The morning call., 1893-09-20
A QUEENS SPEECH.

A Queens speech is generally a formal
document drawn by the Ministry of the
day. which her Majesty reads or orders her
chancellor TO read on her behalf, without
regard TO its contents. II is not supposed
that it expresses the Queens personal
views; indeed, it often occurs that it does
not and that the sovereign is merely the
mouthpece of the leaders Of the House Of
Commons.
But now we have a real Queens speech,
which was delivered by Queen Victoria in
person on the 4th of September at the lay
ing of the cornerstone of a new parish
church at BalmOral in Scotland. IT was
not long speech. and was delivered ap-
parently in order to afford the Queen an
opportunity of stating that she was the
only human being in the world who is the
constitutional head, civil and spiritual, of
two distinct churches, which profess con-
1icting doctrines. and pursue antagonistic
policies, to wit. the Church of England and
the Church of Scotland. To both of these
churches the Queen fills the place which
the POpe occupies toward the Church Of
Rome. She is the ultimate authority to
which at least in theory all disputes OF
doctrine must be finally referred; and, in
theory. again. she is the dispenser of pa
trOnage in both hierarrhies. 1t is most
remarkable position for any one to occupy,
and doubly remarkable when the incum-
bent is q woman.
1t is possible that the speech was made
without any ulterior thought and was
simply an outpouring of the kindly
feeling Of Queen Victoria for the
Church of Scotland, whose services she
, d. - = IL
sibe that her Majesty may have meant
that her subjects should read between the
lines and should take notice that any as
sault upon the two established churches
would find her among the defenders. 1t
was observed with some surprise that the
spiritual peers voted unanimously against
the home-rule bill. By that vote they
ranged themselves on the side of the
hereditary nobility against the people.
The episcopal body has not been always
on that side. When the Queen was crowned
the clergyman who was selected 10 deliver
the coronation sermon was the Rev sgd
ney Smith, who was reading member of
the advanced Liberals. and had been fore
most in urging the swamping OF the House
of Lords to pass the reform bill. 1t seems
that her Majesty, like the B shops, has
changed her mind since then. ana is no
longer in sympathy with the party which
aims TO bring the British Government into
closer touch with the times. Whether the
change of mind will have any effect on
public opinion in the coming contest re-
mains to be seen.
1t seems that the whirligig of time is
likely to introduce us to more curious revO-
lutiOns in leading minds. When Gladstone
was young man full of promise he wrote
a book on church and state, demonstrating
that in England the two were indissoluble,
and that the state would be in danger if it
could not lean upon the church. The book
was reviewed by another young man OF
promise, Macaulay. who left very little Of
1t to bury on the booksellers shelves. No
puhlicist at the present day would deem 1t
worth while to cOntrOvert its propositions.
Half century or more has passed, and
now Mr.. Gladstone finds himself in a di-
lemma which will leave him no logical
escape from the duty of demanding a sep
aratiOn between church and state. He
cannot well create Bishops without bishop
rics; but he has precedent for law de-
priving Bishops from claiming eX-officO
seats in the House of Lords.
No one can foresee the range which the
present British upheaval may attain. And
it is the misfortune of the British churches
that as they are part of the state, and
share its power, their privileges are sub
ject to review and curtailment by Parlla-
ment. Congress has no power in this
country to meddle with the churches. But
if the Bishops had seats in the Senate no
session would pass without bills to inter-
fere with their rights. and even with their
doctrines