New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-08-03
THE "WEE FREE" VICTORY |
Decision in Church Fight Interests
.ScOtchmen an This City,

Many Scotchmen III this city We're interested
! deeply in the information contained in The
Tribune yesterday that the House Of Lords mad
decided in favor Of the ministers of the Free
Church Of Scotland who opposed union with the
United Presbyterians three years ago. Samuel
Breckenridge. of The Scottish-American,' who
has kept close watch Of the litigation which
followed the union of the two Scotch denomlna-
tions. said yesterday that he had expected
victory for the Wee Free" the opposing
group of Free Church ministers has been called
This fight" Mr.. breckenridge said has been
of peculiar interest to Scotch Presbyterians' put
it has attracted the attention of many persons
Of other denominations. It must be reHem-
bered that the Free Church of Scotland was
founded in 1914 as offshoot from the Ola
Established Church Of Scotland. Tho splt at
thai time was over question OF PATRONAGE as
Americans would understand H. It was the
rule in the Established Church 10 have a min
lister nominated by the leading land owner Of a
place The Free Church people wanted the con-
gregation to choose its own minister
AT the time of the split the Free Church
people had to give up all claim to church prop
erty of the Established Church. of course. They
started congregations here and there through
out Scotland, built churches and schools and
manses and increased and thrlved until they
had about six hundred ministers and church
lished Church had increased. too. IN spite Of the
split Then there were the United Presbyterians,
with about 400 churches and ministers in
Scotland. opposed TO the Established Church
and the Free Church.
The difference between the Free Church men
and the United Presbyterians was that While
the former declared established church was
right in principle, ir only the congregations had
a voice IN the selection of ministers and the
management Of the church property, the latter
declared that the principle of an established
church wrong because it favored union of
church and state. The argument which won
the majority of the Free Church ministers over
TO the proposition for union with the United
Presbyteriaus that good Bible doctrine was
against the interference of The state with the
church. The test, My Kingdom is not Of this
world was taken generally in support of that
doctrine.
When the Free Church voted for union with
the United Presbyterian Church about twenty
four of the minister's Of the Free Church stood
out They declared that the ministers who voted
for union had abandoned the principles OF the
denomination and therefore were no longer III
the Free Church They laid claim TO all the
property of the Free Church saying, in effect, to
the majority: You have abandoned belief in the
principle Of an established church, on which the
Free Church was founded You may go TO
the United Presbyterians. if YOU will, and leave
the Free church, but you cannot take the Free
Church property with YOU We that remain are
the Free Church and we viii keep the property
This claim of the few ministers to be the real
Free Church Of Scotland was treated first by
the majority with derision. and the minority was
called the Wee Free Church. or, COM
monty. the Wee Free The claim of the Wee
Free taken into the courts. however, and
the end Of the litigation is that the House of
Lords has given the decision for the twenty-four
ministers. So, instead of being known the
Wee Free they are 70 be known hereafter
the Free Church of Scotland In fun control of
all the schools. churches and manseS Of that
denomination. II remains 70 be seen how many
of the minister's who voted for union with the
United Presbyterians will seek 70 return again
~ he Free fol- oPf Ea
House of Lords is bound TO cause a great up
heaval among the Presbyterians of Scotland"