Y Llan

GLEANINGS f ROM THE DIOCESES. SHEFFIELD. THE Diocesan Babies' Home owes its inception to the Bishop and Mrs. Barrows, who have given it a large share of their work and enthusiasm. Next to them the Home owes a great debt to Colonel Walker, who, as hon, treasurer, came to the rescue on the difficult prob- lem of finance, and has himself shown unstinted generosity. The venture began in a comparatively small house in F-avell-road, where, under severe restric- tions of space, and without even a patch of garden, the Matron (Miss Leaf) heroically put things into shape, and it would be a long story to narrate the various trials-, she surmounted with the ungrudging help of Dr. Robertson. At length, however, through Colonel .Walker, conditions have been vastly im- proved by the securing of "Holtwood," in Abbeyfield-road, and this was dedi- cated to the work by the Bishop on Saturday last, and declared open by Mrs. Hutchinson. The Home. is a prac- tical exposition of the Gospel attitude towards those who, though they have sinned, are yet welcomed and helped in their penitence, whilst the innocent vic- tims of the sin of others are cared for lovingly and tenderly in the name of the Friend of little children, who still says Suffer them to come." No work could be more directly in accord with the re- vealed mind of Christ. League of Nations. The local branch of the League of Nations Union invited 200 representa- tives 6f trades unions and other bodies to a meeting at the University on Satur- day afternoon. The response was a little disappointing. About 70 dele- gates attended and sat shyly on the back seats as far as possible from the plat- form. But both the Archdeacon of Sheffield end Mr. Arthur Neal, M.P., infused warmth into the proceedings, and managed to bridge the gap of .the L empty seats by the enthusiasm and con- s fidence which they imparted to their speeches. The discussion was perha.ps a little timid. Labour representatives are neoolessly suspicious oi any endeavour to enlist their support in any cause -whichrloes not spring from their own initiative. It is fully time, however, that they should realise the vital im- portance of the League of Nations in any eclftme for the'betterment of humanity, Railwaymen at Church. A more cordial spirit was manifested on Sunday afternoon, when, in spite of a bitterly cold and wet downfall of sleet, r a fine company of railwaymen marched up from the Wicker Arches to St. Paul's Church, headed by the Vicar (the Rev. Spencer Elliott) carrying a plain wooden cross. The large church was well filled, and on the text, "Blessed are the peacemakers," the Vicar enun- ciated once more the teaching of the Gospel on industrial questions. The pro- cession and service were at the request of the men themselves, and arose out of the part taken by St. Paul's Church in helping to create and maintain a Christian standard of thought and feel- ing at the time of the recent railway strike. Also at the men's request their offerings helped to support the special appeal tha,t was being made throughout the day on behalf of the renovation fund for the cleaning and beautifying the church. The day's' collection amounted to £183.. Life and Liberty. The Life and Liberty Fellowship held a meeting at the Church House, Shef- field, on Monday last, to hear Miss M. C. Gollock from headquarters. The Rural Dean (Canon Houghton) pre- sided. Enthusiasm was unrestrained regarding the passing of the Second Reading of the Enabling Bill. ;■ NORWICH. DURING the week the Eastern Daily Press has published many letters on the plight of the clergy. The most striking of them was from the pen of Mr. B. A. Charlesworth, one of the most devoted and generous laymen in the diocese. Mr. Charlesworth has worked with three Rectors of Lowestoft—Canon Tupper Carey, Dean Henderson, and the present incumbent. He is a prominent member of the Board of Finance and a repre- sentative of the diocese in the House of Laymen, so that his words will carry weight. Armistice Day. Churchpeople in Norwich observed St. Martin's Day with great devotion. Many attended celebration of the Holy Eucharist either early, before the day's work, or in the middle of the forenoon, so that when the grea.t silence fell upon the city at-11 a.m. they were where they wished to be, .as they commemorated before Gcd their dear ones. Large con- gregations met in the evening at specially arranged services. The Cathedral and the City. The cathedral chapter and the city clergy are, with the help of leading laity, arranging a series of lectures on religious and social problems at St. Andrew's 'Hall on Sunday afternoons. The experiment of last Lent, when such lectures were wonderfully well attended, has encouraged those who organised them to go forward again. MANCHESTER. THIS is Life and Liberty Week in Manchester. At St. Ann's Church ser- mons are being preached daily in the dinner-hour to, good congregations. Canon Green, the Dean, of Manchester, Revs. H. Woolcombe, F. Underbill and Spencer Elliott are the preachers. Con- ferences' are being held also daily, at 3 o'clock in the Houldsworth-Hall to dis- cuss problems connected with the Move- ment, and parochial meetings are being held in the evenings. On Monday nøxt, there is to be a Free Trade Hall meet- ing. We in- Manchester are conceited enough to believe that once a movement can. fill the Free Trade Hall the battle is over. The decision to hold such a meeting for Life and Liberty has been arrived at not without hesitation and some misgiving. For while the sup- porters of the Enabling Bill are many, there are also active opponents and far more who are indifferent. Few realise that the Church is now at the cross-ways. Who will be the Dean ? We are all wondering who will be the new Dean. Manchester's Dean is ex- pected to take part in all civic as well as ecclesiastical functions. The diocese. is so big that we in the south know little of what goes on in the north. The Bishop does somehow ma,nage to know all that goes on everywhere, but how he does it nobody knows. In the city of Manchester itself, however, the Dean has a fairly open field. Bishop Welldon availed himself fully of his opportuni- ties. Dean Swayne has not been here long enough to make his influence felt to any great degree. But of him all speak- well.. Should the new Dean be a man who has a vision of the Kingdom of God, he will find men and women of all classes who will respond to any call he makes. We are all heartily sick of mere money grubbing, only we have little else to live for. The congregations which gather on Sunday evenings to the cathedral are said to be the largest in England, and throughout the week the building is well used at all times of the day. Bishop Gore's Visit, t Bishop Gore paid us-a visit last week, and in addition to preaching several times, gave a lecture in the Wesleyan Central Hall on Democraey,and the Future. One cannot help wishing that I Bishop Gore were twenty or thirty yeprs younger. He, if any man, could com- mand a following and can arrest atten- tion. It is to him that many of the middle-aged clergy owe their allegiance to the Church. There is still vacant one of the canonries of the cathedral, but possibly the appointment will not be made until the new arrangements regarding the parishes attached to the canonries are made. Meanwhile, what of the people who form the parishioners and congre- gation of these churches ? I The Manchester Branch of the Clergy Association has decided to press for the relief of those incumbents who receive less than R250 -a. year and who are in the diocese, and have asked the Bishop for his co-operation in any efforts they make. We believe he has promised to do all that is possible. CHESTER. AT a recent Consistory Court, held in Chester, applications for the erection of war memorials were considered from many parishes. Whilst all the applicants have the one splendid motive of com- memorating for future generations the I noble sacrifice of those who went out from village and town to die for the honour of their country, there is a striking variety in the form of the memorials. It is noticeable that the town memorial, as a rule, is of a more utilitarian character than that of the village. Choir stalls, oak panelling, chancel screen, etc. Many of the country parishes seem content to erect a cross in the churchyard, or to place a tablet within the church. An analysis 'of the applications referred to clearly shows that no one material for tablets holds the field, for in this limited number oak, alabaster, brass, marble and stone are being severally utilised. » Birkenhead Parish Church. In December, 1921, the Parish Church of Birkenhead (St. Mary's) is to celebrate, the centenary of its consecration. A scheme has already been launched with a view to raising £10,000 to worthily com- memorate this anniversary. The pro- moters have a number of objects in view, including the erection of a parochial hall and the establishment of a sustentation fund. Amongst minor purposes was the making of a new entrance on the side facing the town. This necessitated the purchase of an adjoining house, and the subsequent removal of a portion of it. The work had been splendidly carried out, very largely by voluntary labour during the summer evenings, and on Sunday morning last, when the newly- elected Mayor paid his state visit to the church, he gracefully performed the cere- mony of opening the new gates and entrance. New Vicar of Poynton. For six months the new Vicar of St. George's, Poynton, the Rev. Henry Paget Thompson, has been at work in his par- ish, but owing to the vacancy in the See the institution and induction did not take place until Friday last. Already the new incumbent has gained the affections of his people, and the large numbers pre- sent at his institution afforded an evi- dence of this. The impssive service was conducted by Dr. Paget, the Bishop of Chester, who, it is interesting to note, is an uncle of the new vicar. CHELMSFORD. By the wish of the Diocesan, as ex- pressed in a letter to the clergy last July, Sunday, November 16, was observed throughout the diocese as .Temperance Sunday, and collections were devoted to the Chelmsford Diocesan C.E.T.S. In the morning, the Bishop preached in the parish church of Prittlewell, Southend- on-Sea, when the Mayor and Corpora- tion attended in state. At the cathedral, the Bishop of Barking preached in the morning, and in the evening the preacher was the Rev. T. Guy Rogers, M.C., of West Ham, and Honorary Chaplain to the King. Band of Hope Programmes. In the form of an attractive booklet, entitled Fruitful and Helpful Evenings in Essex, the diocesan C.E.T.S. has issued a full and varied Band of Hope programme for the season 1919-20. Five schemes—Arts and Industries, Educa- tional,, Recreative, Organisation, Pro- gress-a,re each divided into many classes of competitions, for which diocesan shields and prizes are awarded. Boys are taught to make knife-boards, heel a boot, and to make domestic articles in metal, wood, and cardboard; girls to mend a tear, darn a sock, make a hat and bedroom slippers, collect and press leaves and flowers, and to frame a pic- ture. The children are trained to sing solos, duets, part and action songs. i L There is also a section devoted to physi- cal culture, Maypole and old English dancing, and skipping. The booklet, which must cost much more than its pur- chase price of one penny, contains a most practical time-table for a parish Band of Hope, with many valuable sug- gestions for its successful working. The Diocesan Conference. The Diocesan Conference, which was originlally fixed for October, and had to be postponed owing to the railway strike, I will be held at Sion College on Friday, December 5. This will deal with busi- ness matters, such as the amendment of the regulations governing diocesan and rurideoanal conferences, in order to bring the scheme of representation into line with that approved by vthe Repre- sentative Church Council. Such subjects as Church franchise and the admission of women to all conferences will arise. Unhappily, the original programme of subjects which included the Status of Women in the Church, and the National- isation of Industry, has of necessity beey cancelled. LIVERPOOL. Here as elsewhere the universal topio has been the profound impression created by the two minutes' Silence on November 11. It was impressive enough in the. churches where services were arranged. St. Nicholas' was full. At St. Luke's a large number came for a celebration arranged at 11.15, and so with other churches. But in the streets, and especially on the Exchange Flags, it was peculiarly arresting. So many wondered what the effect would be, so many fought shy beforehand of display- ing any feeling, but when the moment came the overwhelming intensity of its emotional effect was absolutely universal in its appeal. One wonders how many preachers on Sunday yielded to the sug- gestion that here was the topic for their discourse. Certainly two adjacent Free Churches in the city displayed boards which showed that their ministers were alive to the possibilities of such a theme Silence in Heaven" one board pro- nounced, and the next "The Great Silence. Preachers' Topics. Doubtless Fred Church ministers find this public announcement of preachers sfnd topics a good plan. Mr. Guttery's church always has an arresting an- nouncement for the next Sunday. One admires the frankness of another minister who announced in large letters that on Sunday his pulpit would be oc- cupied by "A student from Didsbury College." But nothing in this line can compare with a coincidence a few months ago, shortly after Sir A. Conan Doyle had expounded his new revelation at the Philharmonic Hall.. Near that hall are two Churches, Baptist and Presbyterian. The Baptist Church announced that the preacher would speak on this topic, What Sir A. Conan- Doyle forgot." A few yards further on the Presbyterian Church monosyllabically answered the question suggested by this notice with the brief announcement, Hell. Civil Sunday. The fact that November 9 fell on a. Sunday involved the civic authorities in (Continued on page 11.)