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MANCHESTER. THT, Bishop, in the Diocesan Magazine this months referred to-the raid made by the Diocese of Lincoln upon this dio- cese. After referring to the active and efficient work of Dr. Swayne, he con- dudes by saying, Great things may be expected of his Episcopate." Both he and Mrs. Swayne, who has been as ener- getic and helpful as the Dean, himself, will carry with them the hearty good wishes and prayers of a wide circle of friends in Lancashire. Church and Amusements. The Bishop is evidently concerned as to the relation of the Church to amuse- ments. He summarises his view as fol- lows: 1. The Church should take an in- terest in recreation and endeavour to give ? it a healthy tone., 2. The special func- tion of the clergy is the ministry of the Word and Sacraments. 3. Amusements should not be so related to spiritual work as to be in any way interdependent one on the other. Finally, these words on another matter are worth quoting: "In ordaining clergy I am careful to warn them against solicitations of moneylenders. These gentry see in our present circumstances a- favourable opening for their activities. May I say, Don't go near a money- lender nor hold any communication with me till you have seen your Bishop.' Recruiting Campaign. Preparations are being made for a Re- jniiting Campaign to be held-early in January. The object of the campaign is to bring home to each member of the Church the need for personal' service at home and abroad. Canon Hemming, the Diocesan Mission.er for the southern part, and the Archdeacon of Lancaster for the northern part of the diocese, have undertaken the organisation of the cam- paign. In Memory of Canon Nunn. The Rev. H. P. V. Nunn has founded a Bursary in memory of his father, t Canon Joseph Nunn. This is to be held i at the Manchester Grammar School and is of the value of £10 a year and is open to the sons of clergy in the diocese. Canon Joseph Nunn was foremost among 4 men of the last generation in defence of Church schools, and one of the few con- >* troversialists who never said bitter words of his opponents. Retreat House. A few months ago a large house near f Bolton was obtained for the purpose of holdin, Retreats" or "Quiet Days." T There has just been issued a programme F" of events. There are days for clergy only, for business men, for girls and women, and if the programme is carried out im- mense good must result. The charge is small, and those who can f go for a whole week, as well as those who can go only for one day or for a week-end, are catered for. The conductors are drawn from all schools of thought. It is only a case of choosing according to taste Right on to Easter there will be a 1 regular stream of visitors. The experi- 1 ment is one well-worth trying. From a summary of confirmations for 1918-19 just published, it appears there were 5,747 males, 8,896 females, total 14,643 of both sexes confirmed last year. Nobody can regard the numbers as satis- factory. LIVERPOOL. ON Friday, December 5, Lord Robert Cecil paid his deferred visit to Liverpool. He addressed a large meeting at the Sun Hall in the evening on the League of Nations. He began by speaking of the horrors of war and stated what is not generally said, but must be very widely thought, "I do not think any observer "will dispute that the world is no better for the graat war." It is a sad conces- sion to have to make; but the truth of it is being forced home upon us. Mere re- action from the restraints of war condi- tions hardly accounts for all the sordid- ness and pleasure-seeking p revalent to- day. Lord Robert Cecil went on to show that there were no practicable alterna- tives to the League, such schemes as an alliance between. France, the United States and the United Kingdom being sure to lead to international complica- tions, and other schemes such as the "international" merely causing a la.ter,al" split in humanity instead of a' "vertical." He then discussed the American attitude, and the reasons for the present unsettled condition of Europe. Finally, he considered the question of enemy countries. The aim of the League," he concluded, is to get the spirit of the whole world behind it and to base it upon the brotherhood of man." Lord Robert Cecil had previously ad- dressed the members of the university, and the next day he addressed a meeting of business men* in the Exchange news- room. That profound interest was aroused by his visit is certain; it is equally certain that the champions-of the League have a hard task before them to persuade Englishmen that the dream is really a practicable ideal. The C.E.M.S. Great things may be hoped from the strenuous attempts being made to infuse new spiritual vitality and activity into the branches of the C.E.M.S. That society has had always an uphill task in these parts, and was nearly extin- guished during the war. The Rev. R. F. Bradley has come to fan the nearly dead spark into flame, and is to address a meeting for all members of the Liverpool branches in the Church House on Thurs- day, December 11. If the laity of the Church can he won to give a bolder wit- ness to their faith, the situation may be regarded as one full of hope. CHESTER YE ancient citie of Chester strongly resents being transformed from a pic- turesque city, attractive by reason of its historic associations and quaint build- ings, into a modern centre of industry and rivalling Widnes and Wolverhamp- ton for smoke and smell; and it is well in this natural protest that the Arch- deacon ^of Chester should Jead the way. He has a very strong letter in this week's local paper, giving fair and force., ful reasons why a proposed steel works should not be established in Curzon Park. The result, he feels convinced, would be to rob the city of its aesthetic prestige and its commercial profit. The Vicar of Hoole, Chester, is also waging war against another case of attempted spoliation. The Urban Dis- trict Council of this suburb of Chester decided by the casting vote of its chair- man to show its "appreciation" (!) of the men who have returned from the front by entertaining them and provid- ing for each ex-soldier a quantity of beer averaging eight to- ten pints per man. The Vicar's letter must almost certaintly be effective in preventing this being carried into effect, and Chester owes a debt to the Rev. E..A. Pavitt for his courageous action. The new Bishop continues his "flying campaign," and in a short while there will be no corner of this rather scattered diocese which is not known to his lord- ship, nor where his lordship is not known. This past week he has been in the east of the diocese, and has paid welcome visits to Sale and-Northenden. Is it one outcome of the new spirit stir- ring throughout the diocese that almost everywhere sales of work on behalf of Church funds have been far more than • usually successful ? The effort in connec- J tion with the Cheadle Parish Church is a case in point. Stockport Missionary Enthusiasm. Judging by the excellent preparation made for the annual missionary festival at the Parish Church, Stockport does not intend lightly to yield her position as one of the leading missionary supporting centres in the North of England. On the Sunday Canon Hensley, of Jabulpur, India, was the special preacher. On the Thursday a lecture of fascinating in- terest was given to a large audience, and illustrated by the cinematograph, on "India's masses -through the eye of a camera." The lecturer was the Rev. T. Law, who has had twenty-three years' ex- perience in India. BRISTOL. THE Rev. A. S. Crawley, M.C., the C.E.M.S. messenger for this diocese, has been visiting the six sections of the Bristol Federation recently. His pur- pose has been to offer and to receive sug- gestions which may help forward the work of the C.E.M.S. Strong branches must go forward to still greater things, and by their enterprise and enthusiasm act as missionaries to other branches which, as a result of war conditions, had become apathetic. The opportunities of the period of reconstruction will provide a wide field for the great and increasing influence of the C.E.M.S. C E.M S. Fellowship. On Friday last, December 5th, in the beautiful little Chapel of the C.E.M.S. House, the Bishop admitted to fellow- ship in the C.E.M.S., the Dean of Bristol, Canon Morrow, Vicar of Clifton, and Mr. Samuel White. All three gentlemen, by their peculiar and marked abilities, form a great accession to the ranks of the fellowship. Such men of. scholarship, of organising ability, reli- gious, social and commercial, combined with breadth of view and appreciation of the needs of the age, can do great work both for the C.E.M.S. and for the Church at large in these times of stress and change. The Bristol C.E-.M.S. Rest House and Canteen for Service men brought its fine labours to an end last week. The institu- tion was opened in December, 1915, and for four years it has never closed, day or night. Throughout this period the work has. been done voluntarily. In addition to the men stewards, about 300 ladies, putting aside leisure and comfort, laboured loyally to make the Rest House a place of refreshment to many weary and, temporarily, homeless soldiers. Two and a half millions of sailors and soldiers, it has been estimated, have used the Rest House, and the weekly, number of meals served was 25,000, while upwards of 200,000 have found beds there. It has dealt with as many as 2,000 men passing through Bristol between midnight and six o'clock in the morning. It goes with- out saying that all this, combined with the cheerful and homely atmosphere of the place, made its fame known far and wide. A crowded service of thanksgiving for the work of the institution was held in the Lord Mayor's Chapel on the even- ing of the last day of its activities. The preacher was the Dean of Bristol, who voiced the thanksgiving which they all felt for the beneficent work which had been done and for the opportunity the Rest House had given them to enable them to offer personal service at personal sacrifice.