The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1885-12-08
THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND IN POLITICS.

election contest in England is the
of the two great political
parties with regard to the Church
of England. The Tories, or Con-
party-as they now call
themselves, are in favor of the
Established Church, and the reten-
ton of all its rights and privileges.
The Liberals, or majority of them,
as on this subject there is some dis
sention in their ranks, are more
favorable to the separation of
Church and State.
The Church of England, as at
present constituted, is an authorized
and paid establishment of the State
and of which nominally the Queen
is at the head. One of her titles is
Defender of the Faith" Being
established by law, it is supported
by the State and from revenues de-
rived from it's lands. 1t is governed
by two Archbishops and thirty-three
Bishops. The Archbishops and
twenty-four of the Bishops have
seats in the House of Peers. The
Archbishop of Canterbury, whose
official title is also that of ''Primate
of all England" in the order Ct
presidency, takes rank Immediately
after the Royal family, next to him
coming the Lord High Chancellor
and the Archbishop of York, the
latter portion of whose title differs
somewhat from that of Canterbury,
being termed "Primate of England"
The Archbishop of Canterbury re-
ceives the large salary of $4,000 a
year, with the magnificent residence
of Lambeth Palace. The Arch
bishop of York has $4,000 as his
ecclesiastical income, and the Bishop
of London also receives $4,000.
All of these three ecclesiastics are,
by virtue of their offices, members
of the Queens Privy Council. The
Bishops take rank after the Viscounts
and in advance of the Barons.
These Spiritual Lords, as they are
termed, being ali trained speakers
and men of extensive information,
take leading parts in the debates in
the Upper House of Parliament.
Their influence can 60 very far,
when they choose to exert it, towards
the passage or defeat of a Parlia-
mentary bill. Thus they have social
and political as well as religious
privileges above the clergy of other
denominations. They are part of
the State machinery and Govern
ment. The Bishop of Durham re-
ceives $35, 1000, and the salaries of
the other bishops average over $780,
900. The lowest being that of the
Bishop of Sodor and Man, who is,
however, not a Peer of Parliament.
The inferior dignitaries of the
Church are the Deans, of whom
there are thirty, and whose income
varies from S15, 600 to $500, the
average being 81, 800. The number
of benefices is about 1880, and
the clergy of every class number
about $4,000. The income of the
Church from all sources is estimated
at $40,000,000. In every parish
there are church-wardens, appointed
annually, who are leading parochial
officers, and whose duty is partly
ecclesiastical and partly civil.
One of the Objectionable features
of the Church system is the manner
in which the patronage of the church
is exercised. This right, sometimes,
pertains to manor or land and
sometimes it is a personal right.
The patron has an absolute right,
quite irrespective Of the wishes Of
the parishioners, to present any
person he chooses to the benifice
the only requirement being that he
must be an ordained priest of the
Church of England. Nearly all the
Peers of England and many large
landed proprietors have number
of "Church livings" at their dis
posal. The Duke of Norfolk ant
the Marquis OF Butte and some Of
the other British Peers, though they
belong to the Roman Catholic faith
have in this manner the appoint
ment of clergymen of the Church Of
England to parishes in which they
own landed property.
Among the people of England
there is rapidly increasing oppo,
sition to this whole church system
Aside from its political position
those who dissent from the Estab
lished Church claim that it is no
fair, by taxation, to compel then
to give it an unwilling support. Th
feeling is growing so strong that i
is generally conceded among tn
friends of the Church of Englan
that disestablishment is a mere ques
ton of time. Within the Churc
itself there is party who believe
would be for its best interests t
throw off the trammels of State