The New York herald., 1874-11-02
MIR. GLADSTONE ON RITUALIsM.

LONDON, Oct. 10, 1874.
The principal points OF the article on rtualsm
which, as has been long announced Mr.. Gladstone
Is 20 contribute to the forthcoming number OF the
Contemporary ReUte1D, were given in yesterday
mornings papers, which had been furnished with
early sheets for the purpose. The general opinion
seems to De that the article Is somewhat vague,
and, except on one point to be hereafter noticed,
not sufficiently explicit. MIR. Gladstone explains
ritual TO be founded on the apostolic precept that
all things should be done decently and In order,
and declares that 'ritualism surely means an nm.
due disposition to ritual" Uf the rttualism By
which the public mind has been agitated.
and concerning which great controversy
has been raised, Mr.. Gladstone has but
little to say. He chooses to regard ritualism
apart from its use, but symDolizes those doctrnes
and those precepts which are nearly akin to the
ROmish rather than the english Church. although
he admits that strong connection between high
doctrine and high ritual is to be found In the
Church OF England. This connection, he says
'Is for the present hopelessly mixed with polemL
cal consideration, and therefore excluded from
the field OF these remarks"
MIR. Gladstone writes with such marvellous clio.
quence that it is regretted that he has
not chosen to lace the matter boldly
and to speak without reticence upon It,
When he tells us that the offspring OF ritualism
consisted IN feeling OF dissatisfaction with the
baroness and badness OF religious services half
century ago, which led the Church Of England and
other religious bodies to give more beauty to
their services, he tells us only what we know; but
as the London Times boldly puts 1t, "throughOut
the whole article he does not touch the main
question, whether we shan not In nine hundred
and ninety nine cases out OF q thousand be right
In our suspicious that rltuAsm, with It's accom-
panyng tricks ana graces. Is intended as intro
ductOry TO sacerdotalism" One question, how
ever, the exPremier has set at rest. Preposter.
Gus reports emanatlng from ridiculous sources,
appear from time to time In the newspapers,
stating that Mr. Gladstone Is u ROnianlSt in dis
guise. IL is doubtful whether any one could be
Iool enough give ear to such rubbish after read
ing the following words from his pen. After
stating that 1t may he question whether hand
ful or the clergy are or are not engaged in ian
utterly hopeless and visionary effort TO R0manize
the Church and people OF England.n he
says, that ''at no time since the time
Of Bloody Mary has such scheme
1t had been possible In the seventeenth or eiQh.
teenth centuries IL would still have been impossi.
bic In the nineteenth, wnen Rome has substituted
for the proud boast, SeHlDer edie0l, q policy OF
vigilance and change IN laith; wnen she has re.
iurDlsned ana parhded anew every rusty tool she
was iondly thought to have deserted when no
one can become her convert without renouncipQ
MIS- moral ana mental freedom, and placing mis-
civil loyalty and duty at the mercy OF another,
ana When she has, finally, repudlated lnodern
thought and ancient nistOry.u
HONE FOR IilGH CHURcHMEN.
lnis tne strongest ana most significant passage
III nc artice, viii proDably he ol more consolation
ceacu Intention To bring about "a general discs.
adjustment rather than Tor those who irom some
OF MS utteranccs nave hoped that he lnlght 0naly
DC received Into tile Romtsh Church.