The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1889-02-07
THE ENGLISH CHURCH


THE ENGLISH CHURCH
WHAT 1T is AND WHAT 1T DOES IN
ITS HISTORICAL WORK.
The Long Past and the Present Utility Of
tho Church of England-Its Internal
Economy as Compared with Other Religis
Gus BOdIes-POpular Errors Corrected
Hospital Sunday has recently been OBJ
served in New York, What the proper
tionste offerings have amounted to in
the various denominations we do not yet
know. 1t will interest members OF all
our churches to know that the London
Hospital Sunday collections in the
Churches OF England have averaged,
since the movement began in 1873, not
less than nearly four times as much as
those of all the other religious denom-
nations put together. The average
Hospital Sunday collection is about
$15O,000, or $2.250, 900 for the fifteen
years ending 1887. A church which
gives so remarkable proportion as this
merits a few explanatory remarks as to
its organization and work.
THE TERM STATE CHURCH."
Even in England they are those who
have vague idea that because the SOY
ereigu is the titular head of the Church
of England therefore its ministers are
Estate paid This is not the fact, That
sturdy Radical, Prof Freeman, the His
torian, very frankly meets this impres-
sion. He says:
People talk as if church property were
the property of one vast corporation
called 1.-THE church." In truth, it is
simply the property of the several local
churches, the ecclesiastical corporations
sole and aggregate, bishops, chapter,
rectors, Wears, or any 9th rs. The
Church of England, as a single body,
has no property. The case of the Church
Of England in this respect IS not differ.
ent from that of the Wesleyan Method
list body, or of any Baptist, Presbyterian
or other non-conformist denomination
having local and particular trusts and
endowments. but not single general trust
or endowment for the whole denomina'
ton.
Suppose that the Presbyterian Church
in the United States called the Presld
entprotem. their head; suppose they
permitted him to appoint their bishops
assuming they had bishops), and cup
pose that certain OF those, bishops were
entitled to seats in the Senate, to advis,
with the Executive on church affairs
and9protect the cause of the churches al
large, that would be parallel to the Es
tablished Church OF England, The indi
vidual congregation would still have u
support their organizations, pay their
pew rents and carry on their operations
as they do now. The Established Church
of SEQ land is a case in point. 1t is really
Presbyterian body, governed by Kri
Sessions, Presbyterian, Synods, and thu
General Assembly, consisting OF botf
clerical and lay members. 1t chooses it
own Moderator. and the Head of thu
State is represented by a Lord Higl
Commissioner, who receives 900 PEI
annum.
THE ADVANTAGES AND DRAWBACKS.
The Church of England has been endow
ed with splendid munificence by private
and public donors during centuries. While
ga Freeman shows,it receives no specia
legal protection more than any sect en-
Joys, it devotes its property and it,
machinery to the service of the people
at large, and not, as to the denomina
tons to its own flock only. The Churcl
divides the whole area, town and country
into parishes, quite irrespective of wha
other churches do, or don t do, and int
each parish it puts church, and par
son TO work it, The Church provide,
funds for the maintenance of its men
though, as we shall see, there is room
and often dire need, for the voluntary
offerings of the people, This recogni
ton OF its duty to the nation, the peoplr
as a whole, regardless of creed or status
entities it to its name, the Nationa
Church. Everybody has the legal RICH
to a seat IN the parish church; the par
shioners, whatever their religion o.
non-religion. have the right to speal
and vote at Easter vestry, when the par
son dominates his church warden anC
the parishioners elect theirs. Every par
shjoner has the right to say in the ar
rangement of the church service or seats
Every parishioner has right to tn,
parsons service in christening, marry
ing and burying and to have the bel
tolled on payment of the fee. These art
not all of the peoples rights by any
means, but they will suffice for the pres
ent purpose. On the other hand. the
congregation has not, of right, a voice
in the selection Of its minister nor it,
bishop. This is the price of its privileges,
and though undoubtedly there is much
to be said for the voluntary system OF
choice, there is also much to De depre
ID in ha ,Iantfva flan nnHor tuh rl,
cases of tyranny and petty persecution
Of good ministers by officious officiili
are anything but rare. In the few par
ishes IN London where the local custom
is for the parish to elect its parson, the
scenes on election day have been de-
plorable, for the non.going saloon frequ-
enters have insisted on exercising their
voting rights for the fun of the thing.
SIZE OF THE CHURCH
There are nearly 10000 churches in
England, besides the great abbeys, cath
edrals and ancient collegiate churches.
There are about $4,000 clergymen. The
church going population is trustworthy
estimated at about IA, 900 900, for whom
about 6,200,00 FITTINGS are available.
There are 33 bishops, Of whom 2S have
cathedrals with deans and chapters; 6
have cathedrals without chapters, being
newly created blshopricS within the last
few years. The original number OF "a
bishops sit in the House of Lords as
spiritual peers, the prevailing opinion
being against any increase. There are
about 10, 700 parishes, with old or restOr-
ed or rebuilt parish churches, of which
8 ,467 were founded before A. D. 1850
The extent of the state patronage il
shown by the striking fact that S,023 OF
these parishes are in lay patronage, T.
257 in ecclesiastical patronage and only
l 1850 in royal patronage,
WEALTH OF THE CHURCH.
The revenue of the church is not easy
to estimate accurately. Much OF its set
tied income is derived from land, ac-
cordinz to its letting value, and this
not only varies. but for the last fifteen
years has greatly decreased The total
proceeds from all sources, endowments,
title glebe. rent value OF residences, pew
rents and church fees, is said to reach
nearly $35, 100000. But il is quite Ger
tain that the clergy, all told, do not re-
ceive more than $50 900, 900, if so much.
The church houses and lands are not to
be reckoned as product i've in general.
The huctuation Of good and bad times
affects the CLERGYMAN aa much az tla