DIOCESAN HISTORY

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Volume 58, Issue 216, 12 October 1929, Page 4

DIOCESAN HISTORY

All event niernorable in tlie annals of the Diocese of Waiapu was recorded when took place the unaniinous election of the Venerable Archdeacon Herbert Williams to be Bishop of Waiapu, to sucoeed the Bight Rev. Dr. Sedgwick. Tlie latter gentleman has resigned his position, owing to increasing years, after a successful tenure of the office, his resignation taking effect at the end of this year. The unanimous elecfion of the new Bishop — by a ha'ppy coincidence taking placd on his birthday — has a noticeable historic importance. He is the grandson of the first Bishop of Waiapu, during his tenure of the episcopate lovingly known and referred to as "Bishop

Williams," and also the son of anotlier Bishop of Waiapu, the Right Rev. W. L. Williams. The growth and __ de velopment of the Church in this district are . intimately associated with the family which has now given the diocese its third Bishop, and it is to be noted that all three have acquired fame as Maori linguists and lexicographers. The new Bishop receivecl his doctorate in recognition of his fine and self-sacrificing efforts in connection with the Maori ^ dictionary which bears his name, a 1 labour of love and exceptional erudition, universally recognised as ; the standard work on this subject. Although worthily possessing a fine literary career, he has been no mere .hook man, in illustration of which it may be reealled that when at Cambridge University he was captain of his college Rugby team. Born in 1860 in Poverty Bay, the new Bishop commenced his scholastie career at Christ's College, Christchurch. Winning a scholarship at the New Zealand University, he took hrs B.A. degree in 1880, in the following year proceeding to Jesus College, Cambridge. He took his Cambridge B.A. in ,1884 and his M.A. in 1887. On his return to New Zealand he was appointed vice-princi-pal of Te Rau Theologieal College, later becoming principal, and while it is not perhaps altogether suitable for a secular newspaper to refer to theologieal details, it is quite allowable to say that his , career at Te Rau was highly successful. He became Archdeacon of Waiapu 22 years ago, examining chaplain in 1910, and ViearGeneral of the diocese in 1928. The markedly democratic basis of the Church of England is illustrated by the fact that at the election of a Bishop the decision must be by a majority of both the clergy and laity present at the special Synod held for the purposei The fact that the election in this instance was unanimous is not without its own significance. The Bishop-elect is S inan of wide culture in the fullest sepse, but to speak of him as an acknowledged expert and authority we have to consider him in relation to all matters connected with the Maori race, its language and its manners and customs. We have already briefly referred to this when mentioning that standard work, the Maori Dictionary, but it may be. ■ noted that the Covernment has recognised his pre-eminence here, he being chairman of the Board Qf Geograpliical Nomenclature set up by the Government to ascertain the correct spelling of native and other plaee names in New Zea-. land- The native race is . deeply indebted to the Williams - family, commencing with the first Bighop of Waiapu, for its linguistic and archaeologieal efforts to place its history and customs on a sound and unchallengeable basis. Students all over the world of the various dialects of a language which even now provides problems find help in the work of the Williams family, for of all these dialects it is generally agreed that .Maori is ' the most important and the most " useful in the way oi providing root ' cjues. ; Returning once more to the democratic basis of the Church of 1 England, in regard to episcopal elections, it is to be noted that both clergy and laity must combine to provide tlie majority which decides tbe issue. The proposer of a nominee is one. of the clergy, the second er' a member of the laity. The voting must be by ballot, and to ensure finalitv there must be recorded a majority of the voters of both orders. In view of these -p'recautions for ascertaining the will of tbe diocese, it must be regarded as quite a remarkable event that in the period dating back to the first Bishop Williams three members of that family should be appointed to officiate as Bishops of

the diocese. It is also, although perhaps to not such a marked degree, notable that all three have deserved reputations as workers in the vineyard of Maori lexicography.