Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-02-19
The English Church To-Day.

The truth seems to be that the thoughtful
and scholarly divines OF the English church
those whose requirements and mental indie
pendence fit them to be critical, are sorely per-
picked by their position. For the Church OF
England is political institution SO interviewer
with the structure OF English society that,
should 1t be shaken, the whole social fabric
would go TO ruin. The feeling Is prevalent, as
gathered, although did not hear 1t explicitly
uttered. and 1t is reasonable, that doing With
out bishops would be the first step to dlSpenS-
ing with dukes And what would England be
without dukes? An Englishman might lead a
goddess life; but could he lead a dukeleSS ore?
And the dukes themselves and the mi.
nor mobiles look forward with the gray
est apprehension to the time When, church and
state being severed, respect for rank and
privilege will be no part OF the English religion.
For 1t is not to be concealed that the English
church Is the church of gentlemen" Ii not
only teaches the lower classes Difference to
superiors, but its influence does much to breed
that very admirable character, the English gen.
teman. Its teachings are wholly at variance
with the spirit OF social democracy. Its very
catech1sm inculcates content which Is on.
posed to the restless and pushing tendencies
OF modern times. The catechumen is made
what is his duty to his Relghbor. my
duty to my neighbor is - TO submit
myself to all my governors, teachers, spiritual
pastors and masters; to order myself lowly and
reverently to all my betters; : and to learn
and labor truly to get mine own living and to
40 my d1ty IN that state OF life to which 1t has
EIcoocu Oou w Cail Lue. put low IL seems TO
De the accepted duty OF every man of English
blood, no matter on which side of the great
ocean ne may be, to get himself out OF that
state OF lfre With what speed he may, into
better. The virtue OF content is gone, and with
1t the grace Of submission. ] remember intui-
lions OF this even In my Doyhood as l re-
peated those words, and va1nly stroVe to
reconcile them with the struggle for advance
ment which / saw going on around me, even
among the most religious people. And there
was the old story In verse which began,-
Honest John TomkinR, the hedger and ditcher
Although be was poor, did not want to be richer
Honest John TOmkins was held up to me as
the model OF all the Christian virtues; ana yet
saw everybody around me, including my
striving by day and by night to be richer. And
when we consider that discomfort Is the mother
OF improvement, whether for the individual or
the commonwealth, and that the better OF the
man VINO Is taught TO order himself lOWly and
reverently to them became so because they or
s Soa3 OF NE TO which it had pleased God to
cali them, ts 1t not plain that the religion
Wnich teaches content is doomed, and
WIN II The whole system OF governors and
masters. spiritual and temporal? But it will
oe q long time before this war fare Is accom-.
piHsn med. Not easily nor quickly can form
OF society De uptorn which is of such slow and
sturdy growth as that OF England, and whose
ROOFS like those OF some vast British OK
oecayed and hollow at heart 1t may be- pierce
the mould OF centuries. There is much in
England That Is mere shell and seems mere
sham; out the shell was shaped from within
Dy hvihg substance. and 1T hardened into
form through the sunshine and the tempests
| OF hundreds OF years; and so IL stands, and
Will yet stand long, although not forever The
very ShamS and surface shows OF things In Eng.
land are strong and staple.-Aurch Atlantic.