The Express.
London, England, 1868-11-14 00:00:00

sad eats* of my soul if they bed edy truida-
tiose-for this I A give you the swum of
judging_ between eared sad the Bev. lffr. Bridge.
slam- Be rye I was mum and broom
I fesbads my letter is defames of niTsrelldi
arL
of this church being published. wad prevested bier=
replying Wit. Now. bore is in my rind • paper which I
Jihad accidentally, ter I had forgottenMlC- Bridgman&
and all about him, bat beating or eras papers I found••
litter from Yr. Meade= is the arm bead in
which be speaks a this lethig 1 hid written, of
my leaving authorised it to be published by Dr. Smith,
art Warriettan, to whom it we addremed, and encloses
my prmttaedd reply to it, and after that be desouser nee as
Man and cowardly, forsooth, before his aveservative
audio cat e, became I would not allow my ease to be la-
beled last Ni. Baidgeman should reply to it -(
and cheers and this is the mare why the gentleman
who was okra to propose or mord the lota of °ea-
atlioll in News. Turner and Greet, dasher I ought not
to 14 member for South Lancashire. (Laughter.) Well,
gentlemen, I will not pursue this matter further. I have
told them gentlemen that if they wish to know
the whole of my proceedings with regard to
Seaforth -(chetere)-they are upon remilitisittibej
ten be tern, I presume, in the alas of the
Commission. I did not, I would not, detail Nasal-(wer,
Leer)-further than refuting thews charges, but strange to
though 1 have pointed out to thins rev. gentlemen
Over and ever again that these facts are aposereeped., and
pot we the people who would not pay_ a delhug to see
whether I was or was not executor to ler. Bleaudell would
terd hundreds of pounds iu circulstial an untruth, so
they have chosen to publish theca calumnies, not to wound
me-that is not their objet t ; they do not care about me-
don't care, perhaps, very much about them-what they
want is, the votes of the weak brethren, whom. I say, it
is out badness to reeler, and with the hope of reelainiusg
whom I have &greed eau thus long with • description of
matters which I have never entered upon before in the
course of my political oonuexion, and on which I
e wires
intentionhole and pray I may never be called to enter
or sin. Cheese.) It wee my to make that defences
of toys f &defence alone, and not • matter of retort.
I hope I tars succeerled in Foing through it. as I midair
vont ed to do, without applying to this description of con-
duct the epithets of condemnation which I corer, think
might be applied to it, even by • not very sensitive nor-
son. Now, gentlemen, I wish to answer seine questions
submitted through the medium of the pad. In the &A
instance, we know ladies take precedence upon all
occasions. I bar had • letter tram the leader of
the ladies, stating that the Court of Common Pleas
Las mimed the female franchise, and that • bill is
to be introduced into parliament for the purpose
of putting women epee the some footing as men -
I d;d not understand that they were to wear exactly the
same clothe,- (laughter)- but the wished to know
whether I would support that bill. thatlemen, upon
that subject I really must reserve my opiuion. I am
afraid that I cannot give any positive assurance, for I
hemp not been able to give it that profound considera-
tion which it should have-(laughter)-but I may say I
think, p ntleteen, that you may not suppose I wish to
pass by that subject with ridicule. The con-
dition of women in modern society is • sub-
ject that may be made ridicutoun by premature
proposals. But there is not the slightest doubt that •
large proportion of women are more like men-dependent
on their own personal exertions and responsibilities for
their support-than was the case in former times. That is
• very part fact, and it is not for me to say to what mag-
nitude that fact may grow, or what consequences it may
entail. It is a very grave fact, but I own Ido
not think I should be justified in (dying any
pledge for supporting • bill for the purpose
of distinction between man and woman-(cheorsj-with
regard to the electoral suffrage. I have been asked, gentr.
men with regard to the state of the church of :ftg -
a very grave and serious matter. Tee gentleman who
put these questions to me may sibl77 be present here to-
night, and I hope he will unolerrtaad that I thought it
best to give my reply to him here, in face of my fellow-
electors of Lancashire, my past constituents, and, as
I hope, my constituents to be-(cheers).-rather
than through the medium of a communication by letter.
The find question that gentleman has put to me m this,
whether I was favourable to an extension of popular
privilege in the ertabliebed church of England, with re-
gard either to the appointment of the clergy, which is •
very difficult subject, or with regard to the position of the
laity as members of the congregation he general. Ou
that subject, gentlemen, I have no difficulty
in replying. Ny honourable friend, lir. Oren-
fell, stated about three weeks ago, at Wigan, in a
very able speech, that he, looking to the state of the
churl bof F.ngland, could not help being impressed with
the idea that in tome way or other it was required to give
some greater development to its energies from within-
meaning, of course. not from within the mere body of the
clergy. but from within the body of the church, in which
thelaity are included, and of which they form the greatest
art. net, I own, is an ides to which lam very greatly
inclined and I may, perhaps, point out to you
that within the last two seasons of parliament I have
been instrumental in passing a bill introduced by
me into the !louse of Commons in conjunction with my
hoe. friends, Sir R. Palmer and Sir 0. Grey, for
the settlement of the question of church rates
- the whole principle of which has been this,
that the granting of the late out of which, as
you know, the cost of service is usually defrayed, shall be
dependent upon the voluntary votes of the bitty. and not
men any obligation of the law. I hold I considered it a
prat recommendation of that bill that it would bring the
laity forward in the concerns of the church on the
one baud, that it would render them mere effec-
tive supporteis of the clergyman, suit mere liberal
co-oeerators with hen in works of mercy-a matter
which 13 very meetly wanted; and that, on this other
teed, it would give • much more effective control up in
the clergyman-a matter which is al-o, in my opinion,
greatly wanted- with respect to the conduct of se viceeof
the church, and with respect especially to the introduc-
tion of alterations in these services. (Cheers.) Now,
gentlemen, I am a churchmen by birth, by educe-
lion, mid by conviction - (cheers) -and I am not
stout to purchase, either here or elsewhere, eel
tie of the weak blether, or of the &subtle
votes, or any other description of support, by
cerealtng or qualifyiug that fact, hut my belief is that
the welfare of the church of England, which, upon the
whole, is, I think, meet happily at this moment, in the pea-
torsion of a very zealous, active, and devoted clergy, de-
pt :ids to every great degree, with reference to the dangers
that sword it in the present, and that menace, it in the
future, upon the sound and healthful development of the
noires of the laity. (Cheers.) Stating that general
principle, gentlemen, you will perceive that it is suscep-
tible of a wide application. I -have been asked by the
ge nth man who wrote to me from this neighbourhoel
whether I would smolt a bill for the purpose of re-
pressing. according to the recommendations of a royal
ennimision some iouovations in the service of the church
that have been disapprot al by that commission, as' for
which they have proposed a method of repression. Now
1 mint beg of you to observe that, in the ease of • sub-
ject of this kind, it is one thing to state opinions and
another thing to promise action; no conoientiou I or in-
telligent per. on, in my opaeon, should moaner to support
• Precurr measure for a particular purpose until he is
satisfied that the time has arrived when he can support
tl.at measure with • prospect of attaining or fur-
thering the end in view. (Cheers.) I mud, therefore,
beg have to reserve, with regard to every question, and
especially with reference to the .o questions which be it up in
mistier feeeng, and conviction, and fechion, freedom of
action and judgment under the responsibility which I
ask you to commit to me. If we were to quibble as te the
ineriug of the word e Tema" and ritualism," we
should find that it is a word that bears a hundrel signi-
teatime, and, generally speaking, be "ritualism" meet
man mi ans something that he, the individual roan, happen.,
to dempi'roCe of. Of course them is no satisfaction in
dealing with ambiguous words any more than there is in
pausing teem d sheerers and hull-crowns which hive n
iiituo and are of no value whatever. But I
lay rain thee two wineplea as sound: first,
shut this is nut the place where I urn to peer atir any
ceusute or disapproval of anything iu the religious pro-
fession or practice of any portion of the Christian world.
(Cheery.) There in a pace for that-such things h eve
their place-but ever) thing is good in its place, and
nothing is good out of its place, and therefore I
enter into no question of controversy; but I
cannot hesitate to say that the deliberete unite-
nous of the professions and practicer of another
religious communion iu the church of &erred,
ounualy to the law and spirit of the church of England.
is a grace and serious evil to which it is quite right that
the attention of the public and of the state should be di.
sated, and which it is desirable to put down by persue-
eon and moral means, if it be pearl° ; but if it
be not possible, then, in the last resort, by the
unbendiug authority of the law. (Loud cheers.)
Gentlemen Igo one step further than that, because I
with to nice again to the pnuciple that I have laid down,
and which I for one deem most importaut, vie, the
action of the laity. Now with remelt to ritualism it ap-
pears to We that that word does in point of fact,
grammatically confederal, include every kind of ex-
ternal religious observance other than the mere simple
expiation of the feelings of the mind. If you
take the word in its strictest sense, you can't go
into • dissenting chapel without finding what may be
calk d ritualism. I saw lately in • Liverpool paper, I
think in the Liverpool Memory, letters lorded.
" Ritualism in independent churches." There is • great
controversy about ntualism at this moment, and there has
been for many years past among the presbeyteriates
of Scotland, and what he strange is this. There a
evidently arising sinew many bodies of Christians, and
particularly protestant Christians other than these of the
Church of England, • desire-I know not whether it be
legitimate or not, I will give no opinion upon that-a
there for a greater amount of ritualistic observance than
their fathers were contented with. Yon know the controver-
sies about organs; in some dissesting chapels Ism told there
are surplices and • highly respected &renting minister
lately published in his lifetime • fixed form of
observe,r.
All these are matters • wise man will watch and
and not be too precipitate in giving his opinion
about. What I understand of ritualism in • bad
sow is this-whatever in the sacred and solemn
worshiper hod comes between the soul of man and his
Almighty Father and his Redeemer in heaven in such •
way as sot to elevate Mil raise his feeble faculties
toe aids the contemplation of the eternal and supreme,
but to bar him from it - that, in my op i-