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burg, and Schaffhausen. Those instituted at Bern and Basel soon lapsed. In Graubunden (Grisons) the synod had almost independent conduct of church affairs. In Geneva, the choice of the clergy lay with the Compagnie des pasteura, and the church discipline in the hands of a consistory whose members were the six pastors of the town, and twelve men chosen by the council. The entire church government in NeucUtel lay in the hands of the Compagnie des pasteura. In canton Vaud, the discipline and the appointment of pastors, subject to confirmation by the government, was vested in the five classes. The union of classes into synods was not invariable, and ceased in the seventeenth century. The current church administration was conducted by a board of examiners in Zurich, consisting of members of the council, pastors, and professors, presided over by the antistes, i.e., the pastor of the Great Minster and president of the synod. It examined and ordained candidates, offered suggestions to the council for the election of pastors, and had supervision of the clergy. Similar boards existed in Schaffhausen, Basel, and other cantons under an antistea or dean. The chapter of Roman Catholic times survived in the assemblies of the clergy of smaller districts, under the name of classes as in Bern and Vaud, or colloquies as in Graubanden, their presiding officer being generally called dean. In Glarus, Appenzell, and Graubiinden, the congregations had the right to choose and dismiss their pastors, but in most cantons this was the prerogative of the government, or of the hitherto existing collators acting on the suggestion of the examiners or church conventions. Even from the time before the Reformation the congregations in many cantons had variously constituted and differently named administrative boards which regulated discipline and morals, the observance of festivals, attendance at church, management of church property, and charities, and formed the first court of marriage discipline. Absolute church discipline to the extent of exclusion from the communion devolved on these boards only in the cantons of Basel, Schaffhausen, NeUChAtel, and Geneva, in the last of which very severe civil penalties were associated with those of the Church, such as expulsion. The synods began to lose power, or ceased altogether in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and the church interests became more and more those of the State. With the founding of the Helvetian republic, a plan was projected for a unified church organization, but was not put into effect. The Helvetian government held the highest ecclesiastical authority, the minister of arts and sciences being also minister of religion. During the intermediate period the old forms were revived. The newly formed cantons of St. Gall and Thurgau were given, synods and church councils, but Aargau, only a church council. In 1830 the political changes occasioned alterations in the church constitution looking toward more independence from the State. A few church synods obtained the right of decision in purely church matters, subject to the ratification of the grand council, and the right of approval in matters not purely ecclesiastical, as in Zurich, St. Gall, Thurgau. Others, as in Schaffhausen, Appen-

tell, had only, even in purely church affairs, the

right to propose measures. Mixed synods, with a

limited clerical representation, were established in

Bern (1852), Neuchfitel (1848), Freiburg (1864),

and Glarus (1845). Popular synods, with absolute

free choice, belong to a recent date. Basel-Stadt

had a church council, but no synod; Basel-Land

no definite church constitution. The chapter-gen

eral in Aargau had the right of decision in- purely

church matters; and in others the right of approval.

The cantons are independent of each other in

church matters, there being no Swiss Reformed

Church, in the legal sense; but only cantonal state

churches. No one is obliged to belong to the estab

lished church of his canton; however,

s. Present a Protestant removing from one can

Church ton to another is ipso facto regarded

Constitution. as an adherent of the state church

where he takes up his residence. Be

tween 1863 and 1903 new church laws were made

in thirteen principal cantons, including Bern and

Geneva (1874), and Zurich (1902). In Schaffhausen

the law of 1854 is in contradiction with the conati=

tution o£ 1876. Basel-Land has as yet no church

law. In purely internal church affairs (worship,

hymnal, liturgy, or materials for,religious instruc

tion), the organizations decide, with or without the

pleasure of the State; but in mixed affairs the State

decides, subject to the approval of the church or

ganization (supervision of church properties, pay

of the clergy, or division of parishes). In Glarus,

Freiburg, Appenzell, St. Gall, Thurgau, the inde

pendence of the Church or of individual churches

is predominant; in Basel-Stadt, Schaffhausen, Aar

gau, Vaud, and Geneva, the material competence

of the state authorities. The churches set up no

formal creed, but declare themselves members of

the Christian church, or of the Evangelical church,

or avow the principles of the Reformation. Some

deny all confessional form as qualification for syn

odal rights and ecclesiastical offices. All citizen

voters who belong to the Reformed faith, or sub

mit to the church regulations, constitute a parish

community. Outsiders have a church vote in Ap

penzell and NeuchAtel. Parishes in all the can

tons may choose their pastor; in Vaud, however,

they have only two nominations to the govern

ment. Moat have the choice of the church govern

ing boards; many the choice of the members of the

synod; some have either the sole right with refer

ence to worship, hymn-book, and liturgy, or the

right to veto the proposals of the synod. The

church board of which the pastor is member ex

officio or advisory member, generally has supervi

sion of the order of worship, of pastoral activity,

specially of instruction, moral discipline, and offi

cial or non-official charge of the poor. The synods

(conaistory in Geneva) are either absolute legisla

tive bodies, in purely church affairs, or are subject

to the state authorities or to the churches. They

are constituted of representatives of the parishes,

or of parishes and the State combined, or election

districts, or o£ the entire canton, or of district

boards. The term is three, four, or six years, and

the sessions are usually annual (monthly in Geneva).

The highest board of administration, variously