New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-05-08
THE BEGINNING OF A SPLIT.

THE BEGINNING OF A SPLIT.
You ask me to give estimate Of the crisis
IN the Church from the point of view OF
churchman who is in full sympathy with the
movement which dates itself from the Tractari-
ans. and which has expanded into the present
situation. II you had asked me year ago,
should have expressed a grave anxiety at the
developments of a new and extreme school, fed
chiefly from Cambridge. not large in number,
and which seemed to be carrying Ritual and
nootrine beyond the traditional lines Of the older
movement. and TO be fostering a temper which
WAS alien in tone and type. to the historic char
acter Of the Anglican Liturgy.
II its recol from our inevitable insulartty,
with its complacent narrowness Of horizon this
school appeared to to be repudiating our
octuaI history and ignoring national char
c+er,stics II kicked at every mention of An
e,,canisu1" until IL forgot were English. 1t
Nd a theory OF Canon law which opened UP to
.. v,stas OF wide heritage far outside the four
corners Of the Incompatible" Book of Common
praver-incomparable il was said only because
rohodv condescended to compare ii with other
ora nobler Hturgies. 1t sought spiritual assist
a,cA IN forms Of devotion. such "Benedic-
lions" and alterations round about the Re
carved Sacrament. which collided definitely with
,rbe. we understood to be the theological
Grounds taken up by the typical Anglican d.
vines It adopted spiritual methods, in its use
., Confession. etc. which had for us. a hard,
mechanical. repugnant look which conficted
with the liberty and spontaneity of conscience,
such as we had learned to cherish as our right
full inheritance.
The alarm grew and spread that we were IN
the presence. not Of a difference in degree be-
tween the more moderate and the extremer men
of a party. but rather of split. in principle and
in method and in aim. between those who were
bent on reviving the rich catholicity inherent in
the Prayer book. and those who were looking
for inspiration outside and beyond its limits.
EARLY SIGNALS OF THE CRISIS"
The sense Of divergence had become acute. and
It was forced TO show itself In public activity
by the early signals OF what We now call the
Crisis" When st. Ethelburga's was brutally at
tackled year ago. it was felt that, brutal as the
attack might be- II impossible for the tradi-
tional Church body 10 rally to the defence OF
all that had been going on there. And this made
matters serious For here was a savage Prot
estant agitation determined 70 carry on the at
tack from point TO point in a form that was
cruel revolving. II not blasphemous. by rough
intrusions upon the Holy Memorial Of Christ's
Sacrifice; and It would be disastrous if the de-
fence against such outrageous incursions should
not be sure of itself. and solid and united.
SO 1t stood at the start And there we're
meetings Of the main mass OF the older move
ment anxious 10 repel the horrors Of Kensit, yet
anxious also to clear the ground which they
were prepared to defend Of disloyalties
which could cucumber or dishgure it. They
could not possibly defend everything that Ken
sit was attacking. and they thought 1t vital to
get this element Of confusion removed If the
resistance was 10 be effective. They met They
made declarations. They addressed the Bishop
They held conferences OF reconciliation with
the extreme men. And the result was an
astonishing revelation OF general conference. of
loyalty TO authority. of real adherence TO
lines. The danger which had been
signalzed and which certainly actual
enough TO justify Protestant recoils, was ap-
parently no more than could be mastered from
within the Church and by it's own constitutional
authorities.
But change swept over the scene. and this
change has brought US TO very different sltua-
tson at the end OF the year that has passed.
First the Protestant agitation took a form
30 rabid and barbarous that 1t gave away its
case Grotesque and hideous raids upon
churches. at the hottest moments Of sacramental
worship were weapons which none with
spark Of Christian charity In their breasts could
tolerate. Rufianism like this coupled with
every form Of bitter railing and ignorant &C
cusation and appeal TO the passion and the vio-
lence Of the mob. forced together into united
resistance all who held in honor and affection
the sanctities Of Catholic worship.
SIR WILLIAM HARCOURTs LETTERS.
And then, just the agitation sinking
into discredit through its turbid violence. and
there might have been some )pe OF our re-
covering our general sanity. Sir William Har-
court took the disturbance off the streets and
carried 1t into the House Of Commons and the
columns OF The Times" whole new world
became inhamed The flames spread fast and
fur1ously, and Sir William famed the fire
with an energy and pertinacity which summer
or autumn failed TO exhaust Those who knew
him least were most surprised. His nearest
friends were aware Of the natural man" which
had. throughout the long dominance OF Mr..
Gladstone been suffering inevitable repression.
1t this which now emerged in all the force
which the long repression had generated.
And the form in which IL appeared was most
startling II was our old friend that we had
all thought 10 be dead or buried-Whig Eras-
uanism Letter after letter from him poured
out In The Times" and each asserted the para
mount claim Of Parliament and shook the ter