New-York tribune., 1891-02-22
VELSH DISESTA BLISH NENT.

Tho mestion of disestablishment in Wales
has again come up in Parliament, and this time
Mr. Gladstone gives the measure a moderate
and somewhat contingent support. Iwenty-one
wears ago he contcnded that disestablshment in
Wales meant diseStabliShment in England, for
which he was not then ready, and perhaps IS
not quito ready And only so recently as
1889, when the question came up, he indicated
n divided state of mind on the subject by re-
fusing to vote either for or against the measure.
That he should now be even mildly in favor OF
il indicates long step in advance for man OF
Mr. Gladstone's peculiar temperament. The
progress of Mr.. Gladstone, like human progress
in general, has been marked and steady through
ont the whole Of his distinguished career; but
also. like human progress, it has been along the
curved line of the spiral rather than along Il
straight line, so that it has often taken him
many years to travel short distance, especially
when voters have been uncertain and obstrep
erOus.
But as to Welsh dsestablishment the wonder
il not that Mr.. Gladstone should, after much
inward cogitation, find himself able to support
it. but that he should not have felt compelled
to advocate it long ago. For, not only is it di-
rectly in line with the principles of right and
Justice which decided him to advocate the dis
establishment Of the Irish Church, but it is the
inexorable outcome of the great idea of Home
Rule. for which in these latter years the Grand
Old Man has been making so gallant Il fight.
If Home Rule is good thing in politics. it can
not he a bad thing in religion. And if it Is de-
sirable in the case of the Irish Church il cannot
be undesirable in the case of the Welsh Church
simply because it might seem to imply a similar
measure at some future time in England and
Scotland. Even those who most firmly believe
in the theory of an Established Church must
acknowledge that the tendency of modern life
is awav from that theory, and that the time
must come and indeed is rapidly approaching,
when it will have to be given up, even in Eng
land In tho meantime, those Churchmen who
are willing 70 look facts In the face candidly
confess that an Established Church in Wales
involves not only much hardship, but intolcrable
injustice. The fact is not seriously disputed by
anybody that an overwhelming majority Of the
people of Wales are Dissenters. The Estab-
shed Church, therefore, is a Church Of the mi
nority. and worse than that, is regarded whether
rightly or wrongly. as an exotic which has no
real relation to the life of the people. That
they should in n measure be compelled to sup
port an Establishment under such circumstances,
and feel themselves branded by the stigma of
social .rfcriority which always attaches to Dis
sentcrS, seems 10 them an intoerabe wrong
And tho wonder is that brave and impulsiye
people like the Welsh hayo submitted to it 81
long.
1t may be that nothing will come Of the
present agitation of this question in Parliament
for of course it is political rs well as "a re-
licous question. and as such will be advocated
and opposed purely on grounds Of political eX-
pediency. But it is certain that before many
yoarS diScstablShmcnt in Wales will have to
come; for it is demanded by justice. And in
the long run, even politicians must listen to
tho demands Of justice.