The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-11-16
The Battle i'm Wales
For &blishrment.
Real Significance of the Contention for Equality
of Rights and for Divorcement of Church and State

or this city, before the Welsh PhilO-
sophical society, last Saturday, upon
subject concerning which Americans as
a rule are ill-informed-"Welsh Discs
tablishment:"
1t is my purpose in this paper to
bring before the society some reasons
why our fathers and brothers in Wales
are SO earnestly striving to bring about
the disestablishment of the Protestant
Episcopal church in their land. Many
of the arguments that I shall advance
will speak just as forcibly for the dis
establishment of the church in En-
gland, but other reasons shall be pro-
duced that apply specially to the Welsh
side of the question. 1t seems to me
that 1t is impossible to look, from al
most any standpoint, at the union be-
tween church and state without COM
ing to the conclusion that a state regu-
lated church as such has no good reason
for its existence. But when we remem-
ber that the Anglican church in Wales
is essentially an alien church, and in its
episcopacy and general form Of church
government conflicts with the opinions
and sentiment of more than IS per cent.
of the regular church goers in the whole
country, we are compelled to come to
the conclusion that the forced main
tenance Of the establishment of the
piece of religious intolerance as was
the action of the Russian government
when they forced the people of Siberia
into the rivers at the point of the bayo-
net and thus made them baptized men,
bers of the Greek church. 1t Is the
easiest possible matter to show that the
Episcopal church Is not established In
Wales by the will of the Welsh people,
for did not all but three representatives
from the Principality In the last parlia-
ment, and eight-tenths of the represen-
tatives in the present House go to
Westminster pledged to fight for full
religious equality and the disestablish-
ment of the church in Wales?
But to consider the question of the
establishment of state church. The
exceptional position of the church of
England in Wales may be described In
two words-privilege and pay. 1t Is rec
ognized as the church of the state,
though nonconformists constitute the
overwhelming majority of the state,
and 1t is secured in the sole enjoyment
Of vast revenues derived partly from
bequests made for religious purposes
Welsh people. and more largely from a
tribute levied on the produce of the soil.
The comforting Of such privileges on
the members of one religious body is a
wrong done to the members of all other
religious bodies, since 1t places the
latter under a disadvantage in the
propagation of their views and in the
extension Of their churches. 1t Is
wrong done also to that portion of the
community which makes no religious
profession, though they are just as much
a part of the nation and have the same
rights as those who do.
Some of the Direct Consequences
But the evils of establishment will be
best understood when we look at some
of its direct consequences. Within the
lifetime of the generation now passing
away nOncomformists were incapaci-
tated from being members of any mu-
nicipal corporations. mo person." so
ran the statute, or persons shall be
placed, elected, or chosen in or to any
of the offices of mayor, alderman, re-
corders, bailiffs, town clerks, common
councilmen, or other offices of magis.
tracy, or place of trust, or other employ
ernment of any city. corporation, bor-
ough, cinque port, or any of their men,
bers, or any other port town within
England, Wales, and Berwick-upon-
Tweed, that shall not have, one year
before such election or choice, taken
the Sacrament of the Lords Supper ac-
England" This was the "test" pre-
scribed for separating the sheep from
the goats, and 1t closed every corporate
office against nonconformists. from the
office of mayor to that of town crier,
or beadle. By the same
test they were excluded from all offices
under the Crown, and from all public
whatsoever. 1t Is sixty
years since these disabilities were abol-
ished, but one restriction, useful only
as badge Of humiliation, was long al
lowed to remain. A solemn declaration
was required Of persons about to be
members Of a corporation that
they would never use the powers Of in
version of the Established Church.
Down to the year 1888 no mar
riage could be celebrated ex-
cept by a clergyman of the
Church Of England, and ordinarily at
his parish church. A great hardship
existed with regard to baptisms. As
lay baptism is held valid by ecclesiasti-
cal law, w,nonconfirmist baptisms passed
without dispute except among the less
instructed Of the clergy, but the only
registers recognized for civil purposes
were the church registers. which regis
tered only baptisms, and only such
baptisms as had taken place at church.
The registers of baptisms usually
kept by Nonconformist pastors would
be admitted in court for what they
might be held to be worth, Just like an
entry In the fiy-leaf Of q family Bible,
but much would depend upon the pref
udices Of the judge and jury Where
rights of inheritance were concerned,
or professional career was in view.
parents sometimes
. 80 II. III
dren baptized at church. Unbaptized
children were left unregistered and
were to serious extent shut out from
the pale of the law. AS with baptism
and marriage SO with the burial of the
dead. Down to recent times when
cemeteries became common, and as Is
still the case in many places in the
land, the only place Of interment was
the parish church yard. Noncom-
formist. to be sure. had the
common law right to be buried
only. The unbaptized could not claim
Christian burial The incumbent of the
parish was bound by the law of the
church to refuse a service II he knew
that the person about to be buried had
not been baptized. A bigoted clergy
man might choose at the last moment
to have his scruDles as to the validity
Of Nonconformist baptisms, and there
would, perhaps, be an alteration in
the churchyard. In all cases. and
down to as recently as six years ago.
the Nonconformist pastor could APP
pear at the grave only as silent
mourner He was not permitted to per-
form the last offices of devotion over
members Of his own flock.
Unjust Taxation.
It might have been supposed that
a wealthy church would scorn to tax
for the maintenance of its services
those who had been driven from its
pale, but this was by no means the
case. The cost of keeping the parish
church in repair. Of supplying 1t with
fire and light, of furnishing the sacra-
mental wine. of washing the parsons
surplice, and Of paying the apparitor