The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-10-13
RITUAL CONTEST.
Discussion on the Subject That Is
Interesting Englishmen.


The attendance at the evening session
of the congress was small. In the alb
sence of Bishop Whpple the first part
of the session was presided over by
Bishop Potter, of New York. Later in
the evening Bishop Gilbert, who attended
the reception given to President McKin-
ley, arrived and took charge of the ex-
ercises.
The topic for discussion was Lessons
of the Ritual Contest in the Church of
England" Rev. John H. Elliott, S. T. D.,
of Washington, was the first writer on
the topic. He held that the contention of
the ritualists was not sustained by the
canons Of the English church, that they
did not interpret the canons correctly
and quoted them incorrectly to sustain
their views. The success of the ritualists,
he held, would mean that no church could
be catholic without being Roman Catho-
lie.
Rev Francis J. Hall, D. D., of Chi
cago, said the Church of England would
weather the storm of the ritualists as it
had others. Loyalty was one of the les
sons to be deducted from the contro-
versy.
Rev. Louis S. Osborne, of Newark, N.
j., said that since and before the Refor-
nation there had been two we'll defined
parties in the Church of England. These
were the high AMI low church parties.
Each had been a balance on the other.
People asked why the ritualists did not
go to the Roman Catholic church. The
answer was because if they did they
would have to obey, and that is what
they would not do When the Church OF
England is absolutely the Roman Catholic
church the great bear in the heavens
would be chasing the southern cross.
The conditions of the church should be
adjusted to the needs Of the people. The
one great lesson to be learned is obed1-
ence in the church
John A Staunton Jr-, of Springfield,
Mass, said a grave danger threatened the
Church of England by the views OF two
sets of men-the broad church men and
the ritualists. If present questions were
settled by sixteenth century settlements
the church would be annihilated The
past way of meeting these problems has
been by prosecutions. If the church was
to live and grow the needs Of every man
must be provided for. The lesson OF
liberation is the one we should learn.
Rev. Lewis Cameron, CT South Orange,
n. J., said: One lesson the contests
teaches us is the persistence OF one type
of worship. he cause OF the r1tuallst
has been dropped years ago He mas oeeh
charged with being the hidden e1nissary
would rot down The ritualist for dreary
services had put in more attractive ones.
He had held his ground for the reason
that as long as there are two worlds, one
of matter ard one Of thought, there VIII
be two divisions of men. No age mas
ever seen the suppression Of either. Inc
present conflict on the surface was the
same as others. The age is material and
vet the demand comes TOR Things spirit
ual The utmost each could do IS to try
and understand the other. The conditions
in England are the same as here. Men
are finding their way to the church The
danger is in the differences i'll the church.
Rev. w. c. Pope, eff st. Paul, said it
was commended that the controversy was
to SEPARATE the church and state in Eny-
land. The Church of England was bound
on all sides by the state. The arch
bishops on the question OF the use of in
cense in churches had decided that it
was edifying, but that three hundred
years ago al act Of parliament had Tor
hidden it and on this account the afch-
bishops had decided it had better not De
used.
Rev. Dudley w. Rhodes. of st. Paul,
said the real question had been steered
clear OF in the discussion. The reason
the English people were interested IN the
contest was that underneath 1T was the
question If the church of the future was
to be the church of the priest-craft.
The aim was to drag the church back
into tie cloister OF the confessional with
all it's horrors. The people wanted to be
touched by the nearness of God. They
wanted the guide shoulder to shoulder
The movement of the rItuallsts mad d
tendency to move backward to control
by other men of the children of God,