New-York tribune., 1874-10-19
RITUALIsM IN THE UNITED STATES.

6Stant EpiscOpal CuurCb III tho ohieou o'"V''
RITJJALISM IN THE UNITED STATES.
IT'S ORIGIN AND sPREAD-CATHoLIC AND PROTESTANT
PARTIES IN THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH-THE
STRUGGLE IN THE GENERAL CONVENTION
The subject of Ritualism is one which Is
dominant in the present General Convention OF the
Protestant Episcopal Church An account OF its origin
spread, and present position obtained from Such
sources as could guarantee its mpariay VIII De OF
interest at this time.
1t would almost appear that the majority Of church
men very definite idea Of what Rtualisn reay
s All agree that certain practices are Included In IT,
Certain churches adopt or two Of these and still
insist that they not Ritualistic Others Will take
another ceremony or adjunct but decline 10 De consu
cred Rtuastic. For this except with the two
extremes 1t is almost impossible to draw the line at
which Rtualism begins Some churches are willing to
be called High" but do not like to have the term
"Ritualstic applied TO them. For these reasons 1t
would be difficult TO prepare really impartial account
of Ritulism To obtain perfect understanding OF IT,
the natural resource will be to those who practice H.
and the account must show cO0ring OF feeling.
Ritualism has been prominent theme, both here and
across water for ten years At first II was re-
earded as question Of ecclesiastical aesthetics beneath
the serious consideration Of any, except few frivolous
young ladies' and eccentric young clergymen but phe
pomena have been appearing In connection with the
Rtualistc movement, which at first seemed singular,
aud at last forbade such suppostion The movement
spread as a disturbing element throughout every Epis
copal diocese in America Two successive Geuerai
Conventions attempted to grappe with It, but III valn
The once thoroughly Low Church Diocese OF Massachu
narrowly escaped eectng Rituast for its Bishop
Other doceses elected to the Epscopate VINO
have been in sympathy with the movement Inc hign'
est court of udicature In England finds the profound
est legal arrayed before 1t on opposite sdes o
the question Mr. Gladstone has written an elaborate
rIfo,. ftaalf nf
British Empire and the General Convention of the en-
tire American Episcopal Church. are shaken by the sub
ject.
It's not for a moment to be supposed that so stald
and respectable body as the Episcopal Church IN
America and England should be thus long and thus
thoroughly agitaed mere affair OF religious diiet
tanteism or that so powerful body should not long
since have been able to control and crush
out the difficulty, If 1t merely involved the
whims Of few eccentric agitators, male and
female. Clearly the question Is not simply
one candles and the cut and color Of ecclesiastical
soutanes Sensible do not wrange over such things
nor do mddle-ag aged cergymenIwingly sacrifice posi-
ton and comfort Oripass years of eboQuyand ridcue
for them Rtuaism in the Episcopal Church has bided
s time to be understood If it is not thing TO be re-
spected it is evidently thing that is much feared
Practical people perceive that IL is useless for dig
ntaries in the Church to say any longer that
Ritualism is confined to half dozen young clergymen
and few small parishes Men do not fire broadsides at
butterfly The fact is Rituasm has grown out OF and
has its roots among fundamental things This accounts
for the evident determination OF the men engaged in it,
for the deep feeling that is aroused against it, and for
the extraordinary efforts put forth by its opponents
The Rituasts claim that they would care little or
nothing for Ritualism IL it were merely matter OF
asthetcs and tho Anti-RItuasts admit that were the
matter of taste only they would raise few or no OBJ
ectons 10 it. clears the matter very much for the
rite
whether the Anglican Communion, as separate body
from the Roman, is essentially one with the Creek
Church and the Old Catholics essentially one with
the Protestant denominations
The philosophy of the present rtualistc difficulties In
the Episcopal Church is not little obscure, and the
or gin somewhat complicated At the time OF Henry
VIII the Church in England threw of the authority Of
the Pope. The Mass was translated into English
and the chaoe was given to the Iaity subsequently,
and after alterations running through century.
the Prayer-Book it now stands was completed. 1t
was taken mainly from ancient and medieval lturges
and Offices Meantime there was, however. party In
England who strongly Protestant In the Continen
tai sense An attempt therefore made by tie Church
authorities In compiling the PrayerBOok to tone down
certain Of its phrases. and to write certain OF Its
articles 80 that while still expressing the sentiments OF
those who in the main what is called
Catholic" the Prayer-BOok should not at the same
time drive Off the PrOtestsnts. Meantime, on the
the Church of England, but failed; and CONT
mental Professionalism. the other hand. etrove to
ACQUIRE H. but failed ALSO There followed subsequently
long period Of coldness and deadness in the Church
which is known as the Georgian era: during which ru-
brics of the Prayer BOOK dsregarded many Of its
doctrines were dsbelev ved parsons hunted foxes and
churches and cathedrals fell INTO decay; out Of this
state things there at length revival OF doc
trine which, In the Rituaistc movement OF to-day has
developed into a revival Of spiritual lifo Dr. Pusey,
Dr. Newman, Keble, and others. known as the oxford
diynes finding the Church In their day full OF members
who were thoroughly Protestant sentiment. claimed
that this fact tho Prayer Book as 1t
had been IMPLIED and translated from Catholic sources,
was saturated with Cathocity In It's Oces.
Liturgy and Rubrics, aud that IL taught the members
of the Church doctrines very different from what they
we're holding The oxford dvines claimed that even tho
xxx Articles so technically written that while
they might indeed to the loose thinker and the
careless reader to Protestant color TO the Church.
they really and strictly expressed Catholicy, and
CathOcty only that, for instance, the XXIId Article
had been so carefully worded not TO protest against
the Early Church doctrines OF Purgatory, In-
vocation OF SAINTS, and Alteration Of Images
and Relies but only against the Romish doctrines
concerning" those things; that. the prayers and
Offices were taken from Catholic sources, and
therefore, they expressed IL, SCatb0c though not
Roman" the Articles must be Interpreted In tho same
sense They claimed that Baptismal Regeneration
taught In the Offices for Baptism thst the Eucharistc
Office the Catechsm, and the Articles taught the Real
Objective Presence Of Christ the altar that the HON.
HES taught In many words that that Presence was
under forms Of bread and wine :" that the Eucha-
ristc Once and the Office for the Visitation OF the Sick
taught Aurcuar Confession and that tho formuaries OF
l0nfrm alton Penanna Orders. MatrimOny, and Ex-