authority less from the several Churches of that Communion
than from individual bishops. Upon her ordination a deaconess
will acquire Holy Orders, conferred according to a " form and
manner, such as might fitly be included in the Ordinal." The
functions of deaconesses are defined as: " (a) To prepare
candidates for Baptism and Confirmation. (6) To assist at the
administration of Holy Baptism, and to be the administrant of
that Sacrament in cases of necessity in virtue of her office.
(c) To pray with and to give counsel to such women as desire
help in difficulties and perplexities, (d) With the approval of
the bishops and of the parish priest, and under such conditions
as shall from time to time be laid down by the bishop (i.) in
church to read Morning and Evening Prayer and the Litany
except such portions as are assigned to the priest only; (ii.) in
church also to lead in prayer and, under licence of the bishop,
to instruct and exhort the congregation." It should, however,
be pointed out that Clause (d) (ii.) was passed by a majority
only. Women other than deaconesses should have opportunity
given them, with the bishop's permission, to speak and lead
in prayer both in consecrated and unconsecrated buildings at
other than the regular and appointed services of the Church,
on the same conditions as men.
Spiritualism, Christian Science, and Theosophy. The Con- ference saw " grave dangers in the tendency to make a religion of Spiritualism," the practice of which as a cult " involves the subordination of the intelligence and the will to unknown forces or personalities." The teaching of Christian Science " cannot be reconciled with the fundamental truths of the Christian faith and the teaching of Scripture," since it tends to Pantheistic doctrine, to a false antithesis between spirit and matter, and to the denial of the reality of sin, disease and suffering. The Con- ference declared that in the positive teaching of Theosophy there are cardinal elements irreconcilable with the faith.
Marriage and Sexual Morality. " The Conference affirms as our Lord's principle and standard of marriage a life-long and indissoluble union, for better for worse, of one man with one woman, to the exclusion of all others on either side, and calls on all Christian people to maintain and bear witness to this stand- ard. Nevertheless, the Conference admits the right of a national or regional Church within our Communion to deal with cases which fall within the exception mentioned in the record of our Lord's words in St. Matthew's Gospel, under provisions which such Church may lay down." " Grave concern " is expressed at " the spread in modern society of theories and practices hostile to the family," such as the use of unnatural means for the avoidance of conception. In regard to venereal disease, " the Conference must condemn the distribution or use, before exposure to infection, of so-called prophylactics, since these cannot but be regarded as an invitation to vice."
The Church and Industrial Questions. " An outstanding and pressing duty of the Church is to convince its members of the necessity of nothing less than a fundamental change in the spirit and working of our economic life. This change can only be effected by accepting as the basis of industrial relations the principle of cooperation in service for the common good in place of unrestricted competition for private or sectional advantage."
Christianity and International Relations. Stress was laid upon the importance of endeavouring to increase international comity and good-will, and of securing their expression by an increased recognition of international law and custom. Steps should immediately be taken to enable the whole Church of Christ to urge upon the peoples of the world the principles of the League of Nations. " We hold that the peace of the world, no less than Christian principle, demands the admission ot Germany and other nations into the League of Nations at the earliest moment which the conditions render possible."
Missionary Problems. It was urged by the Conference that missionary societies and boards should make their work centre in the Church rather than in the mission organization by the establishment of councils and diocesan boards, which should have a real share in financial control and general direction. Liturgical uniformity should not be regarded as a necessity
everywhere, i.e. the Prayer Book, as the one fixed liturgical model, is inapplicable in many parts of the mission field. It is sufficient that local liturgical forms should retain " those fea- tures which are essential to the safeguarding of the unity of the Anglican Communion."
Development of Provinces. The gradual creation of new ecclesiastical provinces should be encouraged, and each newly- founded diocese should as soon as possible become a constituent member of a province. In the opinion of the Conference four is the minimum number of dioceses to form a province, but no number is too great so long as convenience of consultation is assured. Newly-constituted provinces should have some distinct voice in the elections of their metropolitans.
Self-Government of the Church. The need of a representative body which, by including laymen, should interpret to the nation the desires of churchpeople and make clear the need for self- government with greater force than was possible to the Houses of Convocation, had been felt in the Church of England for many years. After much discussion and considerable opposition a Representative Church Council was formed in 1904 and en- dowed with a constitution in the following year. It consisted of the four Houses of Convocation and the twx> Houses of Lay- men. The council, however, had no legal existence and no powers save such as were accorded to it by the good- will of church- people. It served a useful temporary purpose and encouraged the growing conviction that the laity were entitled to a much larger share in the councils of the Church, but its lack of author- ity made it an imperfect instrument, and it soon became clear that nothing short of a statutory body would satisfy the in- sistent claim for lessened State control. In 1913, therefore, a committee was appointed by the two archbishops " to inquire what changes are advisable in order to secure in the relations of Church and State a fuller expression of the spiritual independ- ence of the Church as well as of the national recognition of religion." This committee unanimously reported that Par- liament, owing to modern changes in its memberships, was no longer the right legislative authority for the Church, and that the time was ripe for granting to the Church wider powers of self-government, and presented a scheme for enabling statutory form to be given to four elective bodies, i.e. parochial church councils, ruridecanal conferences, diocesan conferences, and a Church council. As we have seen, the germ of the last named already existed in the Representative Church Council. The other three bodies were also in voluntary existence, although the number of parochial church councils was relatively small. In 1917 the scheme was accepted in principle by both Convocations, and in 1919 a further committee appointed by the Repre- sentative Church Council presented an amended plan which was finally adopted with one dissentient. In May of that year the Convocations addressed the Crown, asking that legislative authority should be conferred upon the proposed Assembly, and on Dec. 23 1919 the Church of England Assembly (Powers) Act according this authority received the Royal Assent. For this result the active propaganda conducted by the Life and Liberty Movement was largely responsible. The Assembly consists of the whole of the diocesan bishops of England (the House of Bishops), the whole of the members of the two Lower Houses of Convocation (the House of Clergy), and a number of laymen and laywomen proportioned to the size of each diocese, elected for five years by the diocesan conferences (the House of Laity). The three Houses may sit together or separately. Under the Church of England Assembly (Powers) Act (commonly called the Enabling Act), the first two duties of the Assembly were to draw up a constitution for the parochial councils and to take steps for the reform of Convocation.
The Assembly, which met for the first time on June 30 1920, was empowered to legislate by means of bills (technically called Measures) which, after being passed by it, are to be sent to an ecclesiastical committee consisting of 15 members of the House of Lords, appointed by the Lord Chancellor, and 15 members of the House of Commons, appointed by the Speaker. This committee is to consider each measure, and " draft a report
