The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-01-15

for instance, as viaticum and mass, which, q
the Archbishop says. ~"creates q feeling OF sus
picion and distress among tens OF thousand
of our fellow ~churchmen."
o. The omission from the communion ser
vice OF tho Commandments. the Collect. tn
Epistle and Gospel is forbidden as distinct
Nv contrary to the rubric, and also all addition
TO the service such as the ringing of a bell n
the moment Of conservation. which Is an In
fringement OF the rubric and is also suRgestiv,
OF teaching which has no sanction from tn,
Church as regards the immediate effect pro
duced by the prayer OF conservation"
10) THE principle Of the Church OF England
is defined and declared beyond all doubt thai
there shall DO no communion without rom.
municants." Upon this tenth decision 1t may
be remarked that there is scarcely a town In
England where at least one church will moi
have to change its practice.
tl1l mo invocations Of the holy angels OF
OF the Blessed Virgin or OF departed saints and
no definite prayers for the dead can be allowed
to find a place in any service to be used within
the walls OF a consecrated church. This is q
judgment which must be unhesitatingly ac-
cepted."
tl2) Habitual confession Is condemned and
only permitted In exceptional cases. and the
requirement OF confession as q necessary prep
aration flor the holy communion or for con-
flrmation is declared to be distinctly con-
trary to tho teaching Of the Church OF Eng
land" and tho great dangers attending the
practice are emphatically insisted upon.
In commenting on these twelve points Sir
William Harcourt reminds us that there are
some matters not specifically referred to.
probably because their illegality has already
been judicially determined. such as the eleva-
ton OF the elements, mixture Of the chalice.
use OF waters. eucharistic lights. professions.
f--. a - " San
Sir William is satisfied. as no says:
1T cannot be supposed that a solemn rescript
Of this character can be intended rs a brutum
Julmen. and 1 do not doubt that the Bishops
will at once take action on the conclusions at
which they have arrived. II that be so we
need not be extreme to mark the errors OF tho
past or too curious to inquire why their action
has been 40 long delayed. to the great detri-
ment of the Church. II it is prompt and IL it
is efficient now the battle may be considered
as half won
But he concludes with q warning in the fol-
words: Il heartily trust that this pro-
nouncement Of the Bishops may be accepted
without resistance. II 1t be so. all will be we'll.
If 1t is not. the means necessary to give effect
to it are not wanting. have never advocated
fresh legislation. l regard 1t as superfluous.
law as it stands is amply sufficient II it is
only properly employed by those whose duty il
is to enforce it. The Bishops cannot neglect
their own prohibitions or veto their own be-
What will be the result Of this episcopal pro-
nouncement is a question full of interest. One
can hardly suppose that the Bishops will let
even one Of these twelve points be disregarded
by the clergy in their dioceses. and on the other
hand 1t is equally difficult to imagine the hun
dreds OF earnest clergymen who are strong be-
lipyarS in aopoa pf fha nrnntioas condemned |
quietly to the order. Are we in the
near future to see a large secession Of some OF
hardest and most prominent workers from
The fold OF the Church Of England?
II for any reason a Briton becomes famous, |
or Ireland Is sure to call him her
The Scot and the I%rishman. for ex-
ample. say that between them they have a
monopoly Of almost all great British fighting
men. But not until the other day did l know
hat Scotland asserted that it was the birth
place of one of the most famous Romans in his
DRY. ButIso it is; the Land O. cakes" says
hat within her borders and Nowhere else was
,orn the famous Pontius PLATE. According to
N old Perthshire tradition the Roman ruler OF
|udea was born in Glenlyon not far from the
'lace where the ancient yew tree Of Fortingall
las fourished. as say the experts in arboricul-
ure. for 5000 years.
According to the legend an embassy was sent
o Scotland by Caesar Augustus shortly be-
ore the birth Of Christ. One Of the Ambas-
adors was the father Of Pontius Plate. The
were courteously received by Metel-
anus. a c aledoniar chief. and were conducted
0 his residence near Fortingall. BY a rather
nusual circumstance it appears that the
lother Of Pontius Plate had accompanied her
husband on this embassy. and in Perthshire
ave birth to the future Governor Of Judea.
To develop the case against the legend
'ould be too simple a task to be amusing, but
he points in its favor are interesting. In the
rst place. it is tolerably certain that Caesar
did send an embassy to Scotland
bout the beginning OF the Christian era. and
was the name of a Scottish ruler
no began his reign about 2 B. G. The re-
lalns Of Roman camp are still visible near
and there is every probability that
lie Caledonians had a settlement in the neigh
orhood at an early period. According to ira
ltion Agricola had a fierce contest with Carac-
lcus, the successor OF Metellanus. on this very :
1t would perhaps be going too far to
lggest that Pontius Pilates character. as far
we can Judge from extant records, might be ,
fought to show the influence Of his natal ,
ace. presuming it to be Scottish. but GER
he displayed n distinctly compromising .
Id n~on-committal spirit. so far as he was able. :
Whether PLATE was born in Scotland or not :
seems indisputable that the famous yew tree /
Fortingall, which is still in existence, must c
I'VE been n tree of goodly dimensions even in !
Iose distant days. According to a correspond :
It Of n London paper: I
This yew is believed to be the oldest tree in ?
lrope. 1t was described by the Hon. DANES I
arlington in The Transactions OF the Royal Z
'ciety in 1859 in these terms: i measured c
g circumference of this yew tree. and there =
re cannot be mistaken when | inform you t
at 1t amounted to 80 feet. Nothing scarcely /
w remains but the outward bark. which hath /
zen separated by the centre Of the tree Il
caying within these twenty years. What y
appears. however. is "a feet in cir n
inference Pennant, who saw the tree in u
described 1t in his Tour published q
l7I. and estimated it's circumference at SO :,
giving a sketch of it. which showed its d
lapidatcd condition. In the Statistical Ac- II
unit OF Scotland. published in 1871. the a
mansions are given as 81 feet. Strut gives y
irawing of tho tree in his Sylvia Britannica
in this century it was seriously injured !,
the souvenir makers in the neighborhood. t.
1RTk fha lnta Cir Rnln.t 'In;...- I-. a