Blandford Weekly News. — 1886-01-30 (Blandford, Dorset, England)

CHURCH REFORM.  In acknowledging the receipt of a memorial on Church reform, addressed to the Archbishop and Bishops by the Divinity Professors and other resident member, of the Senate of the University of Cambridge, the Archbishop of York says : The points raised in the memorial are piecisely those in which I think reforms are needed. Por a great number of years a simple way of dealing with criminous clerks has been acknowledg d on every hand to be an urgent need of the Church. The present system, which generally throws a large, and sometimes enormous, cost on the prosecutor, and leaves the ci iminous clerk tree to return to the flock, who will respect him no more, after an interval of two or three years, has lung ceased to have any defenders. The tlti not livings, as carried on at present, has also been repeatedly condemned, and more than once by the Hous.• 01 Lords. The "inequalities and anomalies in the distribution of the revenues'. is a most proper subject or inquiry and improvement. I have lung been in favour of the admission of " laymen of all classes" to a " eubs,antial 'hare in the control of Church affairs." When I have said that no Anglican Chu.cir, thrown epon its own resourcee, has ever found itself able to dispense with the aid 0. laymen in administering its affairs,l seem to have said enough in support oi the pi Merida of a similar change among ourselves. So far I am able to assure you of my active support ot measures tending to secure the object you have in view. But perhaps I ought not to leave the onLject without one or two brief words of caution. The measures which you recommend are such as I should have supported at any time. The memorialists would not desire that any step should be taken under the influence of the fear of disestablishment. I apprehend that their meaning is that the recent struggle gives a better opportunity for drawing attention to needful reforms, and for inducing the Legislature to adopt them. I do not desire, for my own part, to abolish lay patronage. The difficulty of dealing with lay representation is, perhaps, greater than some might suppose. My experience is that laymen would not give their time and support as a part of any council in which there WWI no substantial work done, and no substantial power exercised. An attempt to graft a lay element upon the two Convocations might do good; but it would not be enough to satisfy reasonable demands. And yet the Convocations must continue to be, so far as I see, the legislative body of the Church of Englani. The problem, therefore, is to find sufficient inducement to the laity to take part in the proceedings of a body, which vould not be the legal representative body of the Church of England and which would have no power to enforce any decree, or carry forward any change.  The Queen hex been plemed to appoint Vieconni Cranbrook,G.C.S 1., to be Secretary of State for War.  It is stated that the Archbishop of Canterbury will shortly present a bill in the House of Lords for effecting certain reforms in the Church. By desire of the Earl of Carnarvon, the Government contract to the Limerick \ rmy Clothing Factory has been extruded from one to three years. The Loyal and Patriotic union are making arrangements for holding a series of meetings in the great towns in England in defence of the existing connection ti.tween England and Ireland. The first meeting will be held at Chester, and the Duke of Westminster will, it is expected, take the chair.  The Inns of Court have just withdrawn the conces' 'lions formerly in ,do to students for the Bar, by which, if they passed satisfactorily in certain subjects and failed in others, the fermer were omitted in future examinations. It will be n. w necessary for students to pass in all subjects, with the exception of Roman law, at lone exam nation.  Mr. Chamberlain has replied to a Salisbury correspondent who informed him that at Castle Carey a clergyman had stated that he (Mr. Chamberlain) would hand over Wiatininster Abbey for secular purposes. The right hon. gentleman has replied that the statement is absolutely untrue, and suggests that the eleigyman should be asked for proof. Mr. Justice Lay has ordered a sum of eliO to be distributed among the members of the Cumber. had county ci.nstabnlary and the servants of the L.md ond an \ Nor th-Westsrn Railway whodistinguished thMeal.nr tsi tie l,v.aensd it .kthez just mintutaildd cat. pdTarteh of t citairpiligiek las I , sires or the murder of Police-constable Brune. •