The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1880-11-13 00:00:00

THE REV. T. P. DALE.

The choir of St. Vedast's, Foster-lane, London, to
the number of about twenty, visited Mr. Dale on
Saturday afternoon at Holloway Prison, Mr. Dale
receiving tlie paity in the corridor, out:side his cell.
He was visibly affected at seeing his friends, whom
he briefly addressed, exorting them to put aside all
feelings of resentment for injury done them.
On the doors of St. Vedast's late on Saturday even-
ing the following notice was affixed: "This church is
temporarily closed for necessary clearing." Another
notice also offers a reward of £2 to those persons
givinginformation of any one unlawfully entering the
church or creating a disturbance.

_
The Rev. T. P. Dale has addressed the following
letter to the Bishop of London :

"Her Majesty's Prison, Holloway, Nov. 6.

_
"My Lord,—l am advised that it is my duty to nominate
a clergyman to take my duty during my enforced absence, I
beg to nominate the Rev. Arthur Murray Dale, now acting
as curate of Sansethorpe under the permit of the Bishop of
Lincoln. Should your lordship prefer my nominating a
beneficed clergyman in your diocese, the Rev. R. T. West,
vicar of St. Mary Magdalene, Paddington, will undertake
the charge.—Your faithful servant, "T. PELiiim DALE."

The English Church Union held a meeting on.
Saturday evening in All Saints' Schoolroom, Notting-
hill, to consider the case of the Rev. Mr. Dale.
Several clergymen and others delivered addresses.
The Rev. Arthur Dale said the imprisonment of his
father was a blot on the fair fame of England, and he
trusted Englishmen would demand justice and fair
play. Resolutions expressive of sympathy with. Mr.
Dale, and indignation at the treatment he had re-
ceived, were passed.
A-large number of people assembled on Sunday
i
morning outside of St. Vedast's Church, n the expec-
tation that services would be held in the church by
Mr. Ackland, who has been nominated by the Bishop
of London to conduct publish worship therein. r.
Ackland arrived about half-past ten o'clock, but' .on
observing the notice posted up by the churchwardens,
closing the church for repairs, he immediately went
away, without making any attenapt to get into the
building. The Rev. Arthur Murray Dale, the. ir.npri-
Boned rector's son, was also in attendance, arriving a
few minutes before Mr. Ackland, for the purpose
of offering a protest against any interference with his
father's rectorial rights. On Saturday night he and
his mother had taken. the letter written by his
father to the Bishop of London to that prelate's pri-
vate residence, and left it there. In conformity with
the tenor of that letter, to which no reply had been
as yet received, he had come to St. Vedast's ready
to perform morning service, but not to celebrate the
Holy Communion. In all that he did he was acting
under his solicitor's advice, and he believed he was
strictly within the limit of his legal rights. He sought
to officiate in St. Vedast's in conformity with his father's
right to nominate a curate under the Public Worship
Regulation Act. He was advised that he was the
proper person to protest against any infringement of
his father's freehold, and that any persons entering
lipon the church without the rector's consent were so
infringing. Mr. L. B. Lee, the Bishop of London's
secretary, arrived at St. Vedast's shortly before elevien
o'clock, and Mr. Dale, jun., informed him that the
rector had nominated him as curate. Mr. Lee also
left after waiting a few minutes without attempting to
fain admission to the church, the doors of which, it
Is understood, were barred and barricaded inside.

About a quarter-past eleven o'clock Mr. Dale, jun.,
informed the people in waiting that no services would
be held, and he and a numerous gathering of his friends
quietly went off, and attended divine service at St.
Faith's.

The Rev. T. Pelham Dale was visited on Monday
by his wife and family and several sympathisers. The
legal council of the English Church "Union are still
considering the further steps to be taken. The church
is watched by commissionaires. of the two opposing
parties.

An address of sympathy has been received by Mr.
Dale from Cardiff, signed by eight hundred communi-
cants of the Church of England, also one from twenty
students of an important theological college.

Mr. H. A. Browne, choir master at St. Vedast's,
has addressed letters to the Archbishop of Canterbury
and the Bishop of London, urging them to consider the
feelings of the congregation, who are debarred from
worshipping in their church and receiving the sacra-
ment, and to use their powerful influence to restore
the rector to his church.

Mr. Dale has declined a second request from the
Bishop of London to give up the keys of St. Vedast's
Church. He says that no priest but himself or some
one nominated by him for the Bishop's approval or
licence can possibly have a right to officiate in the
church of which he is still the rector.

In consequence of the great number of applications
made to visit Mr. Dale in Holloway Prison the
governor has declined to admit any one except the
prisoner's wife and son without a special order from
the visiting magistrates.

AN INTERVIEW WITH THE SULTAN.

Mr. John Pender, M.P., who has had an interview
with the Sultan, telegraphs that it left on his mind
"an impression of the strong desire of the Sultan to
obtain an honourable settlement of pending questions
in order that he might give effect to his settled pur-
pose of advancing the industrial and material develop-
ment of the country."