The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-02-15

rule so many resruits could have beer
 enrolled. But this rule General Bootf
 has never relaxed ill single instance
 and repeatedly has it been shown thai
 he is equally intolerant toward strange
 doctrines, Considering, too, the class oi
 people he commands, and the tendency
 of religious extravaganza toward sil
 greater extravaganza, this, perhaps, lS
 the only safe course, for with doctrlna
 laXity allowed, what might the army
 not have been and what might it not
 stand for at the end of thirty years
 Whereas, under General Booths firm
 and masterful guidance, 1t remains to-
 day what it was at the first, doing the same much-needed work, and, with
 certain social enlargements, preaching
 exactly the same gospel
 But if General Booth is having trou-
 ble, how much greater than that into which, at the opening of the coronation year, some of the dignitaries of the Church of England have been plunged, This year of grace and great events has opened ominously for churchmen. Po- litical animosities are stronger in this country than for half century, and the bitterness of these bids fair to find it's match in the quarrels and scenes that are going on between Ritualists and anti-Ritualists in the Established church. At this moment two law suits are pending, and rumor has 1t that the Church association, which is anti Ritu- alistic and which has already spent four rundred thousand dollars in guarding l what it calls "Protestant practices, will from this time, fight all Romani- zing tendencies to the bitter end, re- | gardless of cost.
 The case of Canon Gore is but an in- cident in this strife, and the canon him. self. apart from some advanced views upon Biblical criticism and some prac- tices which his opponents call Romish, is one of the most liberal-minded, self denying and up-to-date clerics this church has produced. Pure in charac ter, splendid in scholarship, and famous for good deeds, he is still, however, halted at the foot of that Episcopal throne to which King Edward has called him, because there are those in the Church of England who hold that Mass, and prayers for the dead, and adoration of the Communion. and con- fession, and penance, in all of which Canon Gore is said to believe. do not belong to Professionalism and have no rightful place in the reformed Church of England.
 The chief fighter on the anti-Ritualis- tic side is John Kensit, who, four years ago, burst upon Ecclesiastical London with the suddenness of a clap of thun- der out of a clear sky The Vicar of St. Cuthbert's church, Kensington, had kissed wooden cross, and had laid 1t down on the floor for the people to kiss, and the people were devoutly doing it, when. to the consternation of all, John Kensit sprang into the chancel, and seizng the crucifiX, held it up at arms length. shouting in a loud voice-"1n Gods name I protest against this idol atry." That was MT. Kensit's debut, and since then, for four years, off and on, in different London churches and on various occasions, he has been doing the same thing with variations, his very latest. but by no means most sensation al, exploit being the futile attempt he made last week to enter a formal pro- test against the confirmation of Canon Gore
 In his little book store at Paternoster Row I have repeatedly conversed with MT Kensit His personnel shatters ut terly all ones preconceptions of what great agitator and reformer should look like, for he is short and stocky in build, with q round, red. good-natured face, with eyes that easily smile and with hair no longer than any other sensible man might wear it. Regarding his per sonal appearance nothing could better describe it in brief than the remark a lady made to him at the close of one of his big meetings. This story MT Ken sit told me himself. I've greatly en- joyed what you said" was this lady's remark, as they shook hands, Out I'm for I expected to see a great fighting man and instead l find only little fat man. But all the same | John Kensit is a fighting man. and by | being good-natured and hard to turn [ sour. he is the better fitted to fight | He isn't afraid of magistrates or pris- 0ns, he gets plenty of financial support | and with a son to help him who is chip off the old block, not to speak of . the many associations that are back of | lim, he may be expected to continue his crusade, win or lose, for good or ill, in definitely.
 HENRY TUCI<LEY