Evening star., 1945-12-05

accomplishments that marked DR.
Lang as q vigorous churchman arlc
a brilliant diplomat. AS a church.
man he worked diligently for thu
interests of the average man." at.
tempting consistently to close thu
gap between the frozen respecta-
bility OF the church" and the masse.
of the people; as a churchman anc
diplomat he was the devoted adjutani
of his predecessor when DR.. David
son was guiding the church through
one of the most difficult periods oi
its history-that time in the early
part of the century when two ele-
ments of the communion were al
odds, one moving toward modernism
and the other clinging to the tradi-
tions Of the part.
Born in Aberdeen.
Born at Fyvie In Aberdeen on Oc-
tober 81, 1864, the son of the Very
Rev. John Marshall Lang, principal
of Aberdeen University and at one
time Moderator of the Church OF
Scotland, DR.. Lang spent his boyhood
chiefly at Glasgow, where his father
was minister of the Barony Church
He was graduated from Glasgow
University at the age of 18, and from
there he went to Oxford, obtaining
a scholarship at Balliol College. He
had studied law and had obtained
his bachelor and master degrees in
arts when he later surprised his
friends by announcing that he would
not be candidate for the bar.
Entering the church he served
three years at Leeds. There came
service as fellow and dean OF divin-
ity at Magdalen College, oxford
vicar of st. Mary's, the famou.
church of the university city which
once had the late Cardinal Johr
Henry Newman at its head; ecclesi.
astical head of the huge industria
centers of Portsea and Stepney
where he became active in the socia
work that later occupied so much o.
his efforts in the manufacturing
towns Of the North.
Became Archbishop Of York.
After he became Archbishop ol
York at the age of A in 1908 ane
came into a joint leadership with
the Archbishop of Canterbury in tht
ecclesiastical government of tht
Church of England, he spoke agair
for a common religion, denounced
the idle rich and broadcast the duty
of the church as commission "te
get the great moral and spiritua
principles intrusted to 1t into the
consciences of every class of men"
In 1912 when industrial unrest
prevailed in England, the arch.
bishop spoke again for a common
bond. "One of the main causes ot
the difficulty" he said. "is the divi-
sion Of classes, and We can get ne
further until each really under.
stands the standpoint and circum.
stances and necessities Of tn,
Others"
On the day of his enthronemen
at Canterbury he declared th'
church is divided, numbered will
old controversies, broken int,
schisms. The relations of the church
and state cannot remain unchanged
some effective principle of author
| ity within the church itself mus
be accepted"
Member Of House of Lords.
In his two archbishoprics he wa
member Of the House Of Lords
where he was regarded as one o
its most influential members. H
was a proponent with DR.. David
son for years, especially in the figh
in Parliament for adoption of tn
revised prayer book. The revision
however, was successfully oppose,
by the evangelical wing of tn
church whose spokesman held tina
| it opened the way to certain Catho
lie practices, particularly in reserva
ton of the sacrament which mad
possible the worship of the brea,
and wine communion. g
Because Of his activity in the pro
posed revision and his Leadership
Of Anglo-Catholics in the Churcl
Of England, Lang's appointment +
Canterbury was protested, although
vainly. by the League of Loya
Churchmen and the Protestant Al
lance, both evangelical bodies.