"This is our twenty-seventh year of freedom," said the Bishop
of St. Asaph,rather strikingly in assessing the position of the dis- established and disendowed Church of Wales in the course of his University sermon at Cambridge on Sunday, and he added that he was convinced that the Church throughout the Principality would be unanimous against a return to the old order. This is a notable testi- mony, even though the speaker referred to the measure of 1914 (operative in 192o) as initially a blow, deplored the abolition of patron- age by universities and colleges and gave reasons for his belief that a process which had on balance definitely benefited the Church in Wales would not similarly benefit the Church of England. The aboli- tion of private patronage and - the consequent pooling of resources and standardisation of stipends (in three categories) Dr. Havard re- garded as a distinct improvement, and the present method of the election of Bishops had so far given entire satisfaction. Of other factors some had to be set to the debit side, some to the credit, but that the net balance was favourable the Bishop left no doubt. Such a verdict is satisfactory in itself, whether forward-pointing infer- ences are to be drawn from it or not.
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