The Washington weekly post. (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916, 1899-02-14
GOVERNMENT AND RELIGION
England and Russia Alone Hold Supremacy of the
State Church.


Of the state church OF their re-
: / spective countries in matters
, temporal as well as ecclesiastical
; They are the Car OF Russia and Queen Vic
; toria. There is third sovereign who has
put forth similar pretensions. namely,
; Emperor William. But his claims to the
position OF Summus Episcopus OF the Luz
theran Church is 10 such an extent ig-
nored by laity and clergy alike that only
a short time ago the Consistory OF the
Lutheran or State Church OF the province
or East Prussia in which are the impe-
rial game preserves OF Rominten went 10
the length Of passing a unanimous vote of
severe censure upon the Kaiser for having
desecrated the Sabbath and violated the
secular laws with regard 20 its observ-
anee by giving big hunting party on a
Sunday at Rominten.
No other rulers in Europe have any
status to warrant their interference in
Questions Of ritual or Of doctrine In Swe-
den. Norway, and Denmark, as well as
IN those Independent sovereignties COM
pflsed IN the federation known as the
herman Empire, where the Lutheran is
recognized as the state church. ecelesias--
ucal questions are settled by the clergy
themselves without any interference on the
OF those nations where the established
religion is Roman Catholic il is naturally
the Pope to whom all matters spiritual
are referred in final appeal: The ma
Jority of the nations of the old world have
state religions, but England and Russia
are the only two where the crown. or IFS
deiesates In the person c: secular judges.
retain the right to infiict penalties to the
extent OF Imprisonment upon members
OF the clergy who may have rendered
| themselves guilty of an infraction, not
OF the laws of the land. but merely Of
the rubric of the established church.
That Is to say, as matters now stand
| in England, a tribunal composed excIu-
| siyely of lay judges possesses the consti-
tutional right. by virtue of the sovereign's
| supremacy, to sentence to prison. to line
and to deprive of ecclesiastical office any
| ordained clergyman who has disobeyed
the rules of the church in ritual or doc
| trinal matters-by the use, for instance,
OF incense, or of vestments pertaining 10
| the Church of Rome, and by teaching
| the dogmas relating to the power of the
| clergy to grant dissolution, or TO the in
| teIcession of the Virgin and of the Saints,
and TO the actual presence in the Sacra-
| ment.
| have elapsed since any English clergyman
has suffered Imprisonment for disobedi-
e:ace of this kind to the rules of the
Church of England, and the utmost
length TO which the courts have gone dur
ing the reign of Queen Victoria has been
TO sentence recalcitrant parsons either TO
suspension lab diyinis'' or TO deprivation
of their livings. Perhaps the best-known
case is that of the Rev. DIR. Maconochie
! rector of the Church of St. Adams, in the
HolbOrn District of London, who was
punished first by suspension and then by
deprivation for ritualistic practices the
highest lay court in the realm, the Ju-
dicial Committee of the Privy Council, |
giving judgment to the effect that 1.-The |
use of incense, the mixing of water with |
the wine, as well as the elevation of the
elements in the saeraments, are Illegal"
The Bishops Right of Veto.
If these penalties have not been more
frequently enforced, and If convictions
such as those of the rector of ST. Adams
are comparatively few in number, il is
owing TO the fact that modern legislation |
has provided bishops with right to veto |
proceedings against the clergy of their |
diocese for ritual offenses until they have |!
satisfied themselves that there is ground |
for legal interference. Formerly any lay |
man who possessed the financial means |
and the requisite spiri, of intolerance, |
could institute lawsuit against the rec
tor of his parish, or indeed, against any |
benefited Clergyman VINO had rendered |
himself guilty of oftenses such as those |
which led to the conviction of the rector |
of St. Adams. Now, however, no one can |
institute legal proceedings against cler-
gyman for attractions of the law in con-
nection with ritual or doctrine unless he /
has first of all Obtained the permission of |
the Bishop of the diocese, and this per-
mission mas been very rarely granted.
The agitation now in progress in Eng
land is in favor of the Bishops being de- |
prived by act Of Parliament of this pre-
r0gative Of veto, 50 that ii may be within /
the power of every citizen to institute |
legal proceedings against any ordinary
clergy man, or even dean or Bishop, who \
happens to depart I'm the most trivial par
ticular from the ritual and the dOctrinal |
teachings of the State Church Of England.
This agitation is being carried on by that
extreme evangelical element of the
Church of England which has until now
made its headquarters at Exeter Hall. |
Were its demands conceded, and the Epis-
copal privilege of veto repealed by Parlia-
the existing legislation in connection with
the discipline of the State Church. one
might live to witness the spectacle of |
English clergymen Of high and low degree
being not merely deprived of their
benefices. but actually filling the prisons
for no other crime than that Of using in
cense for mingling water with the saera-
mental WINE or for elevating the sacrs-
ment at the moment Of conservation.
Oaeen's Nomination OF Bishops.
The Bishops OF the Church OF England
are invaria oily nominated by the crown
In fact, their appointment is one OF the
pIerogatiyes of which Queen Victoria is
most jealous, ana with which she permits |
little or no interference on the part OF
the Prime Minister or government OF the
day. while az f0- the Congo d'Elire" ac-
corded to the Chapter Of the Diocese, 1t
Is altogether nominal. since the chapter
X Obliged to elect the candidate chosen |
by the sovereign, being actually liable |
TO pains and penalties in the case of dis
obedience to the behest OF the monarch IT,
this matter. This prerogative has been
exercised with considerable sagacity and !
righteousness by Queen Victoria. and the
result is that the bench OF Bishops OF the
Church Of England to-day is. on the
whole, broad-mnded and tolerant body
OF men. who are out OF sympathy with
the Exeter Hall element. and who are
strongly opposed to any harsh measures
against the so-ealled Ritualists. In fact
they do not hesitate TO acknowledge that
the reason why they have 30 frequently
made use OF their prerogatiVe OF veto and
have stood In the way OF legal proceedings
on the part OF laymen against elergymen
guilty OF ritgslIstlc practices was that
they could not lend themselves. either d.
rectiy or Indirectly. TO any proceedings
the ultimate result Of which might be
the imprisonment OF one OF their parish
priests, who Was perhaps doing an i'm
mense amount OF good among the poor
from a spiritual as well as from a mate
rial point Of view, and whose only ef-
tense was that OF imagining that he could
worship his Creator with more devotion
and reverence by using incense. vest
.