New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-04-26
CuuRCu.RATs REVOLUTION.

The Parliament of England is Like to be bored
Ito abolishipg the good old abuse of making the
lieges pay the expenses of maintaining public
worship according to the Establishment including
the repair of churches, whether they choose that
road TO Heaven or not. Like the unjust Judge in
tie parable, it may grant the lst demand-nos so
much because of its justice, as OF the persistency
of the importantly with which it ID assaied. As
the perfecu.ed damsel married her saitor, TO be rid
Of lin, and 40 the authorities Of New Hampshire,
at former period of her history, used to pardon
trousL some conyic!s out of tie Penitentiary for
the same reason, 50 the az cent usage Of Church
Rates viii room go by the board, aud probably
during this present session, because the demand is
necessarily dinned into the ears of the lawmakers,
AID there is no other way Of stopping the noise.
To be sure, there greatnumbers of renonstrants
against tbs ec,lesiastcal reyOlu!ion-for such, 10
fact it is--but this counter current Is not strong
enough to Turn the food tide of public opinion from
The direction 10 which it sets with irresistible force.
Indeed the desth-warrant of the Church. Rate
system would teem to have been signed when a
Committee of the Lords, consisting of the Arch
bishop Of Canterbury, the Bishops of London and
Oxford, and the Earls of Derby and Granville re-
commended modification which is equivalent to
its abolition. These Right Reverend and Right
Honorable Churcbmen recommended, first that
the jurisdiction Of the Ecclesiastical Courts should
be abolished in the premises, and, with it, tho cir
cuitous and annoying remedy for refusal of payment
through Ell accommodation aud its attendant dsabl-
ities and final incarceratOnthe collection of Church
Rates. of those liable TO the same, to be had by the
same summary process employed for the recovery
Of poor rates. This would Of course, make the col
lection of tie assessed sums much more easy
of those from whom they are due. But then
follows the method by which this liability could be
avoided. Any person, by giving annual notice to
the Churchwardens of tk. parish in which he lives
Of his wish ODE released from the payment of Church
Rates should be entirely freed theIefrom-losing, at
the ssme time, of course, bis rights of voting in the
yestry meetings. For it will be remembered that
ihes rautipgoi Church Rate aud the election of War
deDs, lies with the great body Of ratepayers nclud
ing all DsEenters, Jews as we'll as Gentles, which
last clasfes, in not inrequent instances have the
majority and refuse to grant the sums necessary for
the maintenance OF the edifce and the service. Aud
there are several cases. as Of the late Lord Mayor
Salomons in which Hebrew Jews have been chosen
ChurcbwsrdeLs, and acted SIS such, receiving the
Bishop at bis valuations, and performing all the for
nal and substantial duties of the Office.
This proposition looks fair enough, and ia 10
doubt fairly meant. Certainly it could not have
been satisfactory task to the Piimate of England,
and TO Drr. TAFT and Wlberftrce to say nothing of
Lord Derby to suggest this innovation on the
ancient hold Of the Church on the purses Of the
laity. But ii was the tub which necessity compelled
to be thrown to the popular whale. Meantime, it
does not setm likely 10 be acceptable to the Church
men on the one hand, or to the Dissenters on the
other. The first will be apt to apprehend that too
wide door altogether is thus opened to the Gaos,
who care for none Of these things, and who, if
they had to pay for any form of public worship,
would as soon support that of the Establishment as
bny other; bat who, nevertheless, would be glad Of
Ibis way Of escape from paying anything for any of
hem. There u.s. no doubt, large class of persons
who hing very loosely on the skirts of Mother
Church who would not give her up for any Of the
Conventeles or Cbapels that would take her place,
and yet who would be little disposed to contribute
Of their substance 10 her maintenance If they could
DO well rid of it. The Dissenters on the other
hand are likely to object to tho annoyance of "a
annual statement of their objections and they might
prefer to keep up the rEgious warfare which their