New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-09-11
A CRISIS ~ THE ENGLISH CHURCh

/ A CRISIS ~ THE ENGLISH ChURCh.
The rltuali>tic agitation In the English Church
shows no signs of subsidlns. On the contrary
each party in the controversy Is growing more
determined to drive the other out or the 'hurcn'
and many Churchmcn who have thus far taken
/ little interest In the dispute are now beginning
TO fear that 1t may result IN splitting the Church
in two If such a schSm should occur the anu
ritualsts. or Professionals, would probably hhu
themselves outside; for, although they constitute
majority in the Church, the Angio-'a'hoicS
can count on the support of n great hummer "i
the influential clergy and largely control the
/ machinery Of the Church Moreover, as they
stand for the ancient doctrines Of the Church
they can claim with much pausibility that the
protes,onts are really inerlopers who ought to
be ruled ont OF court. While the Irotes'antS
urco that this view rests upon n false inter
/ protation Of the Churchs faith and history, they
are weakened by the disposition Of many
Churchmcn to regard them as enemies OF the
Church organization. The AngloCathollcs, in
fact. appeal to exactly the same feeling that
leads 81 many good men TO support their politi-
cal machine. even when they are convinced mat
its course is open to criticism For this reason
J
support Of many Churchmen who personally
diSapprovc of its course and tendencies. lhey
believe that It is the regular party OF the
Church. to adopt the language of politics. and
they prefer to endure the incidental evils OF
regularity" rather than appear to array then-
/ selves against the machine.
Put. as we all know, political machine IL
often guilty Of lawlessness under the forms OF
/ hat l.,
brought against the Anglo Catholic party. II Is
accused Of trying to undo the work OF the Ref
ormation and reimpose upon the Church the
doctrines. practices and ceremonlnls Of the pre-
Reformation age The party itself admits that
II Is doing this, and glorics In It's work, many
Of It's more candid Spokesman going so far ms
10 drnounce the Reformation MS n crime against
the Church. This view OF the case Is prevalent
among the clergy. As Sir William Harcourt
said recently:
The Reformation In the Church ~ England
! owed little 10 the clergy or the bishops, VINO
I orposed IL n, every stage when II was estab-
lishcd IN the reign OF Elizabeth IL was me
", o., %, yrtoyia i, is 10 the iaity only that
We look with any confidence for us &c
fence To my mind the most formidahe feature
/ - the present crisis is not so much the Irregular
. conduct 81 Individual persons as the open as
regard 81 law by the bishops a law-evadng
cpiscopate VIII never bring forth n laW-apiu'he
. clergy
That the bishops are indspOsed 10 make any
stand against rltuallsm IL evident Even the
Archbishop of Canterbury. whom they used to
nssan bitterly as Authoritarian and unbe
lever. has put himself on record rs seeing no
reason To nhbt the alleged lawless practices
Of the rltuallSts
There is. however. no MISLEADING the temper
J lott Protestant
the core. and they are earnestly. even violently,
npposcd 10 the Anglo-Cathollc reaction. II the
English Church should become de-Protestanlzed
II would lose the great majority of It's earnest
and LOYAL laymen who. under no circumstances,
will ever be rcconciled
"To hear the blessed mutter Of the mass.
And see God made and eaten all day !onG.
They are not opposed 10 moderate High
Church views. Indeed, II IS probable that a
majority Of English Churchmcn are largely in
sympathy with such views Historically. they
regard the Church as something different from
and better than Dissent. and every Low Church
man would oppose any surrender of the old
fashioned Anglican position. But they are ut
tcrly opposed TO an enforced confessional, the
substitution Of mass for communion. the ad-
oralion Of the Consccrated wafer prayers for the
Of the Cross. holy water and numerous other
rites and practices which have sprung up In the
Church IN recent years Mr.. Kensit. the anti
ritualistic agitator who Is organizing band Of
'Wiclinc Poor Preachers" has been widely con
dcmncd for taking the law into his own hands
bv disturbing rltualislc services. and he has
undoubtedly put himself in the wrong technl-
cay But It Is certain that his views are
shared by Il multitude Of Churchmcn who look
upon the ritualiStic movement as n lawess at
,cmpt 10 forge upon the Church the letters Of
the Papal system. minus the Pope. For It Is n
curious fact that rturllsm seriously contem-
plates the possibility Of making the English
Church practically ut one with Roman Catholi-
cism. while at the same time denying the right
of the pope to be the supreme head of the
Church. In the mean while. the Church appears
, 10 be blindly drifting to possible disaster.
without any ruddcr and no one seems to have
the power or the right to say just where ii
stands Even Lord Salisbury. whose sympa-
thcs are almost wholly with the Anglo Catho-
; lie party said recently 1--WE have no discipline
|, Gin the Church Of England, whether I'm morals
cor efficiency, whether In doctrine ritual"
----
intentions recall the saying attributed to the