The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-09-24
RITUALLSM IN ENGLAND.

Ritualists think of II, went out and bought a
copy OF the Church Times. 1t is agitated, but
not frightened. 1t considers these secret in
QuIries very unsatisfactory. 1t predicts that
any law on the subject will be as dead as the
Ecclesiastical Titles bill against the Roman
Catholics. But II is not so much In its direct
treatment Of the subject that the plucky rituaist
organ shows its spirit, as in its reports of ritual
services. At the dedication festival of st.
Michael's, Shoreditch, the church at which
Bishop Gray, OF Capetown, the excommunicator
Of Bishop Colenso, lately officiated, we are told
that
"The choir, about sixty in number followed by the
SSm FSe By hs
and two three In scasle eassoeks IS s and
oeseon. Another cruclier, bearing q crucihx pre-
SeSeS ao he eope Walked last He by the
ceremoparns in purple Sass0ck % ana co;ta, and Py
the Psalms and MdOntfcdt were sung by two cAntors
ntSy was large numbsT lighted tapers as well
the rood screen; while around the altar erucihx
The grand feature Of the service was the Mdgacdt,
The altar attended by two assistant priests banner
bearers ceremonarus, sacrisan, cantors, and cruci
on Thursday morning there were two low masses. at
ana So9d b tteT goes on no he
alleys OF Shoredltch on Sunday nights and collects all
sembed, sometimes TO the number of 100 more, he
addresses a few words to them and relates number
a hymn. Already these boys have agreed among
not to play at pitch and toss.'"
Of the sermon of leading Ritualist divine it
is said :-"He rsfuted several objections raised
by Protestants and said that Catholics could
not now be charged with not reading their
Bibles. While admitting the prayertulness OF
many good Protestants, he maintained that they
lacked one thing which we had, the Eucharistic
sacrifice, with which to unite eur prayers" We
have an account of the formation of new
religious Anglican order-"The Brotherhood of
the Holy Redeemer, a body of lay preaching
friars.n "Rituallsm,n we are told, lis the pro-
gress of the. Catholic movement towards the
final reunion of Cnristendom; it means the
overthrow of Professionalism" OF Sunday
schools and the teaching of children it Is
said:-"The Church cannot busy herself with
the mere letter of Scripture, with inquiries
as to Jehoiakim's great-grand ather, and the
number of knives brought back from Babylon
What is wanted is a large crucifx i'll the school
room, with plenty of large wel-coored Scrip
ture prints, easy seats, lots OF music, and very
small doses of catechism. Then there is only
one church service to which the little things
should be brought in the morning. and that is
mass, with plenty of ritual and hymns" For
spice we have attacks on Low Churchmen and
Anti-Ritualists. They are accused OF mutilat-
ing the service. There is no oblatlon of the
bread and wine-the words of administration
are repeated but once for each group-"it is
not unusual for consecrated wine to be poured
back into the bottle for future use, and the
bread given away to a clerk to bring home."
Baptism is not performed validly; absoluhon in
the visitation of the sick is never pronounced"
etc. etc.
give so much space to this matter, because
il is the question of the hour. and one which
attracts more attention than Parliamentary re.
of war on the continent. The action Of the Com
mission, so far, is timid, weak, illogical, and
about equally unsatisfactory to both parties.
The Times leaders on the subject are written by
DIR. Canning, author of works on keeping bees
and the Apocalypse, and who lectures in the
Provinces on "NO Peace with Rome.n And the
Commission gets no mercy from the Dissenters
"You call upon RitualsCs to abandon
non-essential forms and ceremonies which
offend you," they say; then why do you
keep us out of your communion ~ The
Ritualists seem Jealous and confident enough
| to hold their own; but there are diff
| culties in their position worse than any
that persecution can bring them. They
! are obliged to denounce the very bisho ps
| who ordaln them, and to hold that they have
| received from those bishops sacerdotal powers,
| in which the bishops do not believe, and which
! they had, OF course, no intention to besJoW.
| There is no authority, and can be no obedience.
The Ritualist clergymen, in effect, defy the
whole bench OF bishops, and utterly repudiate
| any power of Parliamentto interfere with them.
| They appeal to the general doctrine and practice
| of the Church, but from the Church to which
! they appeal they are as entirely severed as any
| sect of Dissenters. Each priest rules over his
own flock, and is Pope of his own parish, an Inde.
pendent but rather dlsorderly position. The
| bishops, now so divided in doctrine must agree
among themselves, or their position is lost. II
| they agree against the ritualists or in favor OF
them, there must still be disaster. The ritual
lists have the settled and avowed purpose of un-
doing the work of Professionalism and reunitine
England and Rome; and this the Protestant
party will resist to the last extremity. On the
other hand, the Church cannot afford to drive
so rich, so able, and so jealous a body of clergy
and laity as the ritualists into open rebellion
1t is a very difficult position. 1t is said thai
the Church of England is broad and compre
hensive enough TO include all shades OF belief
That may be so as long as none of the shades are
too much in earnest to tolerate the opposite
shades; but when men grow Jealous for theil
faith, they are too apt TO grow in the same de
gree intolerant of what they consider error.
A SUNDAY AMONG THE RTUAL1srs.-The Pal