The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1876-12-23 00:00:00

A PASTORAL ON TEMPERANCE.

On Sunday, at high and low mass and at all the
other services in the Roman Catholic churches and
chapels in the "Archdiocese of Westminster," there
was lead a short pastoral letter from Cardinal Manning
desiring his clergy, in the view of the approaching
festival of Christmas, to warn their flocks against the
vice and sin of drunkenness. In order to aid his clergy
in their crusade against intemperance his Eninence
begs them to notify to their flocks that the Pope has
granted an "Indulgence" of a hundred days for
Christmas Day, for Christmas Eve, and for the day
after Christmas, to such of " the faithful" as will
resolve not to enter a publichouse on those days for
the purpose of drinking, and another Indulgence of a
hundred days more to those who will wholly abstain
from drinking spirituous liquors on those three days.
To these inducements to the cause of temperance
Cardinal Manning adds another' in the shape of a
hundred days' Indulgence to such members of his flock
as will refrain from entering publichouses for the pur-
pose of drinking on each of three days above-mentioned.

The REV. A. TOOTH and the PUBLIC
WORSHIP REGULATION ACT.
It having been generally understood that the inhibition
pronounced against the Rev. A. Tooth, vicar of St. James's,
liatcham. would be served upon him on Sunday last, a large
congregation assembled, and as early as nine o'clock crowds
gathered in the neighbourhood of the church.—The Times of
Monday gives the following account of the proceedings
"The inhibition was posted on the door of the
church yesterday, and another copy was also handed
to Mr. Tooth about ten o'clock by an officer of
Lord Pazancs's Court, who attended specially for
the purpose. Mr. Tooth, however, took the chief
part in the services of the day. There was a large
congregation, and the crush at the high celebra-
tion at eleven o'clock was enormous, and long before
that hour the church was so crowded that the doors
had to be closed. All the avenues and approaches to
the church were occupied by hundreds of persons who
were unable to obtain admission. Among the'congre•
gation were several clergymen from different parts of
the metropolis, and those who accompanied the vicAr
and his curates in their robes from the vestry to the
chancel were the Rev. A. H. Mackonochie, vicar of
St. Albans, Holborn, the Revs. Ltnklater and Lowder,
of St. Peter's, London Docks, and several others. The
following is the text of the inhibition an served upon
the vicar :

" James Plaisted, Baron Penzance, Judge of the Provincial
Court of Canterbury, to all and singular literate persons in
and through the said Province greeting: Whereas in the
matter of a representation made in pursuance of the PilbitC
Worship regulation Act, 1874, C. which th. Ray. Axthur
Tooth, clerk, vicar ot Sr. James's, I.latchain, in the
diocese of Rochester, the person coinplained of, a
monition was issued by us and duly served on the
said Arthur Tooth, commanding him to abstain from
certain practices, and to remove the second altar; and
whereas it has been made to appear before us that the
said Arthur Tooth hath failed to pay due obedience to the
said monition, we do therefore hereby order that for Such,
his disobedience, he, the said Arthur Tooth, be inhibited
for the terms of three months from the time of the publica-
thin of this inhibition, and therefore until the time shall
have duly relaxed, from performing any service of the
Church, or otherwise exercising the cure of goals within the
said diocese; and we hereby do command that you, or some
of you, do, on Sunday next, or on the Sunday next after the
receipt by you of these presents, previous to the commence-
ment of divine service in the parish church of Si.James's,
Hatcham, aforesaid, by affixing these presents on the said
church, and leaving thereon affixed a true copy hereof,
notify to him, and to all ethers whom it may concern, that
he, the said Arthur Tooth, is inhibited as aforesaid from
performing any service of the church, or otherwise exer-
cising the cure of souls within the said diocese, and herein
fail not."

The vicar, supported by his churchwardens and the
entire congregation, undertook the office of celebrant,
wearing the same purple chasuble with which he had
been robed during the past two Sundays, and also
preached the sermon. He selected as his text the 11th
chapter of St. Matthew, and the 9:1 verse, "But what
went ye out for to see? A prophet? Yea, I say unto
you, and more than a prophet." The discourse had
chiefly reference to the story of St. John the Baptist -
when in prison, as recorded in the chapter from which
the text was taken. Towards the close of his sermon,
in alluding to the position in which he had been placed
by the steps taken against him, he observed that there
could be no doubt that a great conflict was coming
upon them. The conflict was fast looming, and it
was a conflict between revealed religion and infi-
delity. With regard to himself, he was threat-
ened with what might result in an over-
whelming sorrow, but although there were those
who would not give himself and others credit
for any real desire for spiritual life, he felt he had done
his duty, and he felt compelled to act upon the con-
viction that the requirements of a spiritual life were
altogether inconsistent with a policy of concession to
inexpediency. "I do not," said the vicar in conclusion,
"know the word defiance in the Christian scheme ; but
Ido know and understand the word duty. Defiance is
not an element in the economy of salvation, and in
connexion with that economy I neither know nor
recognize any such term ; but this I do know and
understand, that when a faithful and conscientious
priest is doing his best for his people, both in strength
and in weakness, desirous and anxious to fulfil the
obligations imposed upon him by his chief pastor and
guide, when an unholy influence
.and an unhallowed
thing is attempted to be brought to loar upon that
priest, then I understand the word duty, and that in-
fluence at all hazards I will resist."

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