very intelligent and able men, who have joined the liberal wing of the orthodox church in Germany, led by Ritschl, Harnack, and others. But the majority of the ruling clergy in Sweden are very conservative, and it is much more difficult to promote reform there than in the more democratic country of Norway.

In Denmark, Mr Janson also has lectured in Copenhagen. A former minister of the State Church, Uffe Birkedal, holds Unitarian services there every Sunday forenoon. Nevertheless, neither he nor the members of his little society have officially broken with the State Church, and they have not yet asked for recognition as Unitarians. Their organ, called 'Light for the Land,' edited by Theo. Berg, is published fortnightly. Another young minister, Anton Jensen, has been forced to resign his position in the State Church on account of the protest against the doctrine of an eternal hell. It is said that he will try to form a free congregation for the support and spread of a liberal gospel. Mr. Janson himself spends his summers in Denmark, in the neighbourhood of Aarhus, Jutland, and preaches to an audience in the city of 150 to 200 every Sunday.

In Norway of late years some University Extension work has been started, and Mr. Janson is very much sought after as a lecturer. His many travels and frequent absence from Christiania made it difficult for him to attend to his duties as a minister, and therefore he resigned his position as official

minister in 1899, and he may now be considered as a travelling missionary. Nevertheless, he keeps up his Sunday meetings as before, and his audience varies from 300 to 600 persons.

The small Unitarian body-seventy-four members in all-is now without any official minister. The president of the congregation is Mr. Gaaserud, a paper dealer in the city.

The Unitarian movement among the Scandinavians will act more as a leaven in the old churches than by the forming of new and separate churches. And anyone who understands the signs of the times will see that inside the orthodox churches there is much more liberalism now than there was twenty years ago. Some of the Lutheran ministers themselves have published books and newspaper articles which would have been considered very heretical a few years ago, especially where they protest against the old-fashioned interpretations of the Bible. They now lay more stress upon practical work than upon dogmatic belief. Liberal religious thought moves forward, inch by inch.

THE PRESENT CONDITION OF RELIGIOUS

THOUGHT AND LIFE IN AUSTRALIA.

BY THE REV. R. H. LAMBLEY, M.A., MELBOURNE.

ELIGION in Australia is an imported article— that is to say, the sects and dogmas of the old world have been perpetuated in these new southern lands. Hence there is very little that is distinctly Australian in the different aspects of religious life and thought; in most cases there is only an echo of voices that have spoken far away. The Anglican Church is, indeed, making an effort to establish a school of Australian theology, but it makes no great headway, and should it succeed, it would only be a sectarian school. The theological institutions of the country are not remarkable for their breadth, culture, or original output of men or books. The best of the men escape to Europe, and if they return at all it is with the image and superscription of Europe legibly stamped upon them. It has been said of

the book trade of Australia that it exists to sell English books and periodicals; and an unkindly critic might say, with a large measure of truth, that the churches of Australia seem specially designed to

perpetuate the divisions and 'isms' of England. But it is difficult to see how this could have been otherwise under the actual circumstances.

The modifications that are being introduced are the product of a certain mobility of thought and a readiness to make experiments of which Europe knows little, and these again may be traced to the effect of climate upon character.

There are many signs of movement within the churches that prognosticate speedy changes of a farreaching kind. This is specially true of the Presbyterian churches. These churches have been federated, and one of the conditions of this federation was the revision of the secondary standards of the Church.' This is a great thing to have accomplished. But some of her most earnest members think that the Presbyterian Church is losing, if it has not already lost, its hold of the people, and is becoming more a racial church-Scotch and Irish. At present it represents a high standard of culture and of wealth, and consequently exercises great influence in the land.

The various sections of the Methodist Church have caught the spirit of the times and federatedthe Act of Union will be consummated during the present year. Within their ranks also are pretty clear indications of change, and certain questions which have to be put to the ministers every year are asked with a conscious nervousness, and in such haste as scarcely to wait for an answer. The connection between them and the parent body is on the

whole loyal and real; still it is obvious that the old traditions are weakening, and the cry for a new hymn-book. 'made in Australia,' is not without its significance. Here, as in Europe, Methodism just holds its own; no headway is made; two or three city centres in Victoria are very active in social work, and attract crowds to their services, but then these services are more like variety entertainments than religious worship.

The Anglican Church is mainly Evangelical; Ritualism and Sacerdotalism are indeed known, but in a very mild form. I am not aware that there is any such thing as an Anglican Broad Church party in Australia.

There are three Unitarian churches, none of them fifty years old, and none of them flourishing. Yet the strange fact is that Unitarians are rapidly increasing in number. I believe the census just taken in Victoria will show a very considerable increase in our numbers. But this increase does not better the condition of our churches, chiefly, I think, because the population is thinly scattered over the country districts, where many of our fellow-believers live, and where it is quite impossible to build churches. There are many Unitarians in Melbourne, possibly a thousand who will so describe themselves in the census, yet less than one-tenth attend our church.

The Australian Church' formed in Melbourne several years ago has now some two or three branches in New South Wales. It is of local growth, and is