Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-12-16
One Clergyman Criticises Another.

| To the Editor of The Dispatch:
When a writer's chief object is the
! pleasing of the multitude he is often tempted
to go outside the lines OF fairness when criti
cising people and opinions as we'll as usages
not agreeable TO his own views. He is also
/ lea into the mistake of those who, from an
oversight of facts, state things which are moi
exactly true. And yet we will not condemn
| such writer of being willful in his incor-
rect statements or unkind in his criticisms.
| For this reason we are tempted TO call the
| Rev. Mr.. Hodges attention TO an important
! deviation on his part fropn the excellent de-
scriDtion of "Old Oxford" to a severe criti-
cism of all who cannot exactly follow him in
his ideas of ritual, etc.
We have waited before writing word to
you on this matter. Our delay has softened
our pen and calmed our temperature We
may now without severity ask why has the
reverned gentleman gone out of his way to
strike at those who have not one unkind
word to utter against his simplicity of
ritual? No one in the Church of Western
Pennsylvania is burdened with the so-called
''non-essentials and extravagencies of rit-
ualism." Those in England who are so
burdened (?) are perfectly satisfied with
their load and claim that according to his
tory they are doing the right thing in being
burdened.
But who is the more correct so far as his
tory bears witness-the so-called Rltualists
of England or the Rev. NJ. A. Hodges?
The writer is no Ritualist himself. His
service is as plain as an freshman can possi-
bly, have it and vet be in keeping with the
Rubrics and historical usage Still, he
must say that the so-called Ritualists can
give more evidence to sustain their position
than those who criticise them. The Rev.
substance viz: That ''the mysteries
of ecclesiastical dressmaking, chasu-
bic, wafer, sections of rainbow,
eastward position, green and purple
vestments and clouds of incense are the
abuses practiced by the "yearIings of divin-
ity schools" who claim to be walking in the
footsteps of the fathers of the Oxford move
ment. We are afraid that our brother has
made two unconscious mistakes. First, he
has made severe attack upon his Creator
and second, he has erred in history. The
mysteries of ecclesiastical dressmaking"
are traceable to Almighty God on the
Mount, when he gave commandment to
Moses how vestment should be made
and what should be the colors. In
ceIse. unleavened bread, orientation
are of God ordering and OF scriptural and
historical usage. Surely no man will say in
dead earnest that these things so derided by
our brother are the extrayagancies of the
outgrowth of the Oxford movement? How
can any one make such a mistake even if
the things themselves were absurd? Pre-
Oxford history, as well as the history of the
Reformed Book of Common Prayer and the
better and purer days of early Christianity,
teach US all to the contrary.
We are unwilling that any reader of the
the Rev. Mr.. Hodges otherwise excellent
article should turn from it a despiser of
things dear unto many men who certainly,
though not in our way, are doing good.
What does it matter after all about nones-
sentials if those who love them make them
the means of saving some souls from shame
and sin? While in London last October, l
visited two churches whose services struck
me in forcible way. The one was that of
the Rev. Mr.. Spurgeon and the other ST.
Alban's Holburn. Both churches were
crowded. The ministers in both were ex-
tremists in their ritual. Mr.. Spurgeon was
assisted by numerous deacons, etc., in their
ordinary street dress. The service was
hearty, yet peculiar. The preacher
was in earnest. At ST. Adams
ritual the Rev. Mr. Hodges describes, but
was impressed deeply by the reverence OF
the poor and the aged. The body of the
church must have had in it about 600 men
and boys and the side pews as many women
Which church shall we condemn?-Mr.
Spurgeon's, whose congregation is made up
OF the working men and women of London,
or st. Alban's Holburn, before whose altar
are gathered great multitude saved from
lives OF vice and shame?
Believe me, respectfully yours,
/. n. W. IRVINE.
DnannoCu no,