Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1908-03-26
No Union of Churches

NO Ol SnuTcneb
| have taken the liberty to abridqe Bp
Nc Cormck's letter in the Sunday Herald
as have had number Of inquiries con-
cerning the first article.
The Roman church rather takes the
attitude Of the tiger in the familiar carica-
ture, where the young lady is an inside
passenger. The Protestant Episcopal
Church has protested vigorously for over
thousand years standing. as the COM
panion of liberty Of thought and was
never more vigorous in her Independence
than today declaring against all corners
as she did in Magma Charta. That the
Church OF England shall be free Seven
hundred years of increasing freedom does
not incline US now to put our neck into the
yoke. j. A. Raynton.
"The article in Sundays Herald headed
"Episoopalians and Catholics to Unite
seems to have awakened inquiry and
led to some misunderstanding. While
those who read the church papers and
who are familiar with the circumstances
and conditions will be able to make the
proper degree Of allowence, the general
public might be somewhat misled."
The article is based on,the report Of a
meeting held on the evening Of Monday,
February 10. In the Cafe Roma in New
York, which resulted in the formation Of
an 'Anglo-Roman Union
81 myself, in common | suppose with
other bishops, received almost immediatly
a telegram from a prominent New York
paper, asking me to wire them my opinion
as to the probable results of such move
ment 1t would, however. be unfair to
allow it to be supposed that the meeting
followed by the organization of the union
represents anything like movement or
tendency in tie American Episcopal
church at large.
mot single one of the more than 100
American bishops has intimated his ap-
proval, and the vast body Of the more
than 5000 clergymen and hundreds OF
thousands of laymen will doubtless view
the proposed movement either with in
difference or with regret,
cit must appear. than. that the pro-
Roman movement has no official nor
Quasl-offieial standing. and that it does
not represent the views Of any consider
able number Of individual churchmen. 1t
is largely traoeable. as the article declares
to the influence and efforts Of one man.
Rev. Lewis 7. Watson. known as Father
Paul James Francis Of the Society Of the
Atonement, who has labored as a pro-
Romanist for several years. Certainly it
appears that Father Paul, though not
accepting office In the new organization,
may be considered its prime mover.
Exception might be taken to ths sticle
its self, which is deplorably shaky az to
its church history and also TO the head
ines by which 1t 10 intoduced. One might
almost suppose that the writer actually
believed the absurd allegation that the
Church OF England was founded by
Henrey VIII, a statement so monstrous
that the bishop Of London on his recent
visit to this country whimsically said OF
it, The very frogs In the moat Of Fulham
palace and the jaokdaws in the towers Of
Fulham church know better than that
"My only object at the present time is
to make it apparent that pro- -Romanism,
has made little headway in the American
church, and the 'AnQlo-Roma Union
which has furnished the material for the
recent display heads in the public press
affords no occasion for alarm to any LOYAL
American churchman We cannot help
feeling that the Roman primaoy is now
inextricably interviewer with the papal
supremacy and the papal infallbility and
with modern Roman doctrines and meth
DDS which seem TO Us un-Catholic, and
that union with Rome would not at
present be possible on any other basis
than that Of the surrender Of principles
and the denial Of facts which in the prov
idence OF God. it seems our bounden duty
as part and parcel Of the Holy Catholic
church to set toward and maintain"