The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-10-17
LoNsDALE,s CHURCH LIvINGs.

A Scene at the Casino-His Lordship's Rela-
tions to the Church of England.
Special to the INDIANAPOLIS journal.
New YORK, Oct l6-Cecil Hugh Lowther,
Earl of Lonsdale, and theatrical manager for
Mrs. Violet Lydia Thompson Debensaude more
generally known as Miss Cameron, has been
credited with supporting forty-one church
livings" Considering his Lordship's acknowl-
edged Indifference to public opinion, and his no.
torious character. the statement usually strikes
Americans as conveying an incongruity at least;
il 10 difficult to imagine his Lordship as the
revered patron of the church AS matter of
fact. the statement quoted is quite Incorrect
but let his Lordship explain. found him at the
Casino at the close of performance. callow
youth. who seemed to be on particularly init
mate terms with the imported chorus girls,
piloted me through the tortuous channels be-
meath the stage, up crooked stairwsys, and past
labyrinth of dressing rooms. to q door
not far from the prompter's box
'In there" he said as he opened the door. The
frst thing l saw before had passed the thresh-
old was pair of very red tights, reaching down
from a piano-stool They were filed with the
lower limbs Of the Cameron. who was swinging
playfully around the revolving top of the
stool. The upper half of her was clad rather
more completely in brilliant jacket; her very
broad trimmed red hat had been tossed to the
top of the upright piano, and her blonde wig
looked almost as nice as real hair. Interesting
as was the picture tempted to withdraw
under the impression that somebody bad made
mistake, but the Cameron exclaimed cordially,
Come in; my lord is here" and sure enough,
there he was. leaning against the manteL He
cannot be said to look like one of natures no
blemen even in full-dress suit and crush hat.
for his six-feet-tall frame is awkwardly proper
toned, and his head is angular. His forehead
retreats and his nose advances He wears a
thin, red sidewhisker and leers when he would
smile It was very expansive leer that lit up
his face when the subject Of church livings was
broached.
II don't support the church livings, don't you
know" he said; "thats all mistake; don't
even own the land upon which all of them
located. Ihave the power of appointment, don't
you see; when curacy parish loses its curate
or vicar by death or resignation, the next fellow
to get the place must get it through me, you
know. / appoint him. So in that way the
church in these forty livings depends upon
me. A living, don't you see. is "a living. of
course; a fellow that has taken orders must have
place TO do his work and earn his salt; we'll, he
looks after a church living, and if he or any of
| his friends think they have pull with me- they
| ask me to appoint him to the next vacancy, you
know, and l suppose l appoint the fellow that's
got the biggest pull; for there's always more
clericas than livings. And that gives rise to a
lot of funny things that would make your people
omen their eyes; it has made vast deal of fuss
over there, you know, so many reformers all
the time wanting to improve things
This Is how it is. Some day
'Mlud, my son Henry has just taken orders
Now, who is the oldest or feeblest curate in
your livingsP And think minute and say,
There's Smith at - worth; he's over eighty
and very decrepit; it is not probable he'll last
long Then the gentleman says, 'Mlud, I'll
give you five hundred pound for the presenta-
tion when the vacancy occurs That means,
don't you know, that he wants me to appoint
his son to the curacy when its decrepit in
cumbent dies Now, I've known such things as
holder of livings being either so hard up as to
be mighty glad to bargain for a vacancy for five
hundred pound And I could name noblemen
who didn't need the money. so much,
but who believed On general principles.
in making people pay for what they
get, to do the same thing. Why, instead of sup
porting a number of livings man with
enoogh of them might almost be supported by
them. There's very odd twist in the law about
this; have the right to bargain away vacancy
before it occurs. but if an incumbent should die
resign, it would then be criminal to sell the
privilege OF presentation, or appointment. Any
body who bought the place under such circum-
then prospective vacancy is put u2 at auction
by some holder of appointments who gets short
1t seems rather odd, you know. to hear an auc-
tioneer running on about the health of the pres
ent lDcum bent, assuring the would be BUYERS
that the Rev. So-and-so is old and infirm and
that the clergyman who secures the privilege of
succeeding So and-so will not have to wait long
Yes the reform crowd stir up good deal of
fuss about that kind of thing. Here's a curious
thing that sometimes happens: Suppose Lord A.
has four sons; the first succeeds to his fathers
estate and titles, he's all right; the second
may be, is put into Parliament, with the idea
of getting to be Cabinet officer: the third goes
into the army; the fourth to the church
Now, suppose that when the fourth is
ten years old. the very best curacy in Lord
place for the prospective cleric; but, if once
filed, he must wait till the ncumbent's death
before appointing another. So Lord A. finds
some young cleric who is under obligations to
him-might be the tutor of the elder sons, you
know, in the varsity-and says to him: Here;
l will give you the benefit of this living if you
will agree to resign it when my son is ready to
take orders The young cleric agrees, and the
bargain is made. the cleric even giving bonds
that he will resign at the sta ted time No, that
is not simony, and is perfectly legal Odd isn't
itl"
Yes. it was odd and tho Cameron, still swing
ing nonchalantly about on the piano-stool
thought 80, too.
my power of presentation or appointments"
concluded his Lordship, "comes with my title
There are those who have great many more
livings at their disposal than !, as we'll as some
who have fewer" OMAR JAMES.