Page:Distinguished Churchmen.djvu/91

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THE RIGHT REV. ALFRED BARRY, D.D.
65

years ago, while I was Primate of Australia, and a Bishop has been recently consecrated to superintend its work.

“The Church in Australia, it will be seen, affords an illustration of the important fact that every Colonial Church has a double function—first, to care for our own English people; and, next, to serve as a new centre of missionary expansion.

“In its earlier stages, the Church in Australia was supported by the State, and, subsequently, that State support was divided between it and certain other of the greater English religious communions. All support has now been withdrawn, and the Church has but very slight endowment. The effect of the want of endowment is to render the clergy more dependent upon their congregations, and also to make it difficult to maintain works of Church extension, of which the immediate necessity may not be apparent. But it is due to Australian Churchmen to say that, speaking generally, there is liberal support of religious ministrations, and that the standard of contribution for Church purposes annually is considerably higher than in England. At the same time, as I have already indicated, lay agency and co-operation are freely forthcoming, and are absolutely indispensable for the maintenance of any effective religious influence.

“One great difficulty in the way of Christianity