New-York tribune., 1874-10-12
MR.. GLADSTONE ON RITUALISM.

EXTRACT FROM AN ARTICLE IN THE CONTEMPORARY
REvIEw-RITUALIsM DEFINED-QUEsTIoNs TO BE
ANSWERED BEFORE CHANGE IN RITUAL
SHOULD BE ADOPTED-REvERENCE FOR THE
CLERGYMAN THE MOST EFFECTIVE ARTICLE OF
RITUAL.
The journals brought by the last mail from
England contain passages from an early copy OF Mr.
Gladstone's article in The Contemporary Reriep on
Ritualism From this source the following extracts are
obtained
For some months past. and particularly during the
closing weeks of the session OF Parliament. the word
Rtualism has had In degree possesslGh & OF
The road is wheu we proceed to search Ior
Se tine ehaGt x not sah S an 1t ta admits at st sight Of
easy and unexcpuonabe definition Rua,m surely iiSa,
things be done decently and in order"
B the wo% po pU%G
more variable II not more vague, In character In
manner OF undue disposition to ritual indicate de-
sign to least the ceremonial OF religion estao-
ing il to the Roman Popsh ceremonial and, further.
OF introducing the Roman or Papal religion into this
suasion of It's ceremonial. All this Is intellgl-
BILE enough and. If start with such a con-
know what we think, say and do abouit But there is
another and brefer account which may be gwen OF IT,
nre wdev prevaIen than any Other According to this
definition rualism is to each man tha which, in matter
When the Is thus used Ii becomes III the highest
degree deceptive for under an apparent unity
meanings rpples of the smiling sea- the
shades OF antagonsm TO, or divergence rom the most
overloaded Roman ceremonial When the term IS thus
employed sympathy flies it electricity through
the crowd; but IL is sympathy based upon the sound and
not upon sense. Men thus impelled mschievously
but naturally mistake the strength or their feeling Tor
the strength Of their argument The heated mind re-
sents the chill touch aud resentless scrutiny OF logic
There could be advantage especially at the present
tme in approaching such theme from TINS poiht oi
But perhaps may be allowable to make an en.
10 ma "A q
poemca field into the domain OF thought. have but
little faith in coercion applied to matter of opinion ana
feeling let its titles be ever clear But word spoken
In auetness and by OF appeal to the free Judgment
and reason of men, rarely fail to be in season.
measure and meaning of ritual in order thus to arrive
at clear conception OF that vice in its use which Is
Il must be admitted that the state Of things from
which the thing popularity known rituasm took MS
anity disgracefHi to the nation dsgracrfGl OF
all that much yaunted religious sentiment OF the En-
gish public which In impenetrabe somnolence endured
IT, and resented all interference with 10. Nakcdness
enough ther bfty and forty years ago OF Divine
byterlans OF Scotland aud among the Noncon-
formists Of England. But among these the out
ward fault TO great extent redeemed by the
cardinal virtues OF earnestness and feryor The
OF the minister at least listened to with plOus at
tenon and the nobest of oil the sounds that reach
the human usually heard In the massive swell
and solemn fall OF the united voices OF the congregations
But within the ordinary English parish church OF town
country there such redeemng features in the
action OF the living. though the inaumate treasure OF
stored, like the material OF fire in our coal
seams for better days II still the bed lor mold in
which higher forms OF ous thought and feeling
day to be cast But the actual state OF things
bad beyoud all parallel known TO me IN experience or
reading Taking together the expulsion OF the poor and
laborng classes Especially from the town churches
the mutlaons and bockages OF the fabrics the bald
dess OF service, the elaborate horrors OF the
called music, with the iarson OF parts cOntryed TO ex
hib the powers OF every village roarer ana 10 prevent
all cougre gational singing; and, above all, the
colduess and Indifference or the lounging or
sleeping congregations. our services were prob
their debaselnent; and as they would have shocked
a Brahmin Buddhist. so they hardly could have
taste aud perception of the seemy or unseemy been
dead the spirit OF devotion. There were exceP
tious and the exceptions were beginning