New-York tribune., 1903-06-27
THROW HIM OUT, SAYS BISHOP.
DR. POTTER 4DVISES POLICE DETAIL TO DEAL WITH
THE VICAR OF HEXTON
Calls Neddng English Cleric Lunac-FuH Confidence IN the Ret
DIR. Christian Insulting Says Mr. FIEngham.

he said he bade him in the other letter. The
Bishops letter was shown yesterday to the Rev.
Mr.. Ritchie. of ST. Ignatus; TO the Rev. DIR.
Clendenin, of St. Peters. West Chester, and to
others of the Catholic" school, and caused re-
joicing. The Rev. Mr.. Wood, of st. PauFs
Church Stapleton. had been writing some let
tiers of similar tenor. but he said on reading
Bishop Potters letter that the letters phrases
were an Improvement on his
This correspondence grew out of letter which
the Rev Mr. Fillingham addressed the other
day to Bishop Potter concerning the services
which the writer said he witnessed last Sunday
morning in the Church OF ST. Mary the Virgin,
Forty-sixth-st. between Sixth and Seventh aves.
He described the sacrifice of the mass the burn
ing of incense and the elevation of the host, de-
clared all to be contrary to the doctrine of the
Church. and called the whole ceremony profane
and idolatrous.
The vicar of Hexton is interesting person
ality- He is short and typically English in
face He does not, he says belong to the Wick
lift preachers. the organization which has grown
out of the work Of the late John Kensit, and
which work is now under charge of John Ken
sits son. These preachers now number twenty,
and last year had financial support from the
English public the extent of about $4,000
The Rev. Mr.. Fillingham says he does not re-
ceive pay. do these Wicklif preachers, but
labors at his own cost.
The radical parson,' as he has to be
called, is the only clergyman of the Esta blished
Church of England preaching regularly in Non
conformist pulpits. He ordained in 1889
and spent two years in curacy. Then he went
to Hexton. thirty miles out of London. The
Bishop of Peterborough tried once to stop him.
and others at time tried to put him out Of
his living at Hexton. He is to sail for home
next Wednesday. recovered in health, and says
troversy. He plans however, to return here
next January. and conduct, under the auspices
of a committee, a Lenten mission in the inter
ests of Professionalism
Seated in the lobby of the Fifth Avenue Hotel,
the Rev. Mr.. Fillingham told Tribune reporter
last night that it had not been his intention,
when he arrived in New-Yorli. TO make any such
protest, and that he was greatly surprised at
the commotion it had caused.
Il came to New-York.' he added, ION my way
back 70 England from Japan, where have been
spending the spring. In Yokohama at a Church of
England service, entered public protest, at the
wish of various members of the congregation
against the ritualiStic practices which there OBJ
tain. On my overland journey East from Van
couver I stopped off at Toronto and there like
wise lodged protest, | came to New York. as
1 thought, for a rest, but my visit to the Church
of St Mary the Virgin last Sunday morning has
had far other effects. I shall do nothing fur
ther in the way of protesting here until l
shall have returned to New York next jan
uary. Then 1 shall begin to take some definite
action. Then If there are fools enough to arrest
and make a martyr Of me- much the better
for my cause The anticipation of any such
action their part Will not deter me in the
least. At present, however, l shall do nothing
further"
The Rev Mr Fillngham came before the
public in March, 1902, when he visited this coun-
try to attempt to obtain President Roosevelt s
intervention behalf OF the Beers, so that
they might retain their Independence He is the
author of King David which was published
in England short time ago
So far as could be learned last evening no
aprlication for police protection had been made
in behalf of the Church Of St Mary the Virgin