Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1877-08-08
ECCLESIASTICAL MAs.MILLINERS

VestmeDts in the Uhurch Of Eng.
land How Clcrgymen May be Ar.
rnyed VINO Read PFaYeFs-The
EnRctmenL of New Rubric-A
Question OF Religious Uniforms.
London Standard.
Rev. Lord Alwyne Compton
seems to think that he has "found
out a way" by means Of which the
intolerably vexed question of &C.
clesiasticaI vestments in the Church
Of England may be at once and
definitely settled, and recently his
sumptuary scheme was propounded
to the lower house of convocation.
The new plan possesses at least the
merit of simplicity. 1t is sug-
gested that to the common prayer
book should be appended a new
rubric, setting forth that "ih say
ing any public prayers or minister
ing the sacraments or rites Of the
church. the minister shall wear a
surplice with a stole or scarf, and
the hood Of his degree" Or, if he
thinks fit, a gown with hood and
scarf. Nevertheless, cit shall be
lawful for HIM that ministereth in
the holy communion to use with
the surplicc and stole a cope or
yestment, provided always that
such cope or vestment shall not be
introduced into any church other
than a cathedral or collegiate
church without the consent of the
bishop" Could such a rubric--
emitting only from the text the
ambiguous word "yestment"- be
added to the prayer book, and
could obedience to it be enforced
by an authority from which there
was no appeal, peace might, on one
important point at least, be con-
ferred on the distracted Church of
England. No moderate Protestant
could object to the clergyman who
read prayers being arrayed in a
surplice and a stole or searl-the
stole, of course, to be black, and
not a parti.colored band glittering
with gewgaw ornaments. As for the
hood of degree, that academical
emblem has been worn time out of
mind by Anglican clergymen, es-
sentially distinguishing them as it
does from foreign Roman Catholic
priests, who have generally been
bred in seminaries, and have rarely
taken any aoademical degrees at all.
When we come to consider the law
fulness of The celebrant at the COM
munion table wearing a surplice
and cope, it must at once be con-
ceded that the cope per sc isa per-
fectly legal article of raiment for
IN Anglican priest. The officiating
clergy of st. Paul's would probably
be wearing copes to this day, but
that, the splendid wardrobe OF the
metropolitan basilica having been
dispersed at the Reformation, many
Of the most gorgeously embroider-
ed copes, chasubles aud dalmatics
were purchased by Spanish mer-
chants resident in London and ex-
ported to Spain, whore, notably in
the sacristies of the cathedrals of
Toledo and Burgos, these relics Of
the antique Pauline splepdor are
vet exhibited to curious strangers.
The capitular body at st. Paul's
never cared, it would seem, to pur-
chase fresh sets Of brocaded' robes /;
but in tho case of Westminster
Abbey. the Bishop Of London, at
the coronation of Queen Victoria,
wore brand new cope, richly emr
broidered with gold, while the Arch
bishop of Canterbury appeared In
a flowing mantle OF purple velvet,
with a hood magnilicently adorned
with gold lace. The primate made
it distinctly understood that his
imposing costume was ceremonial
and not symbolical, since, although
he was fully entitled to assume an
archiepiscopal mitre, he preferred
to adopt the less pretentious but
scarcely esthetic headgear OF a wig
like a birds nest.
To the proposal made the Dean
Of Worcester raised the objection
that one party in the Church wa!
"in state Of exasperation,p and
he further expressed his conviction