New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-07-13
BRITISH AFFAIRS.

SIGNS or HARMONY BETWEEN THE EA-PkEMlER AND
THE CHURCH LEAGUE-HOs1IIITY AROUSED BY
THE RECENT DISCUSSION on THE 'PRIEsT II
ABsOLUrloN -" FIIIBUsTERING" IN THE HOUSE
or COMMONS The BRADLAUGH PROSECUTION,
[FRoM REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBuNE.l
LONDON, June $3.50 oppressive do the Rtualists
find the discipline of the Church Of England that
many of them are it is well known, avOwedly in
favor of its disestablIshment. Church League for
dsestablishment exists. of which the notorious Mr..
Mackonochie appears to be at tie head. Mr. Glad
stone has before been said TO approve its objects,
and even 10 recommend II TO "perplexed parsons"
as a convenient means of satisfying solving their
conscientious scruples about millinery and pastures
at the altar The League has been so much en-
cOuTaged by him that at last IL makes bold TO invite
him to deliver address IN behalf of its objects.
Though he declines the fact Of the invitation having
been given is rather ostentatiously made public and
Mr. Gladstone will either have to accept a certain
Identification with the most unpopular set Of men in
England. or to disavOw their use OF his name.
They never unpopular, these Ritualists. as
since the recent disclosures about their nasty book
the Priest in AbsOution." People have been slow
to believe that systematic effort in progress to
smuCgle into the English Church the most odious
practices OF the Roman Catholic prcst-those prac
tees which make him, whether he will Ut not, an
intermeddlcr between husband and wife. and give
him possession of the closest family secrets; with, OF
course tie immense power which always accrues
10 the of secrets But there are signs that
the English public has at last woke up to the dan
ger. From many quarters. lay and clerical. protests
of an emphatic kind have been heard since the dis
cusson in Parliament and the Press which has taken
place; protests in a tone which lacks nothing
of decision or clear apprehension of the
real peril lying all about. That is all anybody
wish. No Romanizing priest has much chance
il England except by working on the sly. such a
society As the Society of the Holy Cross Is conspr
acv and the moment IT'S true character is known, IL
gets publicly denounced such. It's members
some hundreds of cergymen-are members OF the
Church OF England also. They draw pay with one
hand and stab. with the other. They are tine peo-
pie who have taken the Priest in Absolution"
manual. Their idea Of religious instruction con-
ssts in asking disgusting questions of little boys and
girls and of married men and women. They say the
book in question Is meant only for priests but
they do IN, explain how it is that more than 10000
copies of it have got into circulation. That,
however is of less consequence than the
use made of it by those for whom II
IS intended. The book for which Mr.
Bradlaugh and Mrs. Besant are to spend six months
in prison a good Sundayschoo treatise by the side
Of this. The Bradlaugh pamphlet is, al most, but a
book of physical anatomy; this deals with the
crate the sale of it while the sale of the Fruits of
Philosophy is forbidden. However, the mischief is
not mainly in the sale and Is all the 700 priests of
the Holy Cross have got their copies, the real ques
ton is. what are you going to do about themf Are
they To 70, on unchecked with their Moral nquIstiOni
The Archbishop of Canterbury said the other day
that a husband father who knew that a priest
had been putting such queries as are to be found III
this book to his wife or child would have no choice
bur 10 turn the man who put them out of
his house Ii is refreshing TO hear for once
clear opinion from the cautions lips OF
that ecclesiastical Halifax who presdes over the
Church of England. 1t is still more refreshing To
hear the leading journal speak out IN tone winch
admits of no mistake To It's purpOse-which adj
mits no discussion even. There discussion Oh
TINS point some centuries ago The thing had been
tried. Confession had been the practice here As
es.v here under the tyranny of Rome and the people
of England made up their minds they would have
mo- more of IT, They will have il at price, and
there Is no institution they would not sacrifice, no
system they would not repudiate, If 1t became the
home and the protection of such practices The
Church is warned that it must purge itself of this
poison. or u will to be. Mr.. Mackonoche
and ms friends must co. the Established Church
must q with Them Nine Engllshmen ont OF ten,
venture to say, will shake hands on that. And
whatever views Mr. Gladstone may hold as to Dis
establishment, II is not thus he Will wish to see 1t
accomplished. He knows his countIymen too well
10 be Joining hands at such moment with man
like the Ritualistc priest of St. Adams As for the
bishops, laynen are already asking how such prac-
tccs rs confession can have been continued so long
under their jurisdiction without ehcting rebuke or
provoking measures of stern repression.
The art of obstructing legislation has reached,
p-r}aps its highest pitch. The artists are rlslmen,
and il really seems as if they were adopting the
motto Of Art for Arts sake. Mr.. Biggar and Mr..
parnen have been suddenly reinforced by large
body Of their couutrymen. The present object of
their hostility is the irish Sunday Closing Bal;
measure for the promotion in Ireland of a certain
decree of temperance which has the singular for
time of being strongly supported by the IRISH people
and strongly resisted by the representatives OF the
Irish people in the House Of Commons. 1t is so
much of a temperance measure That sir Nllired
LAWSON who had possession OF Wednesday Tor his
prpissive Pro,ibitive Bill what a curious felicity
the English legislator has of naming his bant-
lingsp. gave it up for the Irish Bill. But
on Wednesday its opponents talked 1t out
an easy tang to do that day, because the sitting
is for the afternoon only and an order on which
a vote Is not reached by a quarter to six becomes
, dronned order This Sunday Closing Bill would
have no chance except that the Government fayors
II They now propose it Is said, to find night for
rcsuming the debate, which Government can al
ways do when so minded. for the control Of the
Government over the course of legislation is very
Elective and complete The Irish members and
other enemies of the bill meet tins 10y a public
,ouncement that they VIII renew their tactics
Wednesday, and kill the bill by talking. They al
l, that si,tv-i We members have promised to speak