The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-11-12
Ritualism Mt Brighton.

Church OF England has, on the whole, been
fortunate in its exponents. II has necessarily
had to contend with two great disadvantages.
BY the very law of its existence it is praoti-
cal, not an intellectual, movement, and so con-
trasts unfavorably with the Tractariansm OF
1888. From the fact that it aims at conveying
doctrine by symbol rather than by teaching, it
gives an impression of laying an undue stress
on the mere externals OF religion. There was
but one way in which these disad vantages
could be suTmounted, AID the respect, If not
the sympathy, of its opponents secured. Good
works can never be illogical; self-devOtion
always implies something more than a love of
outside show. That these two features have
largely characterized the Ritualist leaders no
candid critic will dispute. Whatever a mau
may hold of the services at church like st.
Adams, he cannot without injustice deny the
ceaseless zeal or the unostentatious charity of
those by whom they are carried on. Ii their
theories are extreme, their practice is at least
as conspicuously above the common level, and
consistent skeptics are naturally inclined to
pardon the fault in consideration OF the accom-
panying virtue.
1t is not to be expected however, that
theological school should always be- repre-
sented by its best men, and cons pouous in
stance to the contrary is furnished just now
in the case of one Mr.. Purchas. We cannot
lay claim to an intimate acquaintance with
this gentleman's antecedents, but, if we are
rightly informed, st. James Chapel is more
remarkable for its floral displays than for any
special attention to what the Puritans used to
call the root of the matter. In Rtualistic
churches of better repute the clergy are usu-
ally more anxious, to observe the minimum of
ceremonial which they think right, than the
maximum which they think practicable.
They insist on certain practices which, rightly
or wrongly, they regard as too closely identi-
fed with doctrine to be safely left in abeyance;
1,1k Al.xyo lonI Co.. a. I.Ao
developments in vestments or decorations,
nor desirous of keeping the attention of the
congregation alive by a constant change of
performances. Mr.. Purchas apparently
affects the opposite system. The reports
which have appeared of the services at
st. James Chapel have displayed too
profound an ignorance of the subject
on which they professed to give inferma-
tion to be at all safe authorities, but the
impressi on they leave on the reader certainly
is that the object OF the incumbent is more to
startle than to edify. We are often told that
the great evil of the Church of Eugland at
this moment is the prevalence of party spirit.
The example Of Mr.. Purchas leads us rather
to lament the want Of party discipline. 1t is
scarcely possible that the, Ritualist leaders
can approve of the excessive individualism of
which st. James Chapel is the theatre. No
doubt the divergence observable between one
Rtualist church and another is largely attri-
butable to the taste of those who attend
them, and this congregation may be consi-
dered ripe for vestments, while that has just
been educated up to the point of altar lights.
But it would certainly be we'll if the more
prominent Rtualist clergy could agree upon
some maximum of change, to be introduced
as occasion should serve, but in no case to be
exceeded. As things are now, the service OF
the Church of England bids fair to become an
eclectic worship, composed Of telling excerpts
from the rites of every age and country, and,
one would almost think, OF every religion.
There is a belief in country districts that
persons of weak intellect are specially favored
by Providence, and this kindly theory GER
tainly receives some support from recent
events at Brighton. Surely simpleton was
never so lucky in his adversaries as Mr.. Pur-
chas. From the Bishop of Chichester down
to the "Own Correspondent" of the Times,
no one has attacked him without Immediately
putting himself in the wrong. If the Gown
Correspondents" concealed object had been
to gain sympathy for Mr.. Purchas, he could
not have hit the mark more surely than by
suggesting to the 'people of Brighton" that
riot would have been perfectly eXcusable.
What the people of Brighton, "who are obliged
neither to attend st. James chapel nor to pay
Mr.. Purchas, can have to do with the matter,
he does not condescend to inform us; aud we
fail to understand why there should be any
''credit" due to men for not breaking an
established and well-known law. The cOnfu-
sion would not have been complete without
the holding of great Protestant meeting;
and, that nothing might be wanting to the
occasion, two theological acrobats of high re-
pute were specially retained for the entertain
ment. We cannot compliment DR.. Blakeney
or DR.. Cumming upon the success of their
exertions to aUnuse the audience. We should
say, indeed, that they are both getting rather
stiff in the joints at least, we are led to this
conclusion by the entire absence of any new
| ieats from their programme. Ii it were our
province to advise the Committee of the Pro-
testsnt Reformation Society, we should sug-
| gest pensioning off these veteran performers,
and trying what may be done by an infusion
of younger talent. Even in the controversy
! with Rome sensationalism is the order of
the day; and when such stars as Mr.. and
| Mrs. Murphy are in the ascendant, it is really
time for the heavy fathers of platform Pro-
testantism to retire on their hard-won earn
ipgs. We cannot, of course, expect DR.. Blake
ney or DR.. Cumming to recognize the change
that has come over the popular taste. The
latter especially tried on all his old arts with
Hndiminished self-assurance. The announce
ment that he intended to preach in Brighton
the sermon he preached at DunrObu the
other day was quite in his accustomed man
ner; and we are sure that DO genuine Brighton
, Protestant would think of questioning the
claims of the Prince OF Wales and the Duke Of
Sutherland to be accounted the supreme judges
ofpnlpt oratory. Next to the royal family and
the Peerage, the Times has always been DR..
Cummings touchstone OF infallible truth, and
the illicit literary connection he maintains
with the great newspaper gives him fellow
feeling for every member of its staff The
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