THE CHURCH FRANCHISE.
(To rue Eonma or rns " nrscirros.")
Sia,—Surely in a Church claiming to be national the declaration of membership should rest, not with the Church, beet with each individual desiring membership. 'rids seems to have been the principle on which the franchise of the Church of Ireland was based after Disestablishment in 1870. The following details may he of interest to your readers; they are taken from chap. iii. of The Constitution of the Church of Ireland:— " (8) Every male of the age of 21 years, who shall possess the qualifications stated in any one of the Forum of Declaration . . and who shall sign the declaration to that effect, shall, upon the production of the fame to the revising authority, then be registered as a Vestryman of the Parish, District, Church, or Chapel men- tioned in the declaration."
The Forms of Declaration mentioned are three: the applicant most register as an "Owner of Property," or as "a Resident," or as "an Accustomed Member of a Congregation." In eerie he "solemnly declares" that he is "a member of the Church of Ireland." The property qualification is the possession of "landed or boors property in the Parish or District of the clear yearly value to [him) of £10 at the least." As "a resident," his usual place of abode must be in the parish or district. Or to qualify as an aocustomed member of a congregation, he declares that he has "for three calendar months last past been, and now [is] an accustomed member of the congregation attending the church or chapel of ..." In the latter two qualifications he ferther declares that he is not registered as a vestryman in any clenreh or chapel, within the same parish or district, as an accustomel member of the congregation.
" (10) Any diocesan Synod may require, as a further qualifice- Hon for a Vestryman, that he shall be o eulmeriber to the Church funds, and may make regulations accordingly." Most dioceses enjoin tins qualification and fix the minimum annual subscription at 2s. 6d. (II) The Register of Vestrymen M revised once in each year. (2 and 15) Those thus registered form the General Vestry and meet after Easter to elect "from their own number" tics People's Churchwarden, and not more than twelve members to serve on the Select Vestry. These thirteen, with the clergy and Rector's Churchwarden, are the governing body of the parish. lee brief, the function of the General Vestry is simply the annual election of the members of the executive bodies. For almost fifty years this franchise has stood the tent of time. It has eon...fled in securing for the service of the Church of Ireland the hest in character. in churchmanship. and in Intellect. —I IWO, Sir, Ao.,
67 Princetown Road, Bangor, Co. Down. J. R. McDossto.
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