The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-02-19
CHARLES |.
Was He Martyr or Traitor?

nrst MAKE mad.
History confirms the truth of this
maxim by many examples. but seldom
has it furnished a more striking illus
tration of 1T than in the recent Church
ceremonial to oanonize Charles |. NO
enemy of the Episcopal church could
have devised scheme adapted to do it
equal discredit In the eyes Of the A meri-
can people.
AS to merits and dement's of Charles,
the verdict of history Is too nearly unani-
nous for the success of any attempt to
reverse it; and nothing that Rev. Mr..
Lee says in his letter, refutes the oonten
ton of the N. Y. Tribune. that he
sought to betray the liberties of England
and suffered cruel aeath az the penalty.
Granted, that his execution was politl-
cal blunder and SO worse than crime,
the fact remains that he incurred the
penalty Of his persistence in course
which naturally had fatal result. As
to MIR. Lees plea for his private virtues,
every school boy is supposed to be famil
lar with Macaulay's scathing retort. a
retort sufficient to silence his eulogists
forever. But Macaulay, we may be told
is Wing historian, and SO not to be
trusted. Gresne's history of the people of
England is the highest authority OF re-
cent writer's, and he tells us, that the con-
flict between Charles and Parliament, Is
u part of the controversy going on even
now between two parties, one the oppon-
emit, the other the defender of civil and
religious liberty. The Encyclopedias
Britannica says, that "Charles | resorted
to crooked policies in very exigenoy, and
that he was given TO such duplioity, that
he could not be trusted, that he exalted
his prerogative above the rights Of Par
lament"
Lingard says, he vas IA tyrant and as
such, an awful lesson to kings" Even
the Vory Hume says, that 'exoepbea Few
courtierH and ecclesiaStios all men were
opposed to the high exercise OF his pre-
rogative.
presidents are found to have been very
different Again Hume says, "his
principles were incompatible with a
limited government" All allow that his
encroachments were systematic and per-
sistent. he made promises only to break
them. But time would fail me to quote
from the highest authorities passages
which abundantly confirm all, and much
more than all, tine Tribune alleges. Let
holman deceive himself The question at
issue is, whether an American churnh can
truthfully sanction canonization OF
this man as a glorious martyr, suffering
death for his fidelity to religion.
AS the Tribune says, the Bishops and
other clergy who participated In this
function were not obscure men, OF no In
fiuence in the church. They were repre-
sentative men from all parts Of tbs c0un-
try. OF course, they represent the reac-
tion6ry party in the Episcopal church.
They are the men who made celebrate d
assault on Phillips Brooks, and sought to
break him down. The middle ages fur
nish them their ideals, and their aspira-
tioHs are all in that direction. They
usually join Bishop Laud with Charles
I in their eulogies, both of whom they
revere as the greatest saints of the Eng
lish church, and teach that they are to be
venerated accordingly.
AS To Mr.. Lees comparison OF this
painting of Charles l with memorial
window to John Harvard, it is very mis-
leading. First OF all, the placing of a
Memorial window is not canonization,
such as was the service In the Church of
the Redeemer.
John Harvard was IA patriotic in his
pu bile. as he was pure in his private
life He WAS no dece1ver, inourably
crooked in all his ways as was Charles !,
making promises only to break them as
often as made. Charles promoted to the
highest places of honor in the church,
suob men as Laud, Montague, and Man
warning, men VINO exalted his prer0gative
L. Isl
cuted, imprisoned ANA Impoverished
Bishop Williams of Lincoln, one of the
few who dared Withstand his pretensions.
The Importance of this movement ap-
pears from the consideration that it is In
timately connected with the future of. the
Episcopal church. Shall this church be
dominated by men whose influence tends
to make it home for anti-Amerioan
and anti-Republican synpathies and
that they, and they only, are authorized
to speak for the Church? Ii this clique
continues its policy, the result will be to
reduce the Episcopal Church to "a small
minority Of the population in any .place,
aud in most places, to small remnant
who can be counted Oh the fingers OF one
or both hands. 1t Is safe to say as the
Tribune contends, that ga few more
incidents like his unveiling CT King
Charles the Martyr portrait, would not
only arrest any movement toward the
church, hui drive out large mum Der of
it's most loyal msln bers." No doubt the
Tribune in this paragraph voices the
A merican sen timent.
/ append one of the prayers offered on
the occasion of the Philadelphia function.
stBlesa, we heseeoh Thee, our work in
setting up to Thy glory in this Thy house
a likeness of Thy servant and martyr,
Charles: and grant that all they that
visit this temple NAV he moved by the
sight thereof to faithful copying of his
consistency even unto death.
Obviously, the placing of a memorial
window ny few personal friends is very
different from the conservation of the
Charles [ memorial by the solemn sane
ton of the church represented by lead
ing Bishops and other clergy who per-
formed the function with the above
prayer and. other similar ones.
A. DALTON.