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CLERICAL STIPENDS. ,Srp.The hearty thanks of the clergy are due to you for devoting so much atten- tion and space in your valuable paper to this subject. Much has been stated with regard to the need of increasing the in- comes of the clergy, but little of apl. tical character has been suggested. One plan which would, at all events, touch the fringe of the subject would be .to double.the fees payable to the clergy for weddings, funerals, certificates, etc. This would be but fair, justice, fairly acceptable to all parties, and compara- tively easy of accomplishment. The workman is worthy of his hire, and if the fees for work done have been 10s., for instance, why should he be expected to do the same work now for 4s. ? For that is probably about the present equivalent for the 10s. of five years ago. If the fees are not raised we are prac- tically telling the -people that the fees were exorbitant in former tim, and that we'are now content to do the same work for half or a third of the money, though the coin will be the same. It is very likely, too, that many people are sneering at the unbnsiness-like clergy, when they them- selves have all demanded and obtained in- comes largely in excess of the nominal sums of the pre-war period. From careful calculation, 1 estimate that the money paid in fees to clergymen in the whole Diocese of Durham amounts to £ 6,771 a year. Now, if we double the fees it looks as if the clerical incomes would benefit in the aggregate by that amount. But that is hardly likely, since some of the fees are voluntary, and some others could hardly be doubled. But we should be quite safe in putting it down at X5,000 a year, and surely such a sum is worthy of consideration. If the clergy, doing the work were simply to pocket these extra amounts the benefices with small populations would hardly benefit at all, and, as a rule,, these are the most necessitous. What I: would propose would be that these extra fees should be set aside as a special -fund for the diocese.- Half might be given to necessitous clergy at once, and half applied to increasing poor livings. Five benefices could be increased by Cl,000 each with the help of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners each year. > Now we come to the difficulty which some may think will-wreck the whole scheme. I refer to the doubling of the fees. Objec- tions will not come from those called upon to pay the extra money. They will recog- nise that as the cost of living has in- creased so much it is quite right that they should be called upon to enable those they employ to live respectably. The old idea that the parson is the richest man in the parish is undoubtedly being undermined, and rightly so, too. When people know by figures-, such as your paper has given them lately, that as much money goes into their houses as goes into the vicarage, they do not, as formerly, regard the clergy- man as the mich cow for the parish. They will see, too, that if the gravedigger must have an increase of wages to enable him to live decently, it is only reasonable that the clergyman's fee should be raised too. And if it is clearly understood that the increase in fees will not go into the pocket of the clergyman doing the work, but will benefit the most necessitous, there will be no difficulty, even with the most captious, but all will be willing to pay the extra money. The chief hindrance will come, I antici- pate, from the officials who authorise the- fees. It may take some pressure to make Chancellors allow such a change. But when it is remembered that a half-crown charged for a funeral is really only a shilling or eo in its purchasing power, or the 7s. 6d. charged for a wedding only 3s., surely they will he willing to break through immemorial custom, and allow changes such as the times demand. i Another difficulty will be with." regard to marriages at the registrar's office/ These must obviously be at the same fee as that demanded in the church. I suppose the registrar and his. clerks have higher salaries now than five years ago, and as the scale of i fees remain the same the in- crease must come out of the rates or taxes. If however, all fees were doubled, and uniform fees instituted at the churches and the offices, the country would benefit as well as churches and chapels. None of these diiffculties appear to be insuperable. Real sympathy on the part of officials would soon find a way to over- come them, and thus, without adding to the many appeals to the pockets of the so- called rich, a real—if small—alleviation of an intolerable position might be effected. W. D. SHEPPERD. Ven. Bede Vicarage, Gateshead.

CLERGY AND SOCIALISM. SIR,—" Western Cleric," in summarising the Church Congress, says, among other things, that a large number of members in the Congress seemed imbued with Social- ist views." Our clergy are certainly showing many signs of the truth of this remark; they are among the first to advocate any system of taxation to take from those who have and use it for those who have not. Of course there is no Christian virtue in this method of taxation, and laws passed in the spirit which engenders it at the present time are not Christian. These Socialistic clergy may think, they will fill the churches with the so-called working-man, but they are mistaken. The working-man to-day is thinking only of material things to make his life comfort- able; he has '*envy, hatred and malice and all uncharitableness towards anyone more blessed with this world's goods than himself, but no great wish for the unseen riches which neither moth nor rust (nor a debased currency) can corrupt. The clergy, I know, in many instances, are having a struggle to make ends meet, and instead of making a' fight of it they are going under in the first round and joining the supporters of legalised stealing, and tacitly, and in some cases actively, propagating the idea that no man can be- come rich honestly. This idea only arrives through envy. If the clergy are true fol- lowers of the Master, they will seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteous- ness," and have sufficient faith that He will give them enough and more than enough for their daily needs. Our clergy are crying out, just as much as the man in the street, about the hard- ness of living, when they ought to be show- ing the rest of the nation the way of forti- tude they are trying to make their calling something to live by, instead of an ideal to live for. Where is their faith? Oh, what a glorious opportunity they have now that they are poor with the poor, to show that faith which can remove moun- tains and to put a bit of backbone and character into this nation which thinks it can get to Heaven by more money and houses at someone's expense, (but not their !C own) and less and less work; why; cannot they see that we are all poor together, and it requires more work and more faith to pull through. Yours faithfully, RICHARD E. COOPER. 9, Gedling-grove, Nottingham. r

LONDON S PROPRIETARY CHAPELS. SIR,-Referring to the letter in last week's issue of the Church Family News- paper upon the subject of "Proprietary Chapels," it may be permitted me to men- tion that in one case, at least, the Act of Parliament for building fifty new churches purchased. one of the proprietary chapels out of the money allotted, and expended a further X2,000 in repairing and adorning it. The chapel was "St. George's Chappie" in Queen-isquare, now the Parish Church of St. George the Martyr, I Holborn. Towards the end of the seventeenth century a petition was pre- sented to Parliament with the object of dividing the large and populous parish of Holborn, and of making Red Lion-square and the streets adjacent into a separate parish, with a new church. The scheme was unsuccessful, but it was followed up by a meeting of the leading inhabitants of Great Ormond-street and Queen-square, when it was decided to erect a chapel of ease to St. Andrew's, Holborn, and trustees and managers were appointed. The lead was taken by Sir Streynsham Master, who had been Governor of Fort St. George in India, and it was in this connection that the chapel was' called St. George's." With him was associated the well-known. Robert Nelson, author of "Fasts and Festivals," Sir William Milman, and others. In 1705 the work was begun, a plot of ground bought from Nathaniel Curzon, and a chapel and two houses built at a cost of X3,500, which money the trustees pro- posed to raise from the sale of pews in the chapel when finished. Though at the first the consent of the then Rector of St. Andrew's had been obtained, yet when the chapel was finished repeated disagree- ments arose between the mother church and the chapel of ease, and the trustees took the opportunity of the Fifty New Churches" Act to get St. George's made into a separate parish. By the year 1723 the matter had ibeen settled, the grant had been received and expended, and St. George the Martyr Church, Queen-square, was dedicated on September 26 by the then Bishop of London as a parish church with a district assigned to it. The parish was again subdivided about fifty years ago when the beautiful Church of St. John's, Red Lion-square, !was built and a new parish formed in connection with it.—I am, Sir, yours, EDWIN C. BEDFORD. St. Andrew's Rectory, Holborn.

I-LODD CURZON'S IRISH PEERAGE SIR,—Your paragraph in "Church, Family Talk" this week with. regard to Mr. Balfour and Lord Curzon does an in- justice to the nobleman in question, be- sides being at variance with the facts of the case. It states that "lord Curzoa accepted an Irish peerage in order to es- cape from the House of Commons." As a matter of fact, Lord Curzon was granted his Irish peerage on his appointment as Viceroy of India, as it was quite contrary to precedent that the holder of that high office should be a commoner. Again, an Irish peer as such has no seat in the House of Lords, unless he is elected to a vacancy (by death) by his fellow-peers, and this did not occur in Lord Curzon's case for a number of years. It was stated at the time that he accepted an Irish peerage so that he might be free at the expiration of his Vice- royalty to again obtain a seat in the House of Commons, for which Irish peers are eligible. In further proof of his de- sire to remain in the Commons, he was one of the small band of heirs to peerages (the others being the present Lord Sel- borne and Lord Midleton) who unsuccess- fully tried to obtain a decision that on succeeding to their respective titles they should retain their seats in the Commons instead of going to the Upper House.— Yours truly, THOMAS JONES. Greenfield-road, Colwyn Bay.

CENTRAL BOARD OF FINANCE OF THE CHURCH OF ENCLAND- In connection with the November Meeting of the Board A SERVICE OF INTERCESSION will be held at ST. JAMES, PICCADILLY, on TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, at 5.30 P.m., when an address will be given by the VENERABLE KENNETH GIBBS, Archdeacon of St. Albans. On WEDNESDAY. NOVEMBER 12, at 8.30 a.m., there will be a CELEBRATION OF HOLY COM- MUNION, with special intention for the financial work of the Church of England. Everyone interested in Church Finance is invited to attend. '"TTHE GOLDEN LECTURES."—November and Advent, 1919. Under the terms of the Jones Lectureship Trust" and by appointment of the Haberdashers' Company, the Trustees, a Course of six Short Lectures will be delivered by the Rev. Prebendary A. W. GOUGH, M.A., Vicar of Brompton, in the church of St. Margaret, Lothbury (facing north side of the Bank of England), at 1.15 p.m., on Tuesdays, November 11, 18 and 25, and December 2, 9 and 16, 1919. Subject: •" The Way of National Salvation." Nov. 11, The Need of Salvation'; Nov. 18, The Question of Life and the Answer of Order; Nov. 25, Universal Service in Peace and War Dec. 2, Education and Expression Dec. 9, Social and Racial Conditions Dec. 16, The Way, Truth and Life. Your attendance is cordially invited. Organ Recital from 1.5 to 1.15 by Mr. S. G. Cockeram. Prebendary ARTHUR J. INGRAM, Rector. Sir J. GORDON NAIRNE, Bart., and the Hon. F. PONSONBY, Churchwardens. Antiques Bought. m_ HAMPTON & SONS are prepared t. give highest prices for genuine OLD ENGLISH FURNITURE, GRAND- FATHER CLOCKS, BRACKET-CLOCKS, Ac. Owners desiring to dispose of same privately are invited to send, particulars to HAMPTON AND SONS, LTD., Pall Mall East, London, S.W. 1. fij -i' *■" -'f "The hand that rocks B'S 11 ■ he cradle." The importance qf Moterhood is bein9 much advertised just now, but THE matter of vital im portànce IS the selec- tion of SIT ABLE FOOD, for ;th'e «vv" V. • BABY.)wben born. s If the mother cannot feed her baby herself, she cannot do better than use Cow's Milk (fresh, dried or con- densed) diluted with Barley Water made with Robinson's I. I (Hi Barley (Pronounced by thousands1 of Doctors, Nurses, r f Medical Officers, Health Lecturers andJFopd Experts T. as the IDEAL FOOD FOR BABIES, The Barley Water separates the curd of the milk and enables the nlot delicate infant, to digest the milk and obtain I full nutriment. 1 ■ < Send for free boitklet "ADVICE TO MOTHERS", V I Dept. C.F.N., KEEN, ROBINSON &tCO,, LTD., LOIRDON, B J. f j v; I COLONIAL & COKTINEMTAL Aft Aft CHURCH SOCIETY, THE ANNUAL AUTUMN MEETING will be held (D.V.) on FRIDAY NOVEMBER 14th,at 7 p.m., in the KINGSWAY HAIL, 75, KINGSWAY, W.C. I Speakers: The Right Rev. The Lord BISHOP OF 6IPPSLAND (Australia), The Rev. E. C. EMP, C.F. I (Canada), I N I and others. Chairman: TheRt. Rev. Thelord BISHOP OF CHELMSFORD ADMISSION FREE. Doors open 6.30 p.m. Collection. I Numbered and Reserved Seats, 25. and Is. Tickets may be had from the Hon, Local Secretaries, or from the Metropolitan Secretary, I REV. T. BATTERBY, 9, SERJEANTS' INN, FLEET ST., E.C. 4.