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LOSS TO THE CHURCH.. By One Who Knew Him. THE death of Thomas, second Earl 5Brassey, which took place on Novem- ber 12 as the result of an accident in ictoria-street, has removed from hurchadministration one of the most active and vigorous-minded men of this generation. For some years past, in the midst of many other activities, he had ;devoted his energies, which were quite Uncommon, and his capacity for hand- ling large questions of administration, Nvhich was extraordinary, to questions of Church finance. These he regarded as lying, at the root of nearly all the ques- tions of reform of our generation, and he was prodigal, both of time and of money, in his endeavour to supplement the work of those who were pressing for the reform of abuses in other directions. Appointed by the Archbishops to be a member of their Committee on Church Finance in 1910, he is reported by his rellew commissioners to have been full of practical suggestions. He became the first chairman of the Chichester Dio- [eesan Board of Finance, set up in immediate response to the recommenda- "tiolis of the report of that commit- tee. He threw himself into the new scheme with the greatest possible energy. and the result of his efforts was seen in the fact that the income of the diocese .was more than doubled, and that the Chichester Board was one of the few .which was able to issue, from year to year, a budget to which the diocese re- Bponded by giving a greater sum than they were asked for. Stipends of the Clsrgy. He was greatly interested in the raising of the stipends of the clergy, and ?' in him they have lost a very good friend. Long before the finance scheme was thought of he took the lead in a scheme for raising all benefices in his rural 'deanery to E200 per annum, and had recently taken much interest in the attempt in various parts of the country to raise the stipends of incumbents to £ 400 per annum, and of assistant clergy to at least L200. He was insistent that this might be accomplished to a certain extent by the amalgamation of small country parishes, but that, in addition, Dne of the most pressing needs of our day was to instruct all members of the Church on the responsibilities attaching to their membership. He took a keen interest in the Service Candidates Move- ment, and could understand the forces which gave rise to it, having himself i Uteri an active part in the South African War and in the training of the AVest Kent Yeomanry during the first two years of the recent campaigns. In the re-establishment of the Chichester Theological College he was prominent, realising the necessity for the greatest possible improvement in the technical training of all candidates for Holy Orders. The practical bent of his mind showed itself recently in a rough draft after dinner one evening of a method by .which half a dozen clergy, fitted with motor bicycles, might work an area in East Sussex to the saving of man power and the provision of an adequate stipend for all of them. Varied Activities. His activities in non-ecclesiastical matters were very varied. He was the head of a large business in Sardinia, where thousands of workmen were em- ployed, and from 1900 he was the editor of the Naval Annual, to which he him- self contributed important articles. He .was confident that a solution of many of our political difficulties would be found in a well-ordered and well-considered scheme of Federal Devolution, and the contentions upon which he based his opinion are to be found in his book 44 Problems of Empire." His interest in education and the work which he did for his college and university are well known, and he was elected an Honorary Fellow of Balliol. In his dealings with industry he followed the traditions of Ms house, and his relations with his .workpeople were always of a friendly character. In his methods he was far in advance of his age, and had proved that many of the arrangements which are the subject of contention in England are perfectly practical in working. He was iwalking from his office in Victoria-street to the House of Lords when he was knocked down by a passing taxicab and seriously injured. A few minutes before Shis death on November 12 he received Holy Communion, and passed peacefully away. He was buried in Catsfield Churchyard on the 22nd Sunday after [Trinity in the presence of his tenantry and large numbers of his friends.

AN ABLE ADDRESS, THE BISHOP of DURHAM not long since gave an address at a meeting of the Ton- don Clerical and Lay Union, The address ihas now been published. Its title is, The Power of the Presence and Its Relation to the Holy Communion." As was to be ex- pected, the Bishop's handling of the sub- Sect is at once spiritual and masterly. His address ought to be in the hands of all iwho desire to obtain knowledge upon this difficult subject, which Dr. Qule treats of so ably; Copies may be obtained from the Church Book, Room, 82, Victoria-street, JSLW.1 (2d. each, 10s. per 100 copies).

PREMIUM BONDS, --+-- ARCHBISHOPS. LEAD. THE ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY has written the folowing letter to the Chan- cellor of the Exchequer:- Old Palace, Canterbury. November 15, 1919. DEAR MR. CHAMBERLAIN,—I feel it to be my duty to write to you with refer- ence to the proposal which is now being ventilated for the isSue by the Gover- ment of Premium Bonds. I was closely concerned in the discus- sions which took place on that subject two years ago, when the Select Commit- tee of the House of Commons was ap- pointed, and evidence was taken from representative men of many different professions and groups. I am now re- ceiving a large number of communica- tion.s, verbal and written, from men of all sorts, .and I am struck by the marked difference which these two years have brought about in the attitude of thought- ful people so far as I am able to test it. Certainly, as regards those who speak specially from what is called the re- ligious standpoint, opinion adverse tot the issue of Premium Bonds is firmer and more deliberate than it was in 1917. This is, I think, due primarily to the fuller consideration which has been given to what was to most of us a novel sub- ject, and partly to the impression cre- af-ed by the evidence which was laid be- fore the Parliamentary Committee by such representative men as Lord Lever— hulme, Mr. Lionel Hichens. Sir Robert Kindersley, Mr. McKenna, Mr. Bower- man, Mr. May and others who, in dif- ferent ways" were able to contribute definite information and to base their warnings upon experience gained in various fields. So intense is now the feel- ing which many wise thinkers and ob- servers entertain upon the subject that I should regard a decision of the House of Commons in favour of Premium Bonds as a veritable misfortune. I was myself opposed two years ago to the issue of such Bonds, but I had not then before me the ample material which is now in, our hands. The consideration of it has greatly strengthened the opinion I then held. Admittedly Illegal. I do not wish to take a prejudiced view of what is undoubtedly a difficult subject. The whole question of the ethics of gambling is a complex one, and I shrink from describing the action of those who might thus invest money as being ethically wrong. I do not attempt to draw a clear line of distinction be- tween grades of speculative investment, but some things seem to me plain;. It is not difficult to note and describe the danger attaching to a deliberate Parlia- mentary enactment reversing previous policy by legalising on an immense scale what is in its essence a lottery system which has for a hundred years been admittedly illegal. (The Art Union Lotteries Act, 1846, is a practically negligible exception.) Everyone who is now working for the social welfare of young men and women, every minister of religion who is grap- pling with the problems and temptations of English life to-day, admits the mis- chievous influence of the gambling spirit among the thoughtless of both sexes. An Act of Parliament legalising this form of speculation must tend harmfully in the direction we wish to avoid. J earnestly hope that nothing of the kind may be done.. I. Ethical Aspects. I purposely avoid the technical ques- tion whether or not the proposed new law will financially produce the satisfac- tory results anticipated by some of the promoters of the scheme. I am not quali- fied to judge of that. But I claim some qualification to judge such questions in their larger ethical aspect, and the opinion to which I am unhesitatingly led is, I know, shared by others whose experience* corresponds to my own. I am authorised by the Archbishop of York to say that he is in full agreement with me on the subject. And I know the same opinion-to be entertained by the Bishops of London, Winchester, Manchester and Worcester, and by many others well qualified to form a balanced judgment based upon wide observation and experf- enca. The leaders of the Free Churches in this country have, I l'ej oice to see, given clear and useful expression to what they feel about it. Were Ecclesiastical Assemblies in session we could without difficulty obtain a public expression of opinion. As that is impracticable at the present moment, and the matter is, I presume, urgent, I venture to send you this letter in the assurance that I am expressing the views of an overwhelming majority, not of ecclesiastics only, but- of others, both men and women, whose time is largely spent in endeavours to streng- then in our national and social life the things that are strong and healthy. We want to promote a sound public spirit, and to base our thrift at an hour of national difficulty upon principles which we can unhesitatingly defend.-I am, yours very truly, (Signed) RANDALL CANTUAR.

THE East Wight (Iale of Wight) Ruri- Jteaanal Gonfezence has. passed a (resolution urging the Biahop. of Winooester to take the necessary steps Kir the speedy relief of the impoTCirisluMi ctergy of his diocese, and;3, rideir was added to the effect that, in t'he alternative, an early meeting of the Rural Deanery should be called to arrange for >a local fund to meet the immediate needs of its pa.r.ù3heae