Dean Walker has given to us, at our special request, some account of. his last interview with the Archbishop of Canterbury. The occasion was the more interesting because the Primate had come to Lambeth Palace fresh from a debate Ji-lin the House of Lords where he had just spoken in support of the Conscription Bill. The Archbishop appeared to be in fairly good health, though still feeling the effects of his recent illness. His intimate knowledge of Church matters in China was amazing.
His Grace was particularly pleas-led to hear of the cordial relations existing between English and American churchmen in Shanghai, the more so because at one time Shanghai was a difficult problem. The ditficulties and aspirations of the Chinese Church were fully appreciated, and the Archbishop referred to the old "term question" as a matter in which he had been much interested, and remembered the actual Chinese words around which the battle raged.
It is nearly years since the Archbishop gave is approval of the Trust Scheme, under which (with the authority of the Supreme Court for China) the affairs of Holy Cathedral are administered. His Grace compared our scheme very favourably with schemes for carrying on consular chaplaincies in other parts of the world. He was interested in our lood plans for Church finance, and confirmed his former opinion that the status of the English Church as a titular Cathedral, without the cathedra of a diocesan bishop, was the best solution of the local problem of non-diocesan jurisdiction.
The distinction is not easily appreciated at home, and Dean Walker reports that he was frequently engaged in an unequal struggle against being called "the Dean of Shanghai." This, of course, he is Chinese any time it was thought advisable to use it. Mr. Walker is Dean of Holy Trinity Cathedral and the practical advantage of the title is that it conyers to English churchmen generally th: idea of non-diocesan establishment. We are glad to note that Dean Walker has at length agreed to adopt the style and title of his decanal appointment.
The Vestry has decided to call a meeting of the congregation to hear paper, which the Dean wrote when in England, entitled "A Church Council in being." The paper deals with Church finance and Church Councils at home and in Shanghai.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.