THE PROPOSED INCREASE OF THE EPISCOPATE. [To THE EDITOR OF
THE "SPECTATOR.") SIRS I must confess that it is to me a matter of surprise that Lord Houghton should not have been more widely supported in his opposition to the Bill for the Increase of the Episcopate. The increase commends itself to Nonconformists mainly; I take it, on three grounds, and precisely those, one would think, that would cause Churchmen to look upon it with disfavour :-
1. The sum of money necessary for the adequate endowment of the new Sees would in each case be raised by voluntary sub- scription, with the exception of a small portion to be acquired by a redistribution of the incomes of the existing Sees, which is a matter of personal and private, rather than public concern.
2. The new Bishops would not have seats in the House of Lords, except in rotation with the other Bishops. There would thus be altogether eight prelates without seats in the Upper House.
3. Increase in the Episcopate must tend in some degree to lower the status and prestige (if I may use a word that has fallen into some disfavour of late) at present attaching to the office of a Bishop, because the new Bishops would have incomes largely inferior to those of the majority of the present occupants of the Episcopal Bench, and would assuredly be without legislative functions, and probably without the palatial residences enjoyed, for the most part, by the present Bishops.
It is true that the Primate pointed somewhat triumphantly the -other night in the House of Lords to the See of Ripon, as show- ing that new Sees gradually attain the same status as the older ones ; but with all due deference to so distinguished an authority, I do not think it can be doubted that the new Bishops will be looked upon as of rather an inferior genus to the rest, and the office will be made somewhat " cheaper " than is the case at present.
It is certainly a sign of the times, and a very wholesome one, in my opinion, that a strong Conservative Government does not 'dare to propose the appropriation of a penny of State money for the endowment of the new Sees, although it is surprising that Churchmen will subscribe such large sums of money, and hand -them over to Government, for the accomplishment of an object in which they are not allowed to have the slightest voice, and which, under the Voluntary system, could probably be done just -as efficiently, and without all the trouble of putting the State machinery in motion. But if Churchmen are satisfied, who else has any reason to complain?
To sum up the whole, it seems as if we were gradually return- ing to the primitive notion of a Bishop, as being an " Overseer," rather than a Spiritual Prince ; and people are beginning to dis- cover that Bishops without seats in Parliament can exercise quite as efficient, if not, indeed, a much more efficient, supervision over their dioceses, than those Bishops who have seats in the national Legislature ; and that is not an unwelcome conclusion at which to arrive.—I am, Sir, &c.,
A FELLOW OF TIIE ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY.
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