Church Standard
The Church Standard was a national Anglican newspaper based in Sydney, Australia, published from 1912 to 1952.
History
[edit]The paper was the official newspaper of the Church of England in Australia, as the Anglican Church of Australia was then called.[1] It was founded in 1912 by Montagu Stone-Wigg, who had resigned as Bishop of New Guinea in 1908,[2] with the assistance of another Anglo-Catholic clergyman, the Rev William Hey Sharp, the former warden of St Paul's College.[3] Stone-Wigg became the first editor.[4] The paper was published by the Church Publishing Company.[a]
The editorial line of the Church Standard was strongly Anglo-Catholic.[7][8] An Evangelical view was that the paper should be called the "Roman Church Standard".[9]
Its political line was more liberal: it was an early opponent of the White Australia policy.[10] The paper was strongly critical of the censorship of a speech to have been broadcast on the ABC by Judge Foster in 1938.[11]
Under the editorship of the Rev G Stuart Watts (1934-1940), the paper took an ever more liberal line. Watts published articles by the radical Presbyterian theologian Samuel Angus and he himself wrote articles pleading for a more liberal interpretation of the Virgin Birth and the bodily Resurrection; these led to suggestions from churchmen in the Diocese of Sydney in 1937 that Watts should be charged with heresy.[12] Nothing came of that, but the editorial line became unacceptable to the Bishops, and, in 1940, Watts was summarily dismissed.[13][14]
The final editor was W. Basil Oliver, JP,[15] who had previously been the Secretary of the publishing company; Oliver was acting editor after Watts was dismissed, and permanently appointed in 1942.[16] An early editorial by Oliver proposed that St Mark be adopted as the patron saint of Australia, his feast day being 25 April, Anzac Day.[17] (Oliver was the Australian correspondent for the American Episcopalian newspaper, The Living Church).[18]
By 1952 the Church Standard was "ailing", and, in an attempt to revive it, was re-named The Anglican.[19] Its masthead stated that it incorporated the Church Standard; a number of diocesan newspapers were closed to support its viability.[20]
Editors
[edit]- The Rt Rev Montagu Stone-Wigg, 1912-1915.[21]
- The Rev Charles Edward Curtis, 1915-1918.[22]
- The Rev Dr William Charles Pritchard, 1918–1930.[23][24]
- The Rev Frank Sturge Harty, 1930-1933.[25][26]
- The Rev George Stuart Watts, 1933-1940.[27]
- Walter Basil Oliver, 1942-1952.[28][29]
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "The Church Standard". Voice. Vol. 7, no. 36. Tasmania, Australia. 8 September 1934. p. 8. Retrieved 1 October 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Stone-Wigg, Montagu John (1861–1918)". Australian Dictionary of Biography: Montagu Stone-Wigg. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
- ^ "Sharp, William Hey (1845–1928)". Australian Dictionary of Biography: William Hey Sharp. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
- ^ "Stone-Wigg, Montagu John (1861–1918)". Australian Dictionary of Biography: Montagu Stone-Wigg. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
- ^ "Publications Received". The Cumberland Free Press. Vol. II, no. 72. New South Wales, Australia. 31 October 1896. p. 3. Retrieved 2 October 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Interdiocesan". The Church Of England Messenger For Victoria And Ecclesiastical Gazette For The Diocese Of Melbourne. Vol. XXXIII, no. 391. Victoria, Australia. 13 May 1901. p. 65. Retrieved 2 October 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ ""Church Standard"". Glen Innes Examiner. Vol. 16, no. 2082. New South Wales, Australia. 7 March 1940. p. 1. Retrieved 1 October 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "NOTES OF THE WEEK". The Methodist. Vol. 41, no. 8. New South Wales, Australia. 20 February 1932. p. 3. Retrieved 1 October 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Anglican Opposition". Catholic Weekly. Vol. II, no. 93. New South Wales, Australia. 9 December 1943. p. 11. Retrieved 1 October 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Church Times: "Summary", 1 April 1932, p 403". Retrieved 30 September 2021.
- ^ "CENSORING OF Judge's Speech: "Church STANDARD'S" CRITICISM". Northern Star. Vol. 62. New South Wales, Australia. 14 May 1938. p. 13. Retrieved 1 October 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Talk Of Heresy". The Daily Telegraph. Vol. II, no. 152. New South Wales, Australia. 15 September 1937. p. 1. Retrieved 1 October 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ ""CHURCH STANDARD" EDITOR DISMISSED". Border Morning Mail. Vol. XXXVI, no. 10825. New South Wales, Australia. 8 March 1940. p. 8. Retrieved 1 October 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ ""Church Standard"". Glen Innes Examiner. Vol. 16, no. 2082. New South Wales, Australia. 7 March 1940. p. 1. Retrieved 1 October 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "LETTERS TO EDITOR". The Sydney Morning Herald. No. 35, 649. New South Wales, Australia. 25 March 1952. p. 2. Retrieved 1 October 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "PERSONAL". Goulburn Evening Penny Post. New South Wales, Australia. 3 May 1934. p. 2 (DAILY and EVENING). Retrieved 1 October 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "PATRON SAINT". The West Wyalong Advocate. New South Wales, Australia. 21 November 1940. p. 4. Retrieved 2 October 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Who's Who in Australia, 1921-1950, p 549.
- ^ "Church Times: "Inside of the Week", 28 August 1970, p 4". Retrieved 30 September 2021.
- ^ "Church Times: "New Church Paper", 26 September 1952, p 686". Retrieved 30 September 2021.
- ^ "Stone-Wigg, Montagu John (1861–1918)". Australian Dictionary of Biography: Montagu John Stone-Wigg. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
- ^ "Anglican History: Cable Clergy Index" (PDF). Retrieved 1 October 2021.
- ^ "Church Times: "The Late Dr WC Pritchard", 23 October 1931, p 458". Retrieved 30 September 2021.
- ^ "Church Times: "The Church in Australia", 21 November 1930, p 626". Retrieved 30 September 2021.
- ^ "Day by Day". The Methodist. Vol. 42, no. 19. New South Wales, Australia. 13 May 1933. p. 6. Retrieved 1 October 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Crockford's Clerical Directory, 1932, p 575.
- ^ "Watts, George Stuart (1899–1988)". Australian Dictionary of Biography: George Stuart Watts. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
- ^ "SUN Readers Say". The Sun. No. 12, 017. New South Wales, Australia. 2 August 1948. p. 9 (LAST RACE ALL DETAILS). Retrieved 1 October 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Tolique Runs Second At Elwick". The Advertiser (Adelaide). Vol. LXXXV, no. 26275. South Australia. 21 December 1942. p. 4. Retrieved 1 October 2021 – via National Library of Australia.