, 1875-06-27
THE "OPEN-CHURCH MOVEMENT IN
ENGLAND.

~ tn EdaoY Of Tia Ch1ea9o Tribune:
CH1cAoo, Juno 2G.-Aiy three months soIourr
in the beautiful and hospitabIe City Of Chicage
being about to end, have thought should LIKE
to address wider constituency than that tt
which have usually spoken, through the medi
I'm IT TIE TRIBUNE, have very carefully
studied. as far rs my opportunities have permit
ted, the aspects and Workings Of the churches ir
this city, With, Of course, many inquiries into the
church-life and organizations Of other parts o1
the country aud it has occurred tome that some
little account OF = movement which has of late
years assumed considerable importance III En-
gland, might be 1t least interesting t, your read
cps. sven it it haVe no Suggestions ct practical
help for theua-
The "open-church movement Was hagun
In England about twenty-five years ago BY few
earnest and zealous members OF the Episcopa-
Ian Church {the Established Church in En-
glAndA Of whom the first to call pnblo atten-
ton to the subj ,ct WAS my brother. Edward
Hertord Coroner of tho City OF Manchester.
They pointed ont that BY the common Law OF
England the ancient parish-churches Of the
country existed for the benefit Of all inhabitants
alike, IN their respective parishes {" parish in
English ecclesiastical usage tignides not the
d
.tarritory" assigned for its minlstrations) !;
and they showed that this universal right Of the
people to an equa! place in their church had
been practically done away with BY the custom
Of renting it's seats to be the resaryed places OF
the small minority who might be able or will
ing to pay for such special accommodation.
The old common right had, indeed, bean no1ninal-
II respected by tue allocstion Of = few seats in
almost Ill churches a. = Free seats, open to all
comers but III reality tl1is had not s1ficed to
preserve the ancient feeling OF the churches be-
ing ptces OF free religious resort tor Alf aud the
result had been that these ancient parish
churches had gradually come to be ragarded.as
proprietary meeting places Tor the rich and veil
to-do class.
Tha opsn-church movement Was therefore,
primarily, simply m endeaVor, by procuring the
abolition Of pew rents and appropriated eeats, II
restore the ancient freedom Of the pa.iah (Estab-
llshed) church to rich and poor alike. With this,
however, WAS speedily associated the restoration
Of the o1ertory-or gathering OF the offerings OF
the xorshlpern-which by the Ancient usage OF
the church had been held as part Of erary
service, but had gradually passed into disuse Of
got changed into an occasional "collection.*
As good deA Of difficulty was at first e1pe-
rienced m getting any Of the e1iBting churches
to try what Was denounced as dangerous fnno-
vation, though in truth it IVES simply return tc
the aucsent and scriptural plan, It was resolved
to build church which should be opened upon
sud open churches" St. Afbaus, was started In
Manchester. England, in 1851. Two years later,
the movement was strengthened BY the estab-
lshnent OF a little monthly periodical called
the Church Of the People, devoted to diGuRing
information On the subject; and Ii 1857, q large
tae auestior the "Nstional Association
for Promoting the Freedom Of Worship
and the Rssival Of the otfertory" was inaugural
ed From the beginning Of The agitation the
plan proposed has steadllJ made ta;. At first,
from the fa:s that it Was very waroly taken up
by some Of the Puseyite, ur Hgh-Church party,
there Was eone attempt to cry it down as one Of
the crotchets Of Rtualism, but very soon it's in-
tsinaio excellence and value lifted it quite
now, among those who have edopted the plan /
OF Arc heartily engsged in it's advocacy, are
men Of Ill sectioua OF the Church OF Eagland,
whiie instead Of the eiugle "open church" OF
1851, there Are at present hundreds who have
adopted the pan,-~some Of our most magnit-
at Doncaster, and mhry in the denne quatters Of
our cities OF in country DISTRICTS
I Wish to emphasize this face, Of this move
meut having originated in the Episcopal Church
Of England, because in short account OF an
Interview with me On my hrst arrival in Chicago
your reporter represented me - claiming to have
introduced the plan in England, whereas all that
spoke Of was Of my having Introduced it In
ny Own denomination.
The fact is,-and here think it becomes Of
interest to your American churches. which are, /
Ill elihe, voluntary organizations, s,-khEt xfter i
few yearB tho open church movement began to |
engtge the attention Of the various dissenting |
bodies, and has now taken it's place among ques |
lions Of general church polity, irrespective Of
sect or party. The principle Of it his xldened |
out. It is no longer mere question of restoring
10 the people their ancient common.Iaw rights |
- rarishioners Ii the Established Churches. The |