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420 VIII. THE MODERN PERIOD (A.D. 18121910).
of concurrent duties, but it is impossible for anyone to read
the able and detailed reports of the present archbishop and
other bishops to their dioceses without perceiving the
extraordinary value of the constant and laborious oversight
which they reveal.
At this point I cannot but express my regret at the diffi
culties which are thrown in the way of the Church in
carrying out the much-needed division of dioceses, which
is even more necessary in Sweden than it is in England.
To make it a condition of the establishment of the new
diocese of Lulea in the North, that Kalmar and Vexio
should be united in the South, is to inflict a grave injury
on the efficiency of the Church, and to destroy local tradi
tions of great value and dignity. In England we escaped
from such a humiliating bargain, which proposed to reduce
the number of dioceses in Wales, in order to found new
ones in England, about the beginning of the reign of
Queen Victoria. I trust that it may be so also in Sweden.
The reason why the episcopal office is not so popular and
so highly valued among Swedes as it ought to be is because
bishops are so little seen and familiarly known. If they be
came again the ordinary ministers of confirmation, and
were brought into personal touch with the young people in
every parish, they would be welcomed with a new
enthusiasm. The bishop would be turned from an
Inspector into a Father in God.
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