Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1898-04-04
CANON OSBORNE EXPLAINS


Rev. John osborne has issued
a circular letter TO the members of
St Andrews Cathedral Church,
in which he further explains the
present controversy with the Bah
op, and deals n polite roasting"
to TIE official head of this diocese.
As the letter treats carefully the
now famous case from its begin
Mug, it is here reproduced 10 full:
"rhe law of England states that
clergyman, when he has been
indicted, becomes complete in
cumbent, aud that he has then full
session of the temperatures AS
well as the spirituali,ies of bis
bene6cs - but it requires further
that, although be is now in full
possession, he shall at some time,
publicly, in the hee' ing of the
people, declare his belief in the
doctrines of the Church, as laid
down in the Thirty nine Articles
Thus - Every person instituted
or collated to any benz fee with
care of souls, shall on the first
l. ,rd's day, or on such other Lord 8
day IS the Bishop may appoint
and allow, publicly and openly in
the presence of the congregation
there assembled, read the Thirty
Dine Articles OF religion, aud i'm
mediately after reading make the
declaration OF assent And if
any person SO instituted or collat
ed wilfully fails to comply with
this provision, he shall absolutely
forfeit his benefce. The making
this declaration as now required
constitutes what has heretofore
been termed reading in aud if
omitted at the proper time, the
only question which would arise
would seem to bs whether the
omission was wilful.'
1T is the Bishops duty to ap
point day for such reading in
when requested by the Rector.
"As the law provides that lapse
shall not occur because the Church
remain void through the Bishops
own default, and hr ther eby is a
disturber, so a Rector who is
willing and ready to read in is
blameless, and the non fulfilment
of this requ site, through the
B'shop'- default, in not appoint
ing day when requested, does
not in any way impair his rights.
'In Canada, or the Uui,ed
States, the law does not require a
Rector 10 read himse { in
I'm the face of the above law,
his Lordship has thought fit to
suspend me, and this during the
Easter season, for not complying
with a law that he himself refuses
to permit me to obey (parad' xi
cal). This action, on the Bishops
part. is absolutely illegal aud un
justifable to degree, perhaps,
that you, being accustomed t. the
Church government in Honolulu,
will hardly grasp. 1t is an auto.
cratic exerci g of authority quite
self conferred, parallel to which
you could not fud. Yet, under
the circumstances, l think the
w'sest thing to do is to
submit PATIENTLY uutil the
powers that be, in England, ad-
just the wrong, if there be such
powers. If these powers do not
exist in Engl"nd, then we shall
know our posi- non. ! may say
the Bi-hop's action is fairly con-
elusive proof of the truth of q
statement in my pamphlet thai
it is imperative that there b.
some tribunal b+fore which any
existing wrong may be laid and
adjusted, and to whose ruling
the Bishop, as we'll as thu CT rgy
and the people, must submit. II
no such tribunal can be found,
can sea nothing ahead of us but
anarchy, which will, at last, com
pei the great Church at large IL
inquire iuto the affairs of this
Diocese.