The Sun.
London, England, 1864-01-14 00:00:00

There are three salient points which strike at once
even the casual observer as crying evils under
existing circumstances—these are—the absence of
any superintending head in the shape of a chap' ain-
general ; the want of any specific official definition
of the duties of individual chaplains—and the too
frequent combination of the offices of chaplain and
naval instructor, to the serious detriment and secu-
larisation of the former. The office of Chapiain-
General of the Navy is no new one. So far back
as the year 1812 it was distinctly pros ided for in
the Regulations of the Navy, and has, in fact,
fallen into disuse only at a comparatively recent
date. At the time to which we refer no war-
rant was granted for the appointment of any
naval chaplain unless recommended by the two
Archbishops and the Bishop of London (through
the Chaplain-General) as in every way properly
qualified. In the absence of such an authority there
is literally no one (for the Senior Chaplain of Green-
wich Hospital is for this purpose entirely useless)
to whom the naval chaplain can apply, however
young he may be in his profession, for counsel and
advice under all circumstances, or for encourage-
ment and assistance in the doubts and difficulties
which surround the performance of what ought to be
a very arduous duty. The army has already such
an official to superintend the operations of a com-
paratively limited number of subordinates. Of the
one hundred and fifty-one chaplains at present on
the Navy List but seven are permanently retired,
twenty-three hold Admiralty livings or shore ap-
pointments connected with the navy, and the re-
mainder only are actively employed. Surely we
shall hardly be guilty much longer of the " penny
wise, pound foolish" economy of refusing to utilise
and systematise the efforts of a body of paid officials
for want of a suitable directing head. Again, with
respect to the nature and extent of a chaplain's
duties. These are supposed to be defined in the
" Naval Instructions ;" but will any sailor for a
moment maintain that they are either intelligible in
themselves or invariably carried out in practice ?
Is it not notorious that cases have occurred where,
for three years, Divine service has not been once
performed on board a ship upon a foreign station ?
Does not every zealous chaplain complain that little
or no opportunity is given to him of meeting his pro
tempore parishioners in a quiet way, or of inculcat-
ing those sacred truth which he is bound by his
ordination vows to teach always and everywhere ?
As matters stand at present, the chaplain's cabin is
so situated as to be neither approachable by the men
nor suitable for the purposes of study and retire-
ment. In the sick ward, and in the sick ward alone,
according to the Regulations of the Navy, can he visit
in any sense that is worthy of the name, although the
relaxation of the strict letter of the law by intelli-
gent commanding officers has been attended with the
happiest effect. Lastly, out of the one hundred and
20 old naval chaplains afloat, 56 are qualified, and
mostly employed, as naval instructors, an office
which, except in very small ships, it is utterly im-
possible they can properly discharge, and which
should be filled by a paid schoolmaster. The pay
of a chaplain, varying: from £lB2 to £292 per
annum, would in itself attract earnest men into the
navy, without the additional stipend of from £9O
to £l5O payable to a naval instructor, were the
service placed upon a proper footing, with definite
duties, and under the superintendence of a known
and responsible head. In some instances it may
be impossible to separate the two offices. But such
cases should be emphatically the exception, and
not the rule, if the interests of the service are to
count for anything in the balance. As we have
said before, there is no indisposition in the navy
itself to the desired reform. Out of 10 witnesses
examined before the committee, no less than seven
were in favour of the appointment of a chaplain-
general if " an officer who had been a good chap-
lain in the navy were appointed, one who could
find good chaplains, and explain to them the na-
ture of their duties, provided all communications
to the chaplain-general should pass through the
captain as at present." As it is, any influence
wilich may have been acquired during a cruise is
speedily neutralised when the ship arrives at
Portsmouth, to pay off iu close contiguity to a sea-
port town which numbers among its population
4,000 of the lowest prostitutes. Every obstacle is
thrown in the way of the chaplain acquiring any
real control over his flock, and the result is shown
in the disbursement of £B,OOO a year payable for
the accommodation of patients in Hasler Hospital,
admitted on this ground alone, and constituting
35 per cent. of the total number of admissions. We
say nothing, in this calculation, of the large addi-
tional subsidies paid by the Admiralty to the local
lock hospitals, a sum which, from the deficiency of
regulations for its administration, is at present
prat ically thrown into the sea. The naval
barracks which are now in course of construc-
tion at our various seaports are equally in
need of the agency to which we have re-
ferred with our sea-going vessels, and would
benefit in at least an equal degree from its employ-
ment. In short, the case is one in which the argu-
ments are virtually all on one side, and in which
what opposition there is is only the old story of
official unwillingness to disturb the present order of
affairs. The subject is one which will undoubtedly
be fully discussed early in the present session, and
which deserves a far larger share of the attention
of the Legislature than has hitherto been bestowed
upon it. The more it is ventilated, the more, we
are persuaded, will the necessity of some change
being made in the direction which we have indi-
cated become apparent to all.