New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-12-24


of Canterbury are TO be Judged. AS theoio
gian lie cannot he ranked with the Bishop Oh
Winchester in scholarship the Bishop OF Du''
ham is his superior; as an eloquent preacher III
cannot I've compared with the Bishop OF Peter
borough but he may have acquired as sue
cessful schoOl-mastcr and dlsclpllnarlah '.i'"'
talent for go, erning which made ArchOisnol
TAFT sinrularly wise and useful Primae Inc
head of n great school may be a desp0t III Ills
little world, governing his realm by rlgld reg
ulatiops and menaces of expulsion ana lreV'ins
all the natural Cancellation out OF his soui' vi no
NAV he prudent administrator, enforcing ni'
will with tact and Judgment ana appea''hs
nrimarilv to the common sense OF his tempo
rarv subiects. Dr. Arnold, who, In many re-
snects. was an ideal schOolmaser, woulu ho'
have made a prudent and concillatory Arcn-
b;sbon On the other hand Bishop BENSON
like Archbishop TAFT or Archbishop Longley'
may have received the best training lor the
historic see of Canterbury while nc "hS 'no
beod of a great school. A cOnciliatory temper
and experience i'll the management OIL aiti,s
and in the government OF men are essential
aud these qualifications the new Archbishop
has. ann
Dean Motley in his unique volumes OF Rem
iniscences quantity says that his general I'M
nression of the Church of England was that
It told everybody in reading the Bible to use
common sense, which, upon favorable est-
mate of himself, would be the teaching OF the
Holy Spirit This personal gift of practical
common sense is what every EngllShman,
whether a Churchman, a Non -conformist or a
Catholic. expects to find i'll the Primate 1t may
not be the common sense of all earlier age, but
il must be what the average English man re-
cards "A current common sense. The Regula-
ton of Public Woi ship act has not worked sat
isractolily, but has involved intelminabe litiga-
ton and ecclesiastical qubbling; yet Arch
bishop TAFT, who was primarily responsible for
the passage of that act, had the credit of adopt
ing IL statesmanlike policy in endeavoring to
repress Ritualistic extravagances by State leg
islatOn 1t was the average Englishmans COM
mon sense that while variations Of doctrine ana
ritual should be tolerated within certain
bounds, discipline should be enforced outside
those limits; aud an experiment III legislation
which in actual practice has been imperative
was supported by the National faith In the
efficacy of an net of Parliament The Arch
bishop may have been reproached by the Kit
ualists for his intolerance and by Evangelical
Churchmen for bis failures, but public opinion
in England was on his side, because he had
made a systematic attempt TO repress tendencies
which the community had decided ought not
70 he tolerated in the Established Church.
Public opinion now would tolerate many
things of which it disprOved during the last
decade.
1t is the ability to form a sagacious Judgment
respecting the requirements of Nation so
cool -headcd, conservative and practical as the
Eneush people that is the special endowment of
a statesmanlike Primate AS the leader of the
House of Lords in matters of ecclesiastical leg
islation, he must have political sagaclty and
worldly wisdom DR.. Mahahy in his admirable
lectures OH Modern Preaching does not hesitate
to affirm that an honest and sensible, though
worldly man, if endowed with quick insight
into character, would make better bishop
than a man of the deepest piety, devoted to
things unseen If a bishop i'll the English Es-
tablishment requires wOrl lily wisdom i'll his re-
lations to his clergy, an archbishop needs
that practical acquaintance with the relations
of the Church to the community which Is based
on sterling good sense.