New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-05-28
RITUAL TRIAL IN ENGLAND
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STAND TAKEN
BY THE ARcHBIsHoPs.
auN1our CHARACTERISTICS OF THE VENERABLE
rccIEs1AsTTcs WHO CONSTITUTE THE
couRr-AN AMERICAN PRIEST FIG
uREs IN THE CASE.

URES IN THE CASE
interest In the Church of England and among
f-niscopalians in this country centres IN INC
r,,ya, case which is now before the highest spir-
FINAL authorities of the Church from which the
ycn,scopal Church in the United States sprang.
The English archbishops In their oriiiian'
scarlet convocation robes, are sitting In the h's
toric Guard Room Of Lambeth Palace. as ai'
ecclesiastical court. judicially determining
whether the rubrics OF the BOOK OF Coni,no,,
PRAYER and the canons of the Church Of England
forbid the ceremonial use OF incense IN the "o'
ship of that Church, two priests appearing az
defendants in test case the spec'ac'e Is o.
once picturesque and significant.
roth arcbbishops are men Of tremendous force
NJ character and yet they singularly unlike.
II IN some centuries since men OF such power
have occupied the two archepiscopal sees Oh
England and not since the Reformation mas
there been such an assertion OF the right Oh inc
Church of England to regulate Its own worship
Parliament has sought for thirty years 70 oicta'e
and control the worship of the Church Oh Eng
land. It passed laws with penalties attacheu'
and priests have gone to prison rather IMAM ooes
+bem. The Public Worship Regulation act is
nract,cally a dead letter. and great nue. anu
rrv ~ lawlessness on the part OF the clergy IN
matters Of teaching and ritual mas aei.a'eu
England for the last year. and ecnoes Oh '"e
controversy have been heard In the Episcopal
Church in this country ~
The Church Discipline bill was drawn 10 oi"ae
Che priests Of the Church Of England aosoiuteN
under the civil power, but before IL was iii'o
duced the archbishops took the matter ih'o 'nei,
&C.,, hands by announcing that they intended
a. aa,erm,ne ritual questions in their own arch'-
sn,.copal court. without reference to the civil
az
(,rowr The answer of Parliament TO the stano
.a,.r nv the archbshops was the defeat OF the
church Discipline bill. The archbishops opeheu
.h.,r court al Lambeth on May 8: the House Oh
Commons defeated the measure so obnoxious ~
rhrrchmen on May 10 by vote OF SlO 70 100
THESE circumstances lend deep significance "
Che scene In the Guard Room at Lamoeth ia'-
ace and the characteristics OF the chlei ac'ors
make Il the more striking.
rNoI.ANps GRIM-vIsAGED PRIMATE-
m. man who easily dominates the scene is
xhe Most Rev. Dr. Frederick Temple Arch-
nsbop OF Canterbury and Prmate OF all ENG
,and He 10 large OF stature anc OF commanding
-,,sr his face strong and rugged. his nina Keen
ara we'll stored with learning. his manner
.~rscre almost abrupt his eyes dimmed by age
b,s voice lacking the resonance OF FORMER yeas
hut h,s mental force not one whit aoa'eo anu
b,s sn,ritual power probably greater than 'ho'
welded by any other man in England.
ue has been called "the Grand OLD Man OF the
English Church" and feow-countrymen Oh ms
faith instinctively bow with awe peiore 'ne
prtm-yisaged Primate who weather. eaten W
.ha scc,esiastical storms Of half a century cour-
axeously braves the clamor OF the anu-r'uaiiS's
ana nonconformists, and. asserting the spirituai
nowers Of his high office, proposes 70 oeciue
delicate questions Of controversy-to rehoer a
decision for the enforcement or which ne VIII
have only his spiritual authority ana persoha'
prestige.
Frfty.three years ago DR.. Temple was maue
,rr,ast and in 1853 he became the head master
of Rugby Soon after when chaplain 10 inc
Queen he called forth the invectives OF High
~,,rrchmen nv a paper in Essays and Re-
views" in which he defended the theory OF evo-
,ut,on II was this essay which occasioned
vehement protest years later, in 1859. when ne
WAS elevated 10 the Bishopric OF Exeter, ano
again when he was translated 10 the iilPoi totit
see OF London in 1889 In that great 49, ne
toiled ceaselessly and won golden opinions rom
those who had been his opponents. so tnat the
protest against his elevation TO the ArchDisnop-
ric Of Canterbury in 1896 was niue more .na
an echo of the old uproar and there was vice
spread enthusiasm in the English Church on the
occasion of his enforcement at Canterbury on
January g. 1897. ..o
hull by the horns Archbishop Temple last fall
met the agitation against ritualism by puphcly
discussing on five successive days nearly every
burning question of doctrine and ritual. statlng
clearly what he regarded as in conformity win
the laws and traditions Of the English Church
rnat was alien, and what was oeoataDie
Speul<ing without notes, he expounded contro-
yersial questions with dialectic skill and In
conservative spirit, pleasing neither SIDE. be-
cause his sword cut both ways but command
ing profound attention and respect.
Though life of tnceSSant toll has mace mis-
seventy eght years weigh heavily upon him 1t
Is with undaunted courage and unimpaired abl-
~ that the Archbishop Of Canterbury under
takes the task of revving more fully the spir-
itual jurisdiction of his Office. The outcome is
fraught with far-reachng consequences for the
Church Of England meaning either a clearer
distinction between the rights Of Church and
State or a complete separation. involving the
disestablishment Of the Church Of England.
THE OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES OF YORK.
Associated with the Primate is an ecclesiastic
who is in many respects his direct antithess.
The Most Rev. William Dalrymple Maclagen.
Archbishop Of York is small Of stature, with a
voice Of singular responsiveness, his face clean
cut and showing great determination, his eyes
keen yet kindly. his manner precise and some
what formal. his mind treasury of learning.
He began life in the English Army, serving
three years in India and holding commission
as lieutenant when he retired He entered the
priesthood ten years later than DR.. Temple. and
won his mitre by successful pastoral work In
the great parishes Of ST. Mary's. NewrngtOn and
St. Mary Abbots, Kensington where he alarmed
those who had marked out great ecclesiastical
career for him by showing marked tendencies
toward ritualism Nevertheless advancement
came quickly. In 1878 he was made Bishop OF
Lichfield and was elevated to the Archbishopric
of York in 1891. He has ruled somewhat dras.
tically, showing traces Of his early military
training. and has exhibited marked fondness
for splendor in worship and for imposing &c
clesiastical functions. His vast learning was
no W
the Archbishop OF Canterbury. he wrote in fuen
and graceful Latin reply to the letter OF Pope
Leo XIII, stoutly defending the validity o.
Anglican ordinations and ably reviewing thu
history Of the controversy
An American priest. whose theological learn
ing has won for him respectful attention In thu
English Church. the Rev. DR.. Henry r. Percival
rector Of the Church Of the Evangelsts Phila
delphia. is cited as an authority in the case nov