Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-12-06
ARCHBISHOP OF YORK
Dr.. Lang's Appointment Gives
General Satisfaction.
HIS WORK AMONG THE POOR
Strange Characteristics of Scene of
Seven Years Labors.
BRITISH VIEW OF CHINA
Historic House to Let-Passing Of
Master of terhouse-Hopes
for Byzantine Research.
BRITISH VIEW OF CHINA
Special Correspondence OF The Star

LONDON. November 2S, 1908.
/ Although the liberal newspapers are not
quite satisfied with tie non-political ap-
pointment to the Archbishopric of York,
probably no selection could have given
greater general satisfaction than that of
/ DIR. 'Cosmo Gordon Lang, Bishop of Step
ney. OF course. many bishops might
have been selected of greater age, OF
| longer and wider experience. of more def
! nitely pronounced political opinions, and
! who had shown more definite lean
| 'nss toward one or the other of the
| recognized schools of thought in the
! church" But possibly no man OF his
age has more admirers. has shown SO
much capacity as a leader of men or has
demonstrated his thorough appreciation
OF the difficulties the needs ard the ca
| pacty OF the church of today. Thus, it
may be acknowledged chat the appoint
ment has been made Oh merit alone. and
on that basis it is abundantly justified.
| The Bishop Of Stepney is a close per
sonal friend of the prime minister who
rarely cmits attending St. Paul's Cathe
| dral when DR.. Lang is preaching there.
| Like the premier, the bishop is a Balliol
| man. and there he had as fellow student
Sir Edward Grey. When a student at
the Inner Temple he was in the cham
bers OF the present attorney general, and
he has other friends among the ministers.
But he has never been a politician. and
doubt II any one knows which political
party DR.. Lang would support. Personal
friendship and college associations may
have Influenced the nomination. but. II SO,
they have only led to the selection of a
bishop OF singular capacity. remarkable
popularity. manly eloquence and great
personal charm.
Moreover. without being palace man."
DR.. Lang Is held In high regard by the
king who has given indications OF the
esteem IN which he holds the Bishop OF
atepney on more than one occasion. BY
command Of his majesty, Or. Lang con-
Quoted the service on the boat which
brought the remains of Queen Victoria
from the Isle OF Wight to the mainland
70: her funeral. He was a great favorite
% the old queen.
Poor Will Miss Him.
One section OF the public Will regret the
appointment. The poor OF the East End
especially the younger men among them
have come 20 regard the Bishop OF Step
new and his hmm .6iste predecessor. the
present Bishop CT London, as peculiarly
ard especially their friends The portion
Of the diocese Of London where DR.. I.ang's
work for the last seven years has lain
possesses strange characteristics. I: Is
! one OF the busiest districts in the United
, Kingdom: 1t has more poor than any
similar area and l. probably includes
more criminals and more rogues who have
escaped the attentions of the police than
any other quarter OF the British do
mnions.
Yet there are very genuine people there,
as all who have heard the Bishop Of Step
new narrate his experiences know we'll;
and no person Is more popular among
them than is he who now Is promoted to
The second place in the English church.
His promotion has been phenomenally
rapid. Within eleven years OF his a.
cepting his first curacy at Leeds under
DR.. Talbot he was consecrated Bishop Of
TepneE. In those eleven years he has
filed positions which usually fall to men
Of middle age and considerab BILE expert
ence. The most important OF them was
/ his vicarate of Portsea. one OF the most
important parishes in England. He had
! there thirteen curates His church was
visited by Representa- tives OF the Noncon-
formist papers. in which articles on his
remarkable work were published.
The Empress Frederick Of Germany per-
sonally visited the place and admired the
parochial organization. He formed a rep
resentative church council. which gave
every person attending the church a real
share in its work. and it is Interesting
just now to note that OF its seventy nem-
he"S tWenty-three were women. Dr. Lang
justified the appointment of this council
or the ground that the Church OF England
ought to bring herself into line with the
growing democratic character of the
country. The council had nothing to do
with questions of doctrine, for which. DR..
Lang said, the clergyman was responsible
20 God. his own conscience and his bishop.
But with regard TO all matters concerning
the hours and nature or the services. the
accommodation of the people and finances.
the council was resulatiVe and the ar
ranSement worked well.
The Bishop OF Stepney has long been
known one OF the busiest men in Lon
don. Ii was said lie wrote his sermons
in trans and buses. and Punch made him
| declare in merry verse:
! Sweet are the uses OF the Underground
! Which. like AyeEnns. black ard sup urous,
/ Hides yet the happy islands OF the biest.
And this my life passed amid public haunts.
Finds tracts in trans. texts III tn" running bus,
SERMONS IA trains and wurA in anything.
Appointment Remarkable.
The new Archbishop o. York is young
for the position. He has just completed
his forty-fourth year. and is stu a bach
elor. In this he ventured to ignore the ad-
vice OF Queen Victoria, who once said to
him. when conversing about his thirteen
/ curates at Portsea: Take my advice
Mr.. Lang: dismiss one Of your carates
and get a god wife" The usual addition
is that the INDly was But. your majesty,
couldn't dismiss wife which is prob
ably apocry cha!. In one respect Dr..
I.ancS appo. ltmeut Is remarkable. He is
not Il diocesan bishop-only d suffra gan
ana this if the first time since 1851 that
ANY one other than a diocesan bishop has
been appointed 10 the archbishoprc of
York The previous case lin the reign OF
Henry Wild Was that OF Edward Lee who
was Archiracon Of Colchester.
/ An authority on Chinese affairs former
! " resident in China. with whom l had
some conversation today. had none of the
fear OF international trouble at Picking
which VexeS so many writers about the re-
cent events there. ION the whole" he
! said. Il think that things will go on as
usual III China. with just this difference.
that the undoubted growth of the reform
spirit. which has made great strides late
~. will advance much more rapidly. There
will. OF course. be court cabals and prob
ably popular disturbances before the
new regime settles down. but there is
every reason to think that the affairs OF
the great country will go on in their usual
way.
The great power at present is Yuan
Shi ka viceroy of the metropolitan PROV
! ince of which Ii Hung Chang was gov
eruol for many years. Since the wiz h
F. , fpJr ,ire.