New-York tribune., 1904-10-10
CHURCH AND STATE.
Tiezcs of the Rec. Compton, Reade on
Disestablisbment.
EDITOR Of The Tribune.

To the Editor of The Tribune
Sir; Although the successor Of St. Augusttns Is
by no means the strongest representative OF Ans-
Icanism he has magnifed his office BY timely
visit 10 the United States That he has received
respectful welcome goes without the saying for the
manhood OF America exceIs equally in strength and
in courtesy: besides your guest came to you as
the head of a church that holds the scales between
the collectivism Of Rome and the indtvidualsm Of
Geneva Lambeth Palace may not be the vatican.
while DR.. Davidson is Patriarch in fact rather
than by title: but the Primate Of England com
mands the allegiance OF millions among the most
highly educated In the empire and he Is IN I con-
munion with the hereditary Church OF scotland.
from whence your great Bishop sesourS asfNed
his orders a century ago.
should hesitate TO intrude but that remarked
how certain dgnitares Of the Church in the United
States Of America elected to express nope that
the Archbishop would be encouraged BY the spec
tacIa Of a Church unfettered By the state 20 break
away from connection with the state in this coun-
try-EngIand Pardon me IL / say that while
free church In free state Is ideal 70 be desired.
dissolution Of partnership which involves for the
church the loss Of neutrality-suspicious.. parish
churches. tithe and all endowments-even the resi-
dences Of the bishops and clersy-might be in the
abstract highly heroic. but in plain terms is not
business II all these good things had been given
or lent by the state TO the Church then IN equity
the state might resume possession But the STATE
neither lent nor gave either ecclesiastical buildings
or endownents. II It had done there would be
an act OF Parliament to show it, There exists in
the long record OF our Parlaments no such act.
Even when the country came to its senses after
the usurpation Of Cromwell when the clergy were
butcheTed. sold slaves and left to starve no act
was passed. Simply the bishops and clergy re-
sUmed possession. True. ar act was passed to
eject such of the wrongfully ntruded ministers as
refused 70 conform 20 Church discipline. but that
amounted 10 no than turning the cuckoOs
out and restoring the injured hnches their nests
I will admit also that tithe may have been In
stituted by King Alfred thousand years agO-a
sufficiently long tenure; while cathedrals churches
and parsonages have been built by private mUuih-
csnce- The claim TO her possessions BY the
Church Of England stands on the same basis as the
claim Of any OF your churches OF sscts 70 the
buildings they have erected and % the endowmeuts
they have an1assed.
The usurpation by the state. L e. the Crown. ot
the privilege Of appointing bishops and Of nterfs-
ing generally with the Church dates from the
PlantaFenet kings Bluebeard Henry suppressed
the mOnasterss and otherwise PlInds-ed The
Church Cromwell made the communion even in =
private dwelling penal onence WIEN ne So
Crown and Parliament over the C1Grch was PEI
petuatsd. and the USurper. Dutch Nluam Wou.I
had he had his way, but the Church was TOO etFuns
for him That in brief. is the story. and " tne
the DisSenTers game When Gladstone introduced
a bill for dsests5iishing the Church in Wales he
proposed 10 eject the clergy with three years 81
10 diIapidatIons which would have absorbed tho
bonus The House Of Lords. being composed o.
a measure OF confscation should have been brousht
forward shows the supreme malice OF Dissent II Is
Land. If the Church could have fair play i would
be different; but the avOwsd aim OF the Radicals
Is 70 reduce the existing clergy to besgary,
Again; under the hollow plea that the SaSsda l5
and parish churches. and 70 seI tne Tesioscss %
the clergy. built with their own money curing tn9
cathedral given I'D 10 all sorts OF functious-the
Roman mass. the Salvation Army 8 SevIvsa4 nlsSSs-
ings the Jewish Passover, the BapttstS preach
dsts' Moody and Sankey hymns. the Sscule[lse
and Socialists lectures the Aueglssonlsns a Ltsl
you would have that ancient catnsdr@I eoa9S1lIo1 S
10 pandemoRium. In the last century tne SnutS9
OF England by tho benefcence OK heT c5slsK i,,i az
on the cathedrals. vet IL she wishes 70 be rreed
rom the trammelB OF the state. she must band
over thess precious eSS - S-fs S cT iiffIe COM
prehsnd the fntoieranr unjust and peEseeuting
spirit OF the so-called Liberal party n EnsSnoi;
10 me. YOU tell from his appearances MnslneF
a member Is a Conservative or a Liberal Tne one
type is that OF gentleman ana % d nSt T bSlisTs
that IA the States you could ind either eaQren OF
which would have the eoronteIy 90 G5opTsSe G,s
the conhsCation of all the possessions % pat.yT1
uar church. while simultaneously claiming 20 noIu
its own possessions safeguarded from connSoallon
1t is this crusade OF robbery that touis EhsLsh st
Here. the man Of Liberal views Is conpeliso 20
vote Conservative lest his Church should os
ored to roo his Church-not because he wished 20
do So but simply in order to retain ONCE 1ne
9Pee.aSie % t7,b Yst conSsmneI by the brtbs OF
place and power TO do all he could 70 conveIS ina
building into a Dissenting chapel amounted % a
ican President guilty Of such baseness.
COMPTON READh
Kenchester Rectory. England. Sept. %. 1904