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CHAPTER LE

THE AUSTRALIAN COLONIES.

Location, Products, and Population of New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, and Western Australia-Tasmania and New Zealand -Growth of Religious Denominations on the Island-American Churches represented in the Colonies.

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USTRALASIA, sometimes called Southern Asia, comprises a large number of islands, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere between the Pacific and Indian Oceans. All the British possessions on this island-continent are estimated to embrace an area of 3,174,000 square miles, and a population of nearly 3,000,000. Australia is not only the largest island of this group, but it is the largest in the world. It is divided into five colonies, viz.: New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, and Western Australia. These colonies contain an area of 2,983,000 square miles, and a population of over 2,000,000, which is steadily increasing year by year.

In the early days of the Australian colonies clergymen were merely chaplains to the convict establishments. Subsequently an act was passed by Parliament for the support of Episcopal churches and schools, to which one-seventh of the Crown lands was to be devoted. Sir Richard Bourke prevailed upon the English government to assist all denominations of Christians in building places of worship and supporting their ministers. In Queensland an act was passed in 1860 abolishing State aid to religions altogether, and other colonies gradually came to insist upon the volun

tary system, viz.: each denomination supporting its own churches, missions, schools, and ministry.

In 1850 there were about 150 places of worship in the colony of South Australia. The ministers of religion were seventeen of the Church of England, under the superintendence of the Bishop of Adelaide; eleven of the Roman Catholic Church, under the Roman Catholic Bishop of Adelaide; two of the Church of Scotland; two of the Free Church of Scotland; one of the Scotch Presbyterians; six, besides many local preachers, of the Wesleyan Methodists; two, and several local preachers, of the Primitive Methodists; fifteen Independent, eight Baptist, six German Lutheran, one German Independent, three Christian, and two Bible Christian ministers. The New Church, the Quakers, and the Jews, had each a place of worship in the capital city.

The religious bodies in the colony of Victoria were: The Church of England, the Church of Scotland, the Free Church of Scotland, United Presbyterians, Independents, Baptists, Methodists, and Roman Catholics. The Bishop of Melbourne was the head of the Church of England. An act of the Legislative Council of Victoria, ratified by the Imperial Legislature, contained, among other provisions, one for the reservation of £50,000 per annum for the purposes of religious worship, to be distributed in proportion to the respective numbers of the several denominations. The sum was to be expended in erecting places of worship and in payments to ministers, and the sum given in aid of ministers' stipends was not to exceed £25,000 in any one year.

New South Wales was divided into two bishoprics, Sydney and Newcastle, the Bishop of Sydney being the metropolitan of Australia. The other bishops were those of Melbourne, Adelaide, Tasmania, New Zealand, and Christchurch. In 1853 the total number of ministers in the colony was 163, of whom forty-seven were supported wholly by voluntary contributions. Of the whole number, seventy-eight belonged to the Church of England, thirty-two were Roman Catholics, thirty-two were Presbyterians, sixteen Wesleyan Methodists, four Independents, and one was a Jewish rabbi.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA.-TASMANIA.

625

The amounts paid that year by the government to religious teachers were: Church of England, £18,344; Roman Catholics, £12,837; Presbyterians, £5,998; and Wesleyan Methodists, £1,013.

In Western Australia schools were provided at the government expense for children of all religious denominations, and there were a number of other schools maintained by the Wesleyan Methodists. It was estimated that there were twenty churches in existence in the colony belonging to the Church of England, four to the Presbyterian Church, and three to the Roman Catholic Church, independent of a number of chapels and mission stations, which brought the whole number up to seventy.

In Tasmania there were thirteen places of worship of the Church of Scotland, three for Roman Catholics, twenty-one for Wesleyan Methodists, fifteen for Independents, three for Baptists, and two for Jews. The Church of England had a bishop whose diocese included the archdeaconry of Hobart Town, with thirty-four places of worship, and the rural deaconry of Longford, with nineteen places. Of these bodies all except the Independents and the Jews received government aid:

From the year 1850 forward the cause of religion kept pace with the marvellous progression of the colonies. As the sign of the cross is an effective symbol of civilization, we can readily measure the substantial growth of a new country by the increase of respect for all that this holy emblem typifies.

By 1864 the number of registered ministers in New South Wales had increased to 411, and the places of worship to 1,290. One-third of the attendance on religious services was at the Church of England churches, above a fifth at the Roman Catholic churches, the residue being shared among the Presbyterians, Wesleyan Methodists, and other non-conformist denominations. There were also in that year 539 Sunday-schools in operation, in which 30,102 children were receiving Christian instruction.

In Queensland there were 139 Sunday-schools with 6,718

scholars. Brisbane, the capital of the province, had twentythree churches and chapels within its limits, while Ipswich, the next largest town, contained nearly as many.

In South Australia, in 1866, there were 492 churches and chapels, with 91,816 sittings, exclusive of 6,361 sittings in 153 other rooms used for public worship.

In Western Australia the census of 1859 showed twentyseven places of worship, of which fourteen were of the Church of England, five of the Roman Catholic Church, four of the Wesleyan Methodists, and four of the Independents. In Victoria, New South Wales, and Tasmania, the growth was nearly in the same proportion; sections preferred by immigrants showing a higher rate.

By 1871 almost every phase of religious belief had found expression in South Australia. The Episcopalians were, of course, the most numerous. Although the divergence of opinion upon questions of faith, discipline, and church government was there, as it has always been everywhere, very wide, religious intolerance and sectarian animosity were all but unknown. The census of that year showed that there were in the colony 50,849 persons connected with the Church of England, 28,668 Roman Catholics, 27,075 Wesleyan Methodists, 15,412 German Evangelical Lutherans, 13,371 Presbyterians, 8,731 Baptists, 8,207 Primitive Methodists, 7,969 Congregationalists, 1,188 Christian Brethren, 662 Unitarians, 435 Jews, 363 New Connexion Methodists, 210 Moravians, 137 members of the New Jerusalem Church, 92 members of the Society of Friends, 4,753 "Protestants" (not otherwise defined), and 508 of "Other Religions." The Church of England had 1 bishop, 2 archdeacons, 2 rural deans, 50 clergymen, 150 licentiates, and 76 churches. The Roman Catholics had 1 bishop, about 30 priests and other ecclesiastics, a cathedral and 40 other churches and chapels, a convent, and several educational and charitable establishments. The Wesleyans had 29 circuits, about 40 ordained ministers, nearly 300 local preachers, and 276 churches and preaching stations. The resources of the other denominations were proportionate to their numerical strength as given above.

GROWTH OF RELIGIOUS DENOMINATIONS.

627

In the same year there were in the city of Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, seven edifices of the Church of England, five Presbyterian, four Roman Catholic, four Baptist, three Wesleyan Methodist, three Congregational, three Primitive Methodist, beside Lutheran, New Jerusalem, and other sects. St. John's Cathedral was a modest building of the olden times, and had a fine peal of bells. The bishop was considered "rather low"; but Episcopalians of "high" proclivities found ample recompense in the fine service at All Saints'. One of the Presbyterian churches had a divinity hall belonging to it. The handsomest church edifice was that of the Roman Catholics, and, though somewhat unfinished, was considered a monument of good style. One of the priests, the Rev. J. E. Tenison-Wood, had a worldwide reputation for scientific attainments, and an Australian one for goodness.

In Victoria, in the same year (1871), the Roman Catholics were estimated at 250,000, the Jews at 5,500, and the Mohammedans and Pagans at about 42,000. A few thousands were unattached to any denomination. The remainder were Protestants, more than one-half being connected with the Church of England. This church then had nine bishops, namely, of Sydney, Newcastle, Bathurst, Adelaide, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, Goulburn and Grafton, and Armidale. The Roman Catholic church had one archbishop in Sydney, and ten bishops.

The statistics of 1881 for the colonies of Victoria and Queensland were exceedingly suggestive of rich spiritual harvests. In the former the Protestants were reported at 618,392; the Roman Catholics at 203,480; the Jews at 4,330; the Mohammedans and Pagans at 11,159; and, belief not stated, 24,985; total, 862,346. In the latter the Protestants numbered 139,380; the Roman Catholics, 54,376; the Jews, 457; the Mohammedans and Pagans, 16,871; and, belief not stated, 2,440; total, 213,524. At the same time New Zealand was credited with 387,767 Protestants; 68,984 Roman Catholics; 1,536 Jews; 4,936 Mohammedans and Pagans; and 26,710 people of unreported belief; total, 489,933.

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