New-York tribune., 1903-01-18
LORDS SPIRITUAL.
SEATED IN PARLIAMENT.
PrerQgatiueS of archbishop of Can
ferbmy and HIS F'elIo7rS.

Empress Frederick to the Primacy of All Eng
land renders timely brief sketch OF some OF
the prerogatives and privileges of this the
highest Office of the British realm. For Dr.
Davidson who is the ninety-hfth Archbishop
of Canterbury dating from the foundation OF
the see in 596 ranks Immediately next to roy
alty having the pas" over every other one OF
the Kings subjects. matter whether duke,
Premier Lord High Chancellor or Secretary of
state This is only right and fitting. For there
IS no dignity so hoary with antiquity as the
Archhishoprc Of Canterbury. of which the first
holder was St Augustine, while among his sue
sassors were several prelates who revered
ss saints l,v the Roman Catholic Church, in
cludine St Thomas Beckett, who was muir
dered in the Cathedral of Canterbury seven
hundred and thirty-two years ago last month
The prestige and Importance of the Primate of
All England date from the earliest times. and
prior to the Reformation the Pope was won't at
councils 10 place the Archbishop of Canterbury
on his right hand. giving him precedence Of all
other archbishops. Urban II referring 10 him as
"Alterius Orbis Papa 0he Pope of another
world.
Among the most important and least known
Of the prerogatIyes Of the Archbishop of Canter-
hurry is tnat OF heading the commission of great
dfenitaries Of the realm who form species Of
council Of regency in the event Of any time in
tervening between the demise of {, sovereign and
The assumption Of the reins Of government by
his or her successor. The last occasion when
The Primate vas called upon TO fulfil this office
vas on the death of Queen Anne. when some
DAYS elapsed before The Elector Of Hanover
could reach England and take possession of
The throne Of Great Britain. Had, for instance,
ANYTHING untoward happened to King Edward
while the Prince Of Wales was travelling round
the world on board the Ophir. year and a half
ago. and had no special provision been made for
such a fatality the Archbishop of Canterbury.
together with the Lord High Chancellor, the
Premier and other Of the great officers Of the
crown. would either have taken the necessary
steps TO invest Queen Alexandra the Duke of
Connaught with the regency, or else would have
themselves exercised the executive duties Of the
new sovereign until his return to England.
Every one knows that the Archbishop of Can
terbury in addition TO official residence with
in the cathedral precincts at Canterbury, and a
stately palace in London the Lambeth bank
Of the Thames. possesses a stipend of $4,000
year But few aware Of the sources from
which this money is derived. II does not form
part and parcel of the supplies voted every year
by Parliament for the administration of the
government. Nor is it derived from the reve-
nues Of the State, that is to say, from the pock-
cts of the taxpayers. The Church Of England
is st5u enormously rich. Not all ecclesiastical
property was diverted from religious uses at
the time Of the Reformation. Much Of it was
left 20 ender the Church of England. and to-
day the annual income Of the latter is estimat-
ed al near S40OO0O0O the administration Of
which is vested in the hands Of body known
as the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. who pay
TO the Archbishops and Bishops their stipends,
provide salaries for the minor dignitaries Of the
Church and spend the remainder in improving
uarochial endowments and buildings, and in
providing funds for additional clergy The Ec
clesiastcaI Commission consists Of the two
archbishops, namely, Of Canterbury and Of
York Of ali the bishops Of English and Welsh
dioceses. OF the Deans of Canterbury, st. Paul
and Westminster; Of five Cabinet ministers.
three judges Of the High Court of Judicature
and twelve lay.ncn all of them churchmen OF
The Church Of England. two being appointed by
The Archbishop of Canterbury and the remain
der 10y the crown.
The commissioners have the power OF creating
new bfshoprics deaneries and archdeaconeries.
= creating new parishes Of uniting existing
ones etc But any Of the more important steps
which they take have to be ratified by the
King in Council that is to say. by the sover-
cign sitting with quorum of his Privy Coun-
Gil and when thus ratified the acts of the Ec-
,lesias1icaI Commissioners have the power OF
an act Of Parliament. Il is necessary TO explain
this. as a widespread impression prevails even
Church is maintained at the expense Of the
national Treasury and of the taxpayers where !
as II viii be seen from the above that nothing
of the sort is the case and that its cost is de-
fraveG ly means Of its endowments, es-
-ates and property of one kind and another In
nearly every other country Of Europe, in /
republican France. the Church figures for a
very large amount on the annual budget, and
taxpayers have frequently cause to complain
that they are being called upon 10 contribute
20 the support Of faith which is not their
own. and TO which they are conscientiously op-
posed. In England the taxpayer has such
cause for dissatisfaction. and were the Church
ever 10 be disestablished il would not suffer in
the slightest degree in financial sense.
Although the Archbishop Of Canterbury heads
tho able Of precedence and Outranks every
Other parsonage IN the realm who does not
happen 10 be a prince Of the blood, enjoying the
pas" OF all dukes and To rs Of inferior grade,
Vel he Is not strictly So lg, member of the
peerage, and has no clai-- , the prerogatives of
tho latter. He is like the Archbishop Of York
and the four and twenty bishops who represent
the Established Church in the House of Lords,
not ] peer Of the realm, but only Lord Spirit
uaI % Parliament The Lords Spiritual have
10 right 10 demand trial by the House of Lords
as peer, but are amenable TO the Jurisdiction Of
the ordinary courts Of law. the last instance.
/ believe. Of q prelate being tried in this man
nel being that Of Bishop Fisher. in the reign
Of King Henry VII. But although the Lords
Spiritual Of me upper house are distinct from
the Lords Temporal they do not vote separately
but Jointly, forming for purposes Of legislation
one estate The preIates vote on every supJecI
brought before tho Lords. except in trials for
high treason and other cases Of cr1Inlhal