Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-01-19

After the session had been concluded
the visiting members were driven over
the CITY in carriages, and those who had
been here before expressed their sur
prise at the improvements made recently.
In the evening banquet was given at
the Nadeau, at which nearly all the
members Of the Legion were present.
The church and the Dnke.
LONDON, November 24.-The following
paragraph, re-published from a provin-
cial journal in one of the London papers
this week, brings into public notice again
certain prominent people whose names
had for the time been forgotten, and has
caused considerable sensation in Lon
don society. 1t is as follows:
At the meeting of the Ruridecanal Chapter
at Oxford the venerable Arehdescon Palmer
presiding, the following resolution was ad-
opted: , s ~
ford, recognizing the extreme danger to pubic
marriage in many countries at the ,prese MT time,
and accepting gratefully the resolutions of the
bishops lately assemled at Lambeth place on
this subject, do hereby express their sympathy
with the Rev. Arthur Majendie, rector of the
parish af Woodstock, in the difficult position in
which he has been placed by his conspicuous
protest in the recent case within his own
parish"
That protest could only mean one
thing, to wit: public snub to the Duke
of Marlborough and to his American
Duchess.
The World correspondent went down
to Woodstock in order to find out what it
meant. The little parish is one of the
quaintest of all quaint English towns. 1t
is remote from the railway, and this
news, which reached the outside world
through gathering of country clergy
men, is but an echo of the social ex
plosion which took place at Woodstock
on the day when the Duke took his
American bride to his historical Palace Of
Blenheim.
When Lord Randolph Churchill
brought his American wife to Blenheim
some years ago, Woodstock gave him a
public reception. 1t is Eot the custom to
fire cannon on such occasions, as do the
Americans, but to ring the church bells.
The chimes rang out merrily for Lady
Randolph, and all the people in town
turned out to hear the Mayor read an ad-
dress of welcome.
| A few weeks ago when the Duke
brought home the new Duchess the
present Mayor and municipal officers
wanted to arrange a similar demonstra-
ton of welcome. Bnt they encountered
the most determined opposition on the
part of all the Episcopalians, the rector
of the parish church positively refusing
to allow the chimes to be rung. The
Mayor and all the corporate officers re-
monstrated with him. They urged that
the late Duke had presented him with
the living and that the present Duke
was patron thereof; that the church
itself was on the ducal estate, and that
it was his duty to do honor to the pres
ent Duke. But the rector was ebdurate.
The church chimes, he declared, could
not be rung without his permission, and
he was going to take no part in welcom.
ing a divorced man, whose life was
VIGOROUSLY against the teachings of the
church. The rector's congregation sup
ported him, and the projected public
reception fell through. The Duke and
his bride drove to their splendid home
amid solemn silence. When the Duke
asked what it all meant, the Mayor
apologized and said that it was ali the
fault Of the rector for refusing to permit
the church bells to be rung.
| The Duke was very angry, but under
the English laws cannot take the living
|
him. 1t belongs to the Rev. Mr.. Majen-
die for life: But few days afterwards
the Rev. Mr.. Majendie received formal
notice from the Dukes agent notifying
him that he would not be allowed to
This not only deprives him and his
family of the afternoons drive enjoyed
for years, but forces him to 60 miles out
~ ha ,,h - \
the station to take the train to Oxford or
London.
| In Bladen, a neighboring village,
there is school supported by the Duke 3
estate, to which the Rev. Mr.. Majendie
has devoted years of hard labor. He
was notified the other day that he would
no longer be allowed to visit this school.
| In Woodstock there is another school
over which the Duke has no control, but
to which the ducal estate has always
contributed $50 yearly at the solicitation
OF the rector. Another form of the pres
ent Dukes irritation has been to stop
this small contribution.
That is all that could be learned on
the subject 80 far. But the Duke is going
to stand for membership in the new
County Council about to be inaugurated
| uuucI Guo reCouC Local government act !;
and if he is elected, his power to make it
uncomfortable for Mr.. Majendie will be
vastly increased. But farmer by the
name Of Thomas MacGregor Gardner has
consented to run against the rich and
powerful Duke, and the rector's friends
say they are going to elect him.
The World correspondent called on the
Rev. Mr.. Majendie. He lives on the
threshold of the Dukes magnificent
estate, in charming rectory almost ad-
joining the ancient church of his parish.
If the mans face is any criterion he has
a will of iron.
81 refused to ring the chimes to well
come the Duke hone," he said, "because
my creed and my Church protest against
such marriage. My principles do not
permit me to do such thing and I reso-
lutely refused to listen to the appeals
from the Mayor and from others who
urged me to participate in a public re-
ception."
sis it true" the correspondent asked,
"that the Duke has prohibited you from