Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-03-29
ENGLAND.
The RItuaI Question I'm Parliament

The Ritual Question in Parliament. |
On Monday, March IL, in the House of |
Lords, the Earl of Shaftesbury introduced |
the subject Of sacrificial vestments. He |
said: ----..---- ..-..--.
Perhaps your Lordships will allow me
to lay upon the table bill which has been
prepared for the correction of certain rit- |
ualistic abuses which have crept into the |
Church of England. Your Lordships are
perfectly aware how-deeply moved the peo-
pie ale becoming by the introduction of all
those rites so little in accordance with the
long established system of public worship
in our country, and more particularly by
that which relates to sacrificial vestments
1t is on that account that the bill which ]
am about to introduce touches the question
of sacrifcial vestments alone, and for two
reasons-frst, because those vesuments
have offended the country in an unusual
degree; and, secondly. because there is
some ambiguity in the law on the subject.
With respect to candles, incense, and other
matters of that description, l believe the
law is not doubtful, and we can redress the
abuses by prosecutions in the courts by
law but with respect to sacrificial vest
ments there is doubt, and because there
is that doubt, now venture to propose
bill to your I.ordships. My object is to give
the force of law to usage regulating cere-
monials of public worship that has existed
in this country for nearly three hundred
years, down to the present time. That
usage, if we may callit so, was first pre-
scribed by a statute of the latter end of the
reign of Edward vi. The act was repealed
in the time OF Queen Mary, but the same
usage was afterward reinstituted BY the in
functions of Elizabath in the year 1854
These injunctiOns regulated the ceremonial
of the Church until 1903, when ConVocatiOn
embodied in the 5Sth canon tle usage that
had existed in the time ASeeSEdward W. and
under the injunctions of Queen Elizabeth
in 1864. That canon was formed by the
Convocation of the two provinces of Canter-
bury and York, and was ratified by the
Crown. The canon runs in this form:
Every minister saying the public pray
ery or ministering the sacraments or other
rites of the Church shall wear decent and
comely surplice with sleeves; and if any
question arise touching the matter, decency
or confines thereof, the same shall be de-
cided by the discretion of the Ordinary.
| Furthermore, such ministers as are gradu-
ates shall wear upon their surplices, at such
times, such hoods as by the orders of their
| Universities are agreeable to their degrees.
which no minister shall wear, being nc
graduate, under pain Of suspension. Not
withstanding, it shall be lawful for such
ministers as are not graduates, to wear
upon their surplices, instead of hoods,
some decent tippet of black, so 1t be not
silk
Ipropose, my lords. to give effect to this
by means of the Statute law without touch
| ing the Rubric or the canons. l merely
adopt the spirit of the canon which was
agreed to by Convocation and ratified by
the Crown in 1904, the year after. SUBJ
mitted this bill to the right reverend BENCH
and many distinguished prelates entirely
concurred in its provisions. Since that
time, however, l have heard that the most
reverend prelate the Archbishop of Can
terbury intends to propose on the part Of
the bishops. / am glad that it is so, but
nevertheless, [ must submit this bill to your
lerdships, because it is doubtful when the
bill of the most reverend prelate may be
propounded, whether it may not be delayed
or defeated, and l am anxious that there
should be some measure in readiness tt
meet any of these innovations. Moreover
[ cannot but think it right that after much
trouble and time have been devoted to the
framing of this measure. it should be sub.
mitted to the country with the view of OBJ
tanning its opinion upon it.. beg, my
lords. to move that this bill be now read q
first time.
The Archbishop of Canterbury said j: 1t
is quite true that the Right Rev. Bench die
feel the gravity OF the matter; the subject
has been under our serious consideration
for some time past, and we have come to
the conclusion to bring i'll bill. But / an
bound to say we hesitated whether tina
: was the course we ought to pursue.
earnestly hope that in week or ten day
we may come to some definite conclusion.
The bill was then read first time.