mind that neither the freehold noi tha custody of the Church and Church- yard are vested in the church-wardens, but in the minister only. ConsideringAhe risks to which many of our Churches are exposed, I would urge the church-wardens to see that their Church wae insured in a sufficient sum against fire, and that the insurance was kept up by punc- tual payment of the premium. With respect to the things pertaining to the Church, these are all entrusted to the church- wardens, as the "Articles of Inquiry" re- mind you everything used for Divine Service is under your care, such as books, the Com- munion Table with its coverings and white iinen cloth—the Communion plate and the font of stone. These you are to look after with scrupulous care. The bells, too, and I the registers you are to answer for. Now that by the appointment of the Bishop every parish will have its terrier and inven- tory laid up in the Bishop's Registry, the ohuroh-wardens should see that copies of the same should be kept in the Parish Chest, and on their appointment they should make themselves forthwith acquainted with their contents, and see after the safe custody of the articles, therein enumerated. Especi- ally careful should the church-wardens be of the Communion Plate, which, as being often of value, is sought for by persons of criminal propensities. Nor should they under any cir- cumstances sell, or allow others to sell, or exchange any portion of the plate witho :t a faculty from the Bishop. This, It is to ^e feared, has sometimes been overlooked, and much old and valuable plate has been lost. There is just one other object of their care within the Church to which I would call the attention of the church-wardens; namely, The Font of Stone," "in which only font the minister shall baptize publicly." Canou 81. I would especially call their attention to the latter requirement of the Canon, as in several Churches which I visited, it could not be properly observed owing to the defec- tive state of the Font itself, and an ordinary vessel was used for the purpose. I think this is greatly to be deplored, a<¡ there is danger ot the great importance, and the significance of the Sacrament thereby being disregarded. I hope the church-wardens and the clergy will see that the Font is in a condition to be used for its holy purpose. Then as to the care of the Churchyard, which also devolves upon the church-wardens. Their duty in this respect is thus stated by Prideaux: "They are to see that it be kept in decent and fitting manner, that it be cleared of all rubbish, muck, thorns, briers, shrubs, and anything else that may annoy the parishioners when they come into it, or be any hindrance to them in the burying of thoir dead, when there shall be any occasion for it, that no sinks or gutters be made through it, or anything else be there per- mitted which may be unbecoming the place," and that "it be fenced, and that care be also taken that the gates, stiles, and doors leading thereto be kept in due repair, for all these are part or appurtenances belonging thereto." Owing to the fact that the freehold of the Churchyard i" vested in the minister, it is often taken for granted that the care of it lies with the mcualbent. It is clearly not so, and where the Churchyard is neglected, the fault must lie1 with the church-wardens rather than with the incumbent. There are one or two other duties of the church-wardens, relating to the Church- yards which may be dealt with at a future time, but which time will not permit me to deal with to-day. Here it will be convenient for me to refer to the results of my official visits, and to offer a few suggestions in respect to the general state of the Churches and Churchyards in the Archdeaconry. I am pleased to say that, on the whole, they were highly satisfactory. By far the most of the Churcneg in the Archdeaconry b.ve been, within comparatively recent ye'ars. well and carefully restored. The good work of restoration is still going on. Of the few that remain, some are now in hand, and be- fore long we may hope to see all restored. But it must be remembered, and this I wish especially to impress upon the' incumbents and church-wardens, that our Parish Churches, being old, demand constant care, and that timely attention may save consider- able trouble and expense. I would sugest that on their entering on a new year of office, the church-wardens should, as soon as convenient, call to their assistance the service of a good local man, &nd prepare a report of the state of the Church. Churchyard, and fences, with an estimate of the approximate cost of putting things straight. Then convene a vestry of Churchpeople, and others who may be friendly disposed, aud lay the matter before them, with the view of gaining their opinion and approval, and devising means for carry- ing the same into effect. I have noticed in several Churches tokens of decay which, if looked to in time, might easily and effectively be arrested, but which, if overlooked, may issue in serious mischief which to rectify would entail considerable expense. This leads me to dwell next upon another duty devolving upon the church-wardens, namely, that of collecting the alms, and tha levying of voluntary contributions for Church purposes. As to the alms, it appears that in strict law, they are the only moneys which are at the joint disposal of the minister z.nd church- wardens. As to all other moneys which may be collected in Church, otherwise than dur- ing the Communion Service, they are at the sole disposal of the incumbent. I venture, however, to think that in practice it would be well that all moneys collected in and out of Church, for Church purposes, should be dealt with on one and the same principle, that is, that the responsibility for them, and for their disposal, should be shared by the incumbent and church-wardens. I believe that this is nc.w generally the case, and with- out a doubt it is the right policy. Since Church rates have been practically abolished. it has been necessary otherwise to provide for such Church expenses as were previously de- frayed from that source.. I fear that in some cases some difficulty is found in providing means, in a. fair and satis- factory manner. Sometimes it is done by voluntary subscrip- tions, but desirable and effective as this plan is generally found to be, it debars the poorer members of the congregation from the priv- ilege of contributing their, share to God's treasury. The scriptural, and the best plan is no doubt by collections in the Church, and where the weekly offertory has been adopted, no better plan couH be devised. Surely it is much to beuiesired that the Apostolic Or- der issued by,St. Paul to the Churches of Galatia and Corinth should be more genef- ally observed, "upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by in store as God hath prospered him."—I. Cor. xvi.-l and 2. I think that the principle of the weekly offertory has made considerable progress of late years. Our people have got hold of the scriptural idea that we ought to honour God by offering to Him in His house for His ser- vice, of our substance, as well as by worship- ping Him in prayer and praise. The church- wardens will do well. I think, in the case of Churches where it is not yet adopted, to take the matter of the weekly offertory into consideration, as an effective plan for ensur- ing the co-operation of the very poorest and of the wojl-to-do members of the congrega- tion in supporting the Church. I come now to another branch of the du- ties of churchwardens, namely, that which involves the seating of the congregation, and the maintenance of order in Church and Churchyard during Divine Service. As to the first, it is a duty that only devolved in the office since the Reformation. Before that time no seats were provided in the Church exoept a few within jhe chancel, which were at the disposal of the incumbent. The ser- vices, though more numerous, were shorter, and sermons wer" not common. The longer services of the Poformpd Church and the provision of the POol, of Common Prayer in the vulgar tongne. for common worship, \3n- tailed the longer ^ttnndnnce of the worshin- ere, and this to thf ^trodnction of sit- tings in our Chnrrl">? The use of the pews in the body of tho Oinrch belong of corotnoi right to the panpHoners, and the control of them is iu the hands of the church-wardens. I The church-wardens must, however, bear in mind that the final disposal and arrangement of the seats belong to the ordinary, and in case of any difficulty arising in connection with any such matter it will be well for ihom to consult the Bishop. As to the duty of maintaining order during service. Canon 85 orders that "they shall see that in every meeting of the congregation peace be well kept." But in this, as well as :n other matters, the church-wardens should remember that their office is one of obser- vation and complaint, and not of control. They ought not to take the law into their own hands, but should wait for the remedy which a proper legal tribunal w;U provide. There is another important duty to be dis- charged by church-wardens whenever a bene- fice becomes vacant during their term of office. In such case, the church-wardens have to take charge of the property of the vacant benefice, and to obtain the service^ of a pro- per curate for the Church and parish. Before, however, they incur any liability, they would do well to consult the Rural Dean, and apply to the Bishop for the Sequestra- tion of the living. Another duty of the church-wardens, al- Led to this, is to publish the Bishop's notice of his purpose to admit a certain person into the living. The church-wardens are required, immediately on the receipt of the notice, to cause it to be fixed to the Church or Chipel- door, and to take such other steps, as they may think expedient, to give it publicity, end at the expiration of a period of not less than a month, they are to sign a certificate that they have complied with the order, and return the notice to the Bishop. There is but one duty more to which I wish to allude—a delicate, but still an im- portant one—which, unfortunately, some- tunes will devolve upon church-wardens to do, that is, to report to the Bishop in the event of the misconduct of the clergy. The fourth question put in the "Articles of Inquiry" to the church-wardens in respect to their clergy, may, sometimes, alas! im- pose on them the duty of giving an unfavour- able reply. It is to be hoped that when such contingency may occur they will never shrink to give an honest and unbiassed report. Our Lord's honour, and the good of His Church, demand it, and woe be to them, if on such oc- casions they fan short of their duty. Suffer me to give you the words of Chancellor Deb- din on this point in one of his charges: "There were," he said, "as there ever had been, and to the end of time always would i be, occasional cases of sad scandal and offence, in which clergymen were found to be living such lives to make their ministrations, not only valueless, but a positive injury to re- ligion and morality. The authorities at a distance were not likely to hear of those most painful disorders until after—sometimes long after—they had become notorious on the spot. The Bishop looked to them—the church- wardens—to bring to his knowledge facts which he ought to know, with a view to a due maintenance of discipline. It was his duty to explain end lay stress upon this delicate part of their work, but to prevent even a re- mote risk of being misunderstood, the Chan- cellor added, "that the office of churchwarden neither involved, nor could by any possibil- ity justify an impertinent intrusion into the privata concerns of their clergymen." I have now exhausted all that I thought it necessary to say on this occasion on the office and duties of churchwardens. I think that I have said enough to show that the office into which you my brethren of the church-wardens are about to be admitted, is by no means a sinecure, but one involving great responsi- bilities, and great possibilities of usefulness. By assisting the clergy, as your office calls upon you to do, it is within your power to do much to promote the growth and the well- being of the Church within your several par- ishes, and thereby to advance the glory of God and the good of souls. CLERGY PENSION. Turning no. to matters with which we, the Clergy, are more directly concerned, 1 have thougut the subject of Clergy Pension might well fiad a place in my charge. The need ot some system nnder which the clergy ot tueCaurchof England oould, wtien in- capacitated by old age, or tll-healtu irrespective ot age, be relieved of duties which thej fuuud themselves unable efficiently to perform, has been ion# and pamtu ly telt. Tue Ulogy themselves, I venture to any, would be tjie first to acuno-viedge taut as s<>ouasan mcumuent feels himseif unable to peforrn the dntiod ot his sacred office, tie ougui to b" in a position to resign, and make room for a mare able man to efficiently carry oat tuo duties 01 bis office and calling. ihey would also admit that they ougut, it pottcn-le, to provide themselves with the means to enable them to withdraw from active service vvhenever required so to do. But here stood the difficulty. 10 tue question of wuat meaus could be piovided. In the great majority of cases uo satisfactory answer was for a long time tort. coming, the passing of tue Incumoent'a Ke-ig- iiat on Act, m 1871, was an attempt, bu.. nvt a atisiactory Oi.e to anower the qu otion. Tms Act was passed to place before aged L.cuuibente some tsuffiu eut ilJdnJt"menl to retire, by HoLOttlug to them a possible maximum pension of the ou third part ot tbe annual value ul tue o.nenJe refMgueu but. in the ¡.;reat majority u1 cases iiie lucoLut-s of tile benefices would not admit even ot 80 small an allocatiun Without ren luring tbe rem ..umg income of two-tmrda Value ot thtl oencfL*: tar too small for the support ot the new lacnmbem., while the third part allowed the retiring Incumbent, would in tue absence of any piivate means be too little to maintain hlUl in comtwrt. It was not there!ore a matter of surprise that so few of tne clergy availrd themselves of the provisiou ot tnis Act. So tar then as tue Incumbents Resignation Act affected tue question, it prac lOaJly remained unsolvei. 1 he promoters ot the Clergy Pension lustitution saw that the omy answer to the question was to provide for ihe clergy adequate retiring pensions. For the provision 01 such pensions the Clergy Pensions institutions was founded. It is so constitutes, iu my opinion, tuat if it only receives the hearty and general support of both clergy and laity it will go far to fully answer the purpose of its founda- tion. Thf primary object of the institution is to provide pensions torulergymon when incapacitated uy age or iLfi. mity from la.iilliug their duties. Provision is also made to help tne oiergy in other ways, and also to help the widows and o<p:.ana ot the clergy, but it is to its primary o'ject u.at I desire to c-.ll the aLtennon ot tue ciergj and churchwardens. Tne tUuds fur this object, be it observed, are raised by the combined efforts of clergy and laity. ine clergy are required to assure in the institutiou tor a minimum annuity of fifteen guineas payable at tie age ot 65. The prem um payable lor this annuity is tne same as that which the assurer would have tu pay for a government annuity of the same amount- Ihe piemium payable by tue b-mficiary member may be annual, or be paid iu fiv., ten or fiffc en yearly payments, and these paym nts are returnable with compound interest thereon at the rate of 2\ per ceut. per annum, either at deatnoron appt-eation at auy time bitore the beneficiary ,h04t1 entered upan an annuity in lieu t itroot. Every beneficiary member may oiaim the annuity lor wnich ue has assured on att-in- .ng the age ot 65. There is a table, ..f course;, p.. pared, whicb shows the required contributions by Oenefi lary members. t uece w il vary according .0 uge, from 24 to 65. Ihe earlier the assurance is effected tue greater, of course, will be tue advantage to the assured. Fur luetauce, a clergy uiaii who, "ben h" assumes, wid un hi, ntxt uirt.id*) be 24, will only ptty i"o gu.nea->, while a oie gyman who on his uext u.rthd iy will be 40, will eay a little over four as l.i8 an. ual payment, 0.. other proportionate perio -ieat payment fixed in the said taole. The un,.u ty of filt en guineas wi»l not repre emt the toil benefit which wil, accrue to the insured. 1 he institution also i eludes an augmentation fund, rai ed by v. inniary co .t.iuu ions ftorn Chuichuien gen r- ally,audaUo by COlltubutlons from the surplus profits of tie Ecclesiasticai Insnr.u«e Otfi e. ihe -at repo t slates that tills land now amounts to £95,771 18s. Oi., siiowiug au increase uf J&16.7H9 • vtrr tne amount iu the pr.-vidia ye.r. Fr^m tms fund the institution has b e a le, in the .ft tw.» year-), to grant to tire as-u ed a pension ot JE50, inclusive ot the arnouu. of the mi. luium annuity purchased by the benefi-ii.y. Pu.tner a ditioua to the augment .tiou mud w. uid enable he institution to furt. r in2reas^ the amount 01 its pension, and eventually to make it ..u«.quate totally answer it. u, pos. ID taear tSLlj L. be boped that Chu>chinen geu.-r- ally wl.1 ÚO tui-, and continue to support the tund, and now that the Convocation ot C.n e bur) h.8 virtually recoguixed the ns i ULIU" as tne O u ch <>r«i..nization fo. p ovi ing pen i tor tHe o.e gy tuat the cuurch itselt, tu ou^h ,t¡,J clergy and laity, will IJOt suffer it tJ languish tniough want ul support. Tuer in ju-t une oLher poi .t to whicu I would oail tne aiie tion of the younger olerg, in .re pa, leu ai ly. and i.inti-tiiatt.1 become e t.t.e ito tutlbeut-tittrum tue central lUlld, it is .if*c &8t y t.. J",1.. the lnst.iuiion within 3 year- 01 to ir ..r i" a- tK>n a- .1 uco..s, A clergy m n wno ..nlj ecomes a b< elicia. y it te, tlJo" turee,) e.t < .\ou o iy be tWlld u tu t.ie 1-40to part 01 the lui. o^uetit in respect ot eauu complete or incomplete pe iod of 12 months between the date of his admission and the date of his attaining the age of 65. It is to be hoped that. the advantage thus held out to them will induce the reoently-orda.inc,i among thpm t.. join as soon as possib'e, and that the rest will n It be deterred from j tiring by tne 'bought that they would not receive the full ben. fit. nor by the fear that they might want help before they havo attained the aile of 65, or that they may never live to that age; for all their contributions, with 2i per cent. per annum com- pound interest added, will he paid up at auy tim* 10 the insured on application, or to their repre- sentatives at death. I began with saying that in this matter the clergy themselves are more directly concerned. It is so, but indir. ctly the laity of the Church, too. are concerned, for the suocass of the institution depends in a great measure on thnir sympathy and co-operation. Itistothemtheinstituion looks to i-upport its augmentation fund, from wt\i.;ti chiefly the pensions are drawn. It has occurre-1 to me that there is just one way in which the churchwardens o,mld help the Clergv Pen-ions Institution and their cl«rery at the same time, and that is by setting on foot, in the way of Easter offerings, a fnni to as-ist the clergy to pay the necessary premiums so as to make them some provision for the dark days that may over- take them. I was pleased to read in thn report for 1899— the last issued—that the total surplus profits allocated by the Ecclesiastical Insurance Office to this diocese in that year was .£211 12s. 9J., and that of this sum .£66 14s. was allotted to clergy pensions. I was also glad to h"ar from Mr. Duncan, the secretary, that there are at present nineteen beneficiary members of the institution in the Archdeaconry of Carmarthen. I sincerely hope the number will go on increas- ing. For further information and guidance I would refer you to the Hon. Sec. for the Diocese, the Rev. Charles Morgan, Khoscrowther Rectory, Pembroke. Closely allied to the Clergy Pensions Institution in principle and object would be an Archi- diaconal Organic ition, such as already exists in the three other Archdeaonri-s for the relief of the widows and orphan-l of clergy. Tne subject has been already brought by -ome of the Rural Ð"ans before their chapters, and it is one which will not fail to commend itself to the Clergy and Laity of the Archdeaconry. I trust that with their help and co-operation we shall soon see such a society establishe I un ier the name of the Clergy, Widows and Orphans Society ,of the Archdeaconry of Carmarthen THE BURIAL ACT OF 1900. As a new Burial Act has so recently been passed by th, Legislature, it seemed to me desir- able that on this occasion I should explain to you some of the changes that h-tve been effeoted more or less within recent years in the Burial Laws. The usu,.1 place of tne burial ot tile dead in early times was the cnurch "r cnurchyard. At first, indeed, the practice obtained of burying witnin the churches, but this was restrained by authority when churchyards became frequent and appropriated to that use. Then the increase iu the population, and conse- quently in the number of burials, coupled with < he improved knowledge of sanitation, led to the passing of the Act of 1852 l'his provided for the closing and discontinuance of certain burial gionud8 in the Metropolis, saving oertain righ s. Burial Boards were constituted to carry out its provisions, and were authorize I to p.ovide ceme- ter.es, part of wnich should be consecrated with a chapel for the use of the members of the Church of England, tnd part unc jnseerated for the use of None nformists, for whom also a o apel was to be p ovided, pxoept where the Secretary of State deemed it unnecessary. This enactment was in the following year extended to other cities and towns, and in 1867 facilities were granted for enlarging church- yards. By the Burial Laws Amendment Act ef 1880 funerals are admitted iu all churchyards and oonsecrated portions of cemeteries without the service of the Chn ch of England, or the ministration of the clergy. Notices of such funerals are requ red to be sent i.1 writing to the Incumbeut of the Parish 48 nours befo.e tue time propose 1 for such funerals. In early times all fees tor burial were forbidden as simouiacal; but. by degrees free will offerings came to be made, and eventually custom intro- duced a regular fee, wh.oh would be enforced by law, but it should be remembered that payment for the right of ourial was wholly dis<iuct from pay- ment for tne erection uf a grave stone monumental inscription, tablet, or the exclusive right ot burial. jjy tne Local Government Act of 1894 the duty uf churchwardens to maintain closed churchy ard* in decent order, and uo n cessary repairs to the walls or other feuceS is tran-ferred tu the> P«ri~b Council, and an exclusive power is given to the pmsh meeting of adopting the Burial Acts of 1852 to 1858, except such parts as are repealed, and when adopted, tue Parish Council, where there is one, becemes the Burial Board, otherwise any three to nine ratepayers of wuom the In- oumbent may be one, may be appointed to form a Burial Board. Thus the Parish Council is a bnrial authority within the definition of a buiial authority given by the Burial Ac ot 1900. The functions of all burial authorities, such as come within the meaning of the Act, will in tuture be under t .e supervision of the Local Government Board wnile tile Secretary of State will be the cen ral authority in otuer nutters whieh I shall pres ntly mntion. By the Burial Act IIf 1900, which came into operation on the fi st day ot tuts year, and which is to be coustrued with the Burial Aots, 1852 to 1885, the Secretary of State may apply to the Bbhop, if the buriil hutbority du nut apply, to cons, crate an approved portion of any ourial ground provided by a burial authority. It meinbei s of tue Church of E. gland erect, lurnMh, and maintain a consec. ated chapel of their owu, it must be at their own cost, since the burial authority is no longer uuder any other obiigatio to build a chapel withiu the consecrated pirt of a burial ground. But the burial authority may at their own cost erect any chapel considered necessary on that portion of tueir burial ground which is not consecrated, but sucu ehap-1 shall not be consecrated or reserved for the exclusive use of any denomination. Many important changes are made with respect to lees receivable by incumbents and others, or by the burial authorities un their Debalf. Burial authorities are now required to submit to the Secretary of atate to be approved or modi- fied a table of fees to be received by them in re-pect to services rendered by any minister of religion or sexton, and all fees for barials in the consecrated or nuconsecrated part of the burial ground are to be of tue same amount. l'he tabulated fees are to be collected by the burial authority, and paid over by them to tne minister or sexton as may be agreed upon, or as the Secretary of State shall direct, only" services rendered are now to be paid for to clerks or other ecclesiastical offioers, but they may apply forequitable compensation for any pecuniary loss they may have sustained. Incumbents, churchwardens, trustees, and others, will no longer ■eoeive the customary lees in respect of monu- ments or any other maiter arising in a burial ground maintained by a burial autboiity except for services rendered, but such fees as were PiiY" able on the 10th of July, 1900, in respect of monuments, or any other matter arising in a parochial burial ground in use before that date will continue to be paid during the incumbency of the then mcnlle t, or for fifteen years from that date, whichever is the longer period, and to eburohwardens, trustees and others not claiming through the incumbent they will continue to be paid for 15 years. 111 sonoiuaieu, it may he obse ved that the 48 hours notice of intention to bury according to the Burial Amendment A- t of 1880 is no lo iger r. quired, but notice to bnry iu a burial ground, maintained by a burial autnority shall be given at such time, and to sue u per-on as the said Authority may direct. This enactment does hot in my optniou apply to our o turofiyarda. In such cases the 48 ours notice of intention to bury, to inoumbenti and others is not dispensed with. There are some other provisions of this Act upon which it is not necessary for my preseut purpose to enter, my obj ot has b en tj set dearly before you the most recent changes in the law of burial as affecting tue cle gy. THE DILAPIDATION ACT. The Ecclesiastical Dilapi ta ion Act of 1871 has bees reoently mn '8 uuder discussion, and notably in the Lower House of the Convoc ition of Canterbury at its last session, and we have been invited to express an opinion upon a Bill drawn up with the view of getti .g legislative sanction for a cnange in the la-v as it now stands. It seems to me to be highly desirable, in the circumstances, that we should nave clear notions of what the exi-ting law is on this oifficult subject if we would form a sound judgment as to t ie expediency or ot .erwise of making any serious alteration in it by way^of amendment. Some of us may remember the law as it stood prior to th- pa-sin^ of the present Act. ■ Without ente. illg into its privisions, it will suf- I fice now to say that un er it tr.e mode preso ibed for ascertaining tb. liability of the incumbe .t was very complicnted, n I the course of enforc- ing its requirements doubtful and dilatory. I The Act of 1811 eff uted a complete change it the mooe of procedure, w oIC it is generally ad- mitted is an improv. meht up n tb«t of tne o d law. It introduced a compare ively smple method for ascertaining th* amount ot eecteaia-- tical dilapidations, and tiP. estimated value of tne requisite repairs, for it provided lor the ap- pointment of diocesan urveyors of ecclesiastical dilapidations for each diocese by tile bishop, the a chdeacons, and the ru H. dems assembled for t is purpose. The du y ot the surveyor is to in- spect the buildi gs ot any beuefi e wile" so directed by the i",h"J" "n I to report to thi 11 shop what sum, if uny, will be requited to makt: g .01J the dilapidations. The Act directs that this must be done .within three calendar months after the avoidance of any ben fioe, unless the lite Incumbent held an unex- pired exempting certificate. Provision is also mil. Ie for inspection at other times than on tbe avoidance of a beuefi Ie, but it is to be feared this inspection is seldom made. On the written o implaiut of the Archdeacon, or of the Rural Dean, or of the Patron of the benefice, or at the request of tne Incumbent, the Bishop may direct the Surveyor to inspect the buildings of a ben-^ee, and to report thereon as in other .)1 cases. If objection be made to the Surveyor's report, the Bishop is autborisa < to investigate and determine all disputed matters connected therewith, and to give hs d'ci.-i >n in writing, and in all ca-es to make a final order stating the repairs required, and their cost The sum named for repairs in th" order becomes a debt due from the la-t,e Incumbent or his representatives to the new Incumoent, and as su.'h is recoverable at law and iu equity. The new Incumbent must pay the amount re- t-overed to the Governors of the Bounty of Queen Anne, together with such sums as, if required, will make good the full amount state 1 in the Order as the oo-t of repairs. On the repairs hei g satisfact >rily completed, the Surveyor's certificate to tnat effect., being duly delivered to the proper parties, and filed in the Reei try, pro- te ts the Incumbent from further liability for the sptce of five years, except as to loss or damage by fire. Against this, the Incumbent is required to insure toe house of residence and any other buildings of bis benefice in at least three- fifths of the value thereof. The Act also makes provision to enable the In-umbent, with the cou-ent of the B shop and Pat on, to borrow, on the security of the benefice, the whole or any part of the sum stated in the final order as the cost of repairs, and also an approved amount in re-pect of costs and expenses. This provision iol, however, often rendeied ineffec- tive by the fact that the possessions of tie benefi ;es do not offer any a I' qua e se ;urity for the money borrowed; hut by Royal Miniate, dated 20th February, lb96, the Governors of the Bounty were authorised to make grants to meet benefactions of equal or greater amount towards irrecoverable dilapidation money in oases of poor benefi ;es fitly qu tlified to be augmented under their rules, and where in their discretion tuey d eraed it expedient to lend money opon the security of the possessions of the benefice. The surveyor and otner officials under the Act of 1871, it is to be observed, are paid oct by way of salary but according to a soale of charges settled in compliance with the provisions of the Act. This soale of charges will be fouud set out in full detail in our Diocesan Directory. The Bishop, accordi ig to the existing law is the central autnority, and every case is dealt wita on its own merits -every INCUMBENT BEING AN INDEPENDENT CORPOfctA I ION. The proposed ame idtng Act would substitute for the Bishop a Bo trd of Dilapidations consis- ting of the Archde icons, twelve buieficed clergy- men and two laymen for each Archdeaoonry, to be elected by Lhe beneficed clergy in the diocese. It is open to question, I think, whether this change would be expedient or advantageous. It is the Bi-h p WIJO is n »w invested with the chief authority, as formerly was the juige in the supe- rior courts. I am disposed to believe tbtt so far no fault has b en foun i with t lis arrangement, and is very much open to doubt whetner the dis- tribution of the responsibilities of one person a uong many woull offe as goo i a guarantee for their efficient and faithful disc large. As t., the surveyor or surveyors under the pro- p ise I Act the d mbt arises whetuer the payment by salary will secure advantage on the soore of ability or expense for any person offering himself for the office would take into ac :ount tho average trouble an l recompense in connexion with the discharge of his duties. The surveyor is no v pai i according to a fixed scale ef charges, but the substitution for this of an annual salary, tnough probably intended to cartail expenditure, m iy not improbably lead to its enlargem nt. Tne fund for the purpose of the Board will be raisei by an annual contribution by each incum- bent of twenty per cent.—called the common per- centage-on the rateable value of the buildings of the benefice. In exceptional ca«es an annual payment will be fixed xuch as will be deemed sufficient by the Board for repairs. Etch incumbent's contribu- tions will be placed to the credit of his own delapidation account. Therd wdl be no survey in the first five years after the commencement of the proposed Act, except in case of vacancy, and n It then if the previ .os incumbent held an unexpired exempting certifi :ate. III tbo-e years the common per- cent tge would be paid yearly to form a reserve fund for the purp -sea of the Board. After the fi st five years, inspection shall be so divi led t at the buildings of each benefice shall be repaired regula- ly at intervals of five years It will devolve upon the surveyor to report on, and to 8 eci'y Ihe necessary repairs required in each benefi e 'nspwtkd, givine an estimate of the cost "f exeou ing t m Such r pairs will have to be oar ied our, within ix months after the approval of the Surveyor's epo-t to the Board. The eo t of It such repairs will then be charged, so far as possible, to the delapi«'ation aoao >nt" of tha benefice. If this should be insufficient to meet tbe cost of repaif. tbe deficiency shall he a charge against theincumbent, or hi-i executors, and be recoverable at. law or in equi y. t'nis appears to be baseiJ on the supposition that the amou It re II zed by the 20 per cent. of the rtt-ahln value p tya de for five YA Irs, would be sufficient to cover the cost of repairs, and that the deficiency still remaining must be due to the neglect of the incumbent, on whom it is i-htrg d. gar it i by no means certain that the com aon pre "ntage would in all cases prove sufficie it to cover the cost of reprirs, and con- sequently the defic'ency may not be due to the aeICJeo. of the inouinbent. At the end of the sec nd quinquennial period, and after all sub^que t surveys the Board may advance mo e to "1\1 such deficiency, and the sum a I vall ed will be paid by the incumbent in five yeu-B by a nroportionate increase in his common percentage paid yearly. Such are tile chief pointH in the proposed Am nding Bill, to which our attention has been called. The subject is one of great importance to the parochial olerey, and the scheme put forward to altr ihq ex sting law needs the most careful oonsi eration. Tne substitution of a Board of Dilapidations fo- the authority of the Biøbop-tbe payment of the Surveyor bv salary instead of by a soale of obargttiJ-the creation of a dilapidation account for each individual benefice-the provision of what will practically be a quinquennial survey, and the more or less immediate responsibility of every incumbent—are points which demand the oloeest atten ion. anl which I tnink ought to be carefully weighed before a conclusion is come to, as to whether the alterations proposed are desirable or otherwise. CHURCH WORK. Before I conclude, I must refer briefly to the recent prbgress of the Church in oertain depart- ments of work within the Archdeaconry. The Lord Bishop of the Diocese, in his charsre last autumn, dealt very fully and exhaustively with the question of church progress within the Dio ONe. and shewed very strikingly how, during >a~t century, is bal been continuous and pro- nounced, from the time when, in 1804, Bisbnp Burgess found he could only describe the Diocese as being then in a state of declension and dilapidation" until the time whpn Bishop Jones was able to p >int oot oertain phenomena which indicated 'he commencement, or a more prosper- ous condition of the Church in the Diocese. The e anticipation of Bishop Jones, as our Bishop "bserres, were mnr- thin realised, so that it might be said with Confidence that "the progress of the Dioteae during Bishop Jones' Episcopate was far greater than the progress made during any period of equal length since the Reforma- tion. This progress, we are thankful to say, has been well maintained during tbe four years t at have elapsed sinoe t'le appointment of our present Bis iop, in every department of Church work, und in this progress the Arohdeaconry of C .rmvrthen his well borne its part. I have e p«cially to menti 'n the remarkable snncess of the Diocesan Fund for the augment tion of poor benefices, and the revived interest evinced in it within the last few years. This, I ne<»d har ilv say. is due in a great measure to the Zealand the en-rgy with which our Biahop has in season and ut f season paced and kept before Chnr h people the mportance of making a better provision *.or the poorly endo \ed benefices of the Diocese. The result of his Lordship's first appeal in 1898 waa th It the contribution trrew t"at year to £4271 the next year thAv re Jised £3.616 in suite yf the war appeals whi -h were so well re ponded to, while last ye ir they mounted again t" JE3755. Th ■ B ar I, after allotting its uscul contribution to I he Q i -en Victoria Punl. whic' helps so generously our income grant branch of the funri. wa 1 hus enabled to make capital grants of £2,350 in 1898, »n £3,900 in 1899-those of 1900 will n t be aliotte I u ,t11 the autumn. Since its first, fonn lation th fund has been the means of so U' ing sub-tan ial augumenta ions to some 32 b nefioes within this Archdeaconry nlone. It is tr11e t-iat in some eases muc I diffimlty is met with 'n findine the initiil local hundred, and owing to this, some grants have 1 psed. It in, however, earnestly to be heped thar wbpre in- cumi e its have so far fa.ilt.d tool.ta.m the f.i)I toed cn/ltdbut: n. and where otherB hav.. not hi. hrto made an attempt to do so. the sat hfa tory condi- tion of the Dioce-an Fund wil indue- them to try airain, and persevere so as to secure to 'heir benefices si me of the pernr-itient HUffinentat on they -o much need. For such an o'>j-ct the in- cumben mig t wplllook to their churchwardens and 8 desmcn for their hearty c'-operation. Aaai in the department of church bnilding some progress has been made reoently io tbe archdeaconry. In connexion with this work I I t biokitwould be wen if the clergy and church- wardens wonld before thev take even the pre- liminary steps to build a new church or vicarage, or to restore a church, first consult the bishop or archdeacon. Church building has been practically com- pleted m the diocese, as the bishop says in his charge, still some few churches remain to he re- st Ired, and some additional churches and mission churches are required within our archdeaconry. S .methmg has been done in this direction with- in the last two In October, 1892. the new Church of All Saints, Gwvnfe, was conse- crated Abernint Church restored. Llangathea Church partially so, and a new vestry was added to Pennard Chureh in the same year. In 1900 the tower of Handing it Chn-eh was restored at considerable co-t; the chapel of Y stra Hfin-that i'lS TtT i.'n rl oWas r98torfid hy the liber- ahty of the Earl of Cawdor; the chu-ch of Llan- inn rf?Penel a judicious restora- tion; s>t. Mark s and Holy Trinity, Swansea, were greatly improved; and the chancel of S!i!i wr ufas heautifi>d bv the liberality Pnriah pv. i c', X and stately new nletod hr+J Svansea. was oom- k of its noble tower. This frn A k? ^1 003 and now free faifii ,a monument to the faith and energy of the Vicar of Swansea, the Rev. Chancellor Smith. The peopie of Swansea are to be congratulated on havmg "uch a chnrch to worship in-aohnrch, Wp fittei1 to the Cathedral Chnrch of a possiWe future diocese. Last'y, within tbe last w days the ancient church of Llanrhidian, in Gower, was opened after perfe -t restoration. In addition to this record of church building, I have also to ment'on the buildine of laree and commodions Parish Rooms at Gorslas, Amman- ford and Dalen. .Where schoolroms are not suitable or available, tbe clergy would do well, I think, to turn their attention to the provision of su<-h buildings— especially m centres of population They would not tail t,) be very helpful for the church 'to carry on its social work am one the peonle. In Elemenrary Education. the church continues to hold her own in the archdeaconry. At the present time in several of onr parishes successful efforts are beinar mqde to satisfy at considerable cost, the requirements of the Board of Jii lucation for additional accommodation— I am sure we all shared in that feeling of thanh- fulness with which the Bishop stated in his charge that dnrine the last three vears no Church School had been closed in tbe d:oc°se, as well as in the earnest hope expres-ed th,.t none will be closed in the next three yars. I am confident that the clergy of this Archdeaconry will do all in their power, for all the bnrden and care which the support of their schools his for years thrown upon some of them, to carry them on in their parishes. We are probably on the eve of crreat changes in connectio with our Elementarv Schools. Let us h ope that whatever changes mlty pventnally be in. troduced, provision will be made te secure for our church, a continuance of the privilege so Ion? enjoyed by her to the inestimable benefit of the nation, of imparting in accordance with her own ^ards, a sound religious education to the children committed to her charee. In this brief and somewhat cu sorv survey, of some of the Church work done in the Arch- deaconry within the last fpw years I have only regarded it in its m»t°rial aspect. "The Church," a* the Bishop defines it in his charge, is a spiritual society." Roal progress must therefore be spiritual progress. This, b-ethren, ought then to be our first object and care in all we do. For this we must continue to labour a"d to pray. but it will be well for us always to remember thtt sniritual proeress can be but ve-y inadequately melsured by statistics. It will he safer «nd better for us to look for it in the religious life of the people among whom we live. Muoh has been done, brethren, for which we onarht to be deeply thankful, but much still remains to be done. There is muoh in tbe history of the past century to stimulate the Church i" its clergy and peoplo to fnrther efforts with the dawn of a new century. revival which has taken place in our dear old Church of Wales, more particularly within « prolonged reien of our late beloved Qneor of blessed memory—may well strengthen our confidence, and our hope, that, under the reien of onr present gracious Sovereign King Edward the VIT. the Church will ontinue to enjoy the Divine favour and protection in which alone lies her safety and her power for good. In the history of the past, and in the events of the present. God's nail to the Church of to-dav is the same a" that given through Moses to Israel of old Sneak unto the children of Israel that they gofo-ward." "Forward" mugt alwavs be the Chnrch s mo'to. "Forward in the strength of God—and as for ourselves, brethren, let us not be weary in well doinsr, for in due season we shall reap we faint not."

Comspnkittt. I Allletters to the Editor must be authenticated with the ttamt and address of the writer, notnecesiarily for publica- tion, but as a juarantee of c/ood faith. We cannot insert letters which have appeared elsewhere nor etc we undertake toreturn rejected manuscripts. THE DRINK QUESTION. TO THE EDITOR OF "THE CAMBRIAN." —I was much interested to read the let- ter on this subject in your last issue, and I oordially agree that it is worse than useless for the clergy to deal with practical social evils by vague generalisations. It is certainly the earliest dietic law laid down in the Bible that the human race should vegetate, and though "permissions" were la- ter given to eat flesh food, yet this was made of a very limited character, and many of the animals eaten to-day were expressly forbidden as unclean. The Jews may well declare that the evils that are falling on the land are owing to a disregard of the Divine fofrbidding to eat swine's nesh, while the Christian cannot but admit that the latest Apostolic decree on the subject was to enjoin abstinence from "blood," whereas, in practice, he neither fol- Iowa the Divine instructions of the Genesis, nor the Mosaic law of the theocratic dis- pensations, nor the Apostolic injunction of the Christian Church. The modern Christian jnst eats and drinks what he likes, and wonders vvhy Buddhist, Jew, Mahommedan, and Confucian are so foolish as to go on trying to consider that in I "eating." as in "drinking," there are things of abstinence—"for the glory of God." For those who have not studied the moral problems involved in flesh eating, I would advise sending a stamped wrapper (for free literature and catalogue of cookery and other books for practical guidance) to the order of the "Golden Age," Barcombe, Paignton, South Devon.—Yours, etc., JOSIAH OLDEC.IELD, M.A., Oxon. Loughton, Essex.