The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1868-04-07 00:00:00

linnet Conntg Expo.

TIM/WAY, APRIL 7. 18(18.
NOTES OF THE WEEK.

What may be called the trial beat of the greet
rioe for the Irish Church temporalities has been won
by Mr. Gladstone; but the matter is by no mesas
disposed of onto for the preset SelbiO• of Parlia-
ment It had taken four nights of debating to pi
the Hoses of Commons into committee on Mr.
Gladekone's resolution.; it may take forty nights to
dispose of the reeolntioes in committee. Is this
case the race is inipbAtioally "not 10 the swift," al-
though it may not bison by the slow. It is int-
praotimble for the House, in facie of • otreig
determined m'nority, to come to • speedy deeisiss
on Mr. Oladetons's resolutions, as every point tit
question may be debated aloes* ad sadailson. The
committee is to consider certain Acts of Parliament,
with a view to paging certain resolutions affecting
them. Now, no little debating may take place on
Acts themselves before the oommittes ONIIIO to
the resolution.; and what amount of talk may be
expeoded on the latter it would be imponible to
colcolate, when ono mosidere that in couunittor
members are not oonflued to single spew:thee. Sir
Stafford Nortboote mays that the debate in Com-
mittee may be protracted into the autumn, and the
friends of the Iriah Church, if they have any con.
lideorie in Hr. Bernal Osborne's stgain.y. noy tate
heart, for he gays the (radio° will lee the Weibel
of honourable inenlbere ; bat if the latter prognee
hellion pities true, how heartily sick we shall be of
the subject before it is settled
Next in importance to Parliamentary matters
and far before them in the opinion of some people—
is the great University boat-race vetch mom off on
Saturday. The result wag so generally anticipated,
that only ap unexpected tarn of luck in favour of
the light blue could have caused any great excite-
ment. But it was not to bi. Cambridge is spin
defeated decisively, yet not ingloriotisly.
Still another Taos rand have come off by this
time—Sir Robert Napier's rape spinal time from
&tile to 114dala. Agoording to ailment telegram.
the advanced British fovea was within ex days'
march of King Theodore's army as the middle of
last month. By this time the herbaria monarch
meat have been aired of big infatuation in resolving
to encounter British troo,o with his half-armed
barbarians. It was as well perhaps that he gave
Sir Robert Napier an opportunity of teaching him
• practical lemon; and the coarse adopted by
King Theodore has probably made the recovery of
the captive& In easy matter, as he will hardly have
been able to make good his own escape from the
field of battle, much lees to carry off with him the
captives from Magda*, some miles distant from the
plate where he entrenched himself.
Reformer@ will soon be out of work again, if Mr.
Gladstone is as enceeseful as he desires to be in
dealing with the Irish Church, aud already there
seem to be indications that the Eloise of Lords will
be the nett iostitution spinet which the cry of
" °rennin" will be raised. Indeed, the method of
tfie recent attack upon the Insh Church ought to
prepare us for such an enterprise. Althoegh the
proposed diseelablishment of that Church would
actually &Boot members of the Upper Hones as sock,
and be therefore, in some sense an attack upon the
privileges of that Hostas, the Opposition leader pro-
posed to practically abolish the Irish Church, not
only without 'seise the oeseeat of the Howie of
Lords as • branch a the Legislature, bat even with-
out paying it the same eourtiesyse was pomaded to
the Crown. Is askilig it to relinquish any claim of
privilege in reference to the Irish bishops who sit in
the Upper HOW*. Mr. Gladstone's whom* of due
establiehment word& indeed, in itself be • kind of
Reform Bill for the Hones of Lords, for it wadi take
away part of the ecolodeatioal element to which at
least a section of the Liberal party have so great an
objection. We most not wonder, therefore, if we
presently see Mr. Gladstoee besding a movement
Jar the reform of the Howie of Lords.
Tba judgment of Dr. Phillimore in 7 the mass o
Modem has induced Mr. Mackonockie to re-mode
the services at St. Alban's in order to Comply with
the law as laid doers by the Dean of Arches, and the
mine course will doubtless be followed by the la.
enmbente of other churches where hitherto "High
Ritual" has been in vogue. But, what is it, after
all, that these preesentions have effected Merely,
the abolishing of certain silly ammonia with whelk
the ritualists amused themselves- It is =
pined, truly, that they will ho longer be
to play the pert of monsitehalks in our cherehee, to
rho disysrageemet of the establiehmeet and the
injury of true religion; but how little this is, when
compared with the vital question of the lawbaleme
of the meerdosaliessesimed by the ritualists, white
remains undecided. A sostroverey about ceramesiel
is comparatively perils, while the qualms et
doctrine pes to the very root of all religion. The
great majority of the people have regarded the
whimsies of the ritualists as gnat DOOMININ sad
scarcely worthy of notice ; but it ie this very sober.
minded &meth ohm who will be most shamus
in reset* the prstensecem of the priests, ADA
it boomer, theniont, • question of the utmost
gravity as to hew far the usbordebil theory
receives warrant ITOIS the law. This is • matter
which admits of be eompounies. Three on the one
hand, who believe that the clergy of the Chen* of
Ragland are • divinely ossetituted organisation for
the perpoes of expeendieg • divinely revealed
mesa of demurs upon religions subjects, aid of
perforating various quei-mirendeste wee, and those,
oa the ease, who regard them simply as • body el
an qualified by their learning and piety to be
teachers and expounder, of Holy Writ, and who
have devoted themselves to the ministration of the
Courob's ordinances, will feel that in religion they
have hardly scythes in oommen, and that in morals
sad polities there are corresponding differences
hetweea them Which of the two represents the
deeds* of the Church of England? That ia the
pastion demeading soletion, aid it is of the highest
unparlases that it should be done quickly now,
when the days of the Irish Ohara seam to be cam-
bered, sad the subject of scolesiastioal establishments
is being rigidly canvassed. If tie clew ereallowed
by thilaw to bold themselves forth as peeemeing
those priestly powers, which the Bishop of this
Diocese degas for them, then we may be sure the
separatica of Church and State is not hr off, for but
few will be bead to supplet the mien; but, if se
we believe, the proed mmunptios et sagerdotal
fancitiose is anjeatiffahle before the law sell Is en-
warranted by Scripture, then we dos* ure the
Church will keg live in the hauls of the Peple, and
bee blueing to this emery sad to the whets world.