New-York tribune., 1909-11-28
London. Norenher Il

bf RANDALL Davidson. with whom my
last letter Was concerned. was of Scot
tish parentage on both sides. lie also is
OF that great army Of invaders from
beyond the Tweed. whose victories fiji
the history OF this kingdom since. as the
patriotic Scot is always telling you. Eng
land was annexed to Scotland two CEN
turies ago. Yet Is ne a Harrow and OK
ford man. and his whole ecclesiastical
life has been spent I'm the conquered
country. Born in ls4S, he held the
curacy Of Dsriford. i'm Kent. from 1874
a. 1871. when he became chaplain and
private secretary 10 the Archbishop
cf Canterbury. Dr. TAFT. In the second
year of his chaplaincy he married the
Archbishop's second daughter. That
alliance gave him. suppose. a firm foot
hold on the ecclesiastical ladder. Or.
TAFT was a great Archbishop; a natural
ruler of men and of kingdoms: a firm
strong. wise and coura geous Head of the
Church. which then had. and has STILL
need OF such men He died i'm 1882. and
Dr Benson reigned in his stead. with
Davidson as his chaplain. for another
twelvemOnth. so that for some eight
years he had an experience in archiepis-
CoTal affairs which was not only an ex-
perience but an education For the chap
lain to an archbishop is much more than
q chaplain. He is an executive officer.
and is To his superior officer very much
what private secretary is 10 a Prime
Minister: who knows everything that his
chief knows; and sometimes a little
more.
From Lambeth Palace DIR. Davidson
passed 10 Windsor Castle: or any rate.
within the shadow Of il. tie became. in
1882 Dean Of Windsor and Domestic
Chaplain To tho late Queen: then was
made Bishop Of Rochester in 1891;
Bishop OF Winchester IN 1895. and
Archbishop Of Canterbury in 1903. II
was as Dean Of Windsor that he came
To- know SO well the interior Of Windsor
Castle and the tenants Of the Castle, and
vas presently admitted to the friendship
of the late Queen and Of the present
Queen. II was in some degree that
friendship which advanced him i'm the
Church. He was but thirty-five years old
when he became Dean of Windsor;
f0rty-il.rec when appointed 10 the See
/ of Rochester: forty-seven AZ the date
/ Of his translation 90 The great Bishopric
I ~ Winchester. and hfty-hyc when
| chosen 40 be Archbishop Of Canterbury
+ over the heads Of rivals much superior
to him in age. A young archbishop is
a rarity. In the Church, as in other
4 branches of public life. length Of years
and Of service counts for much. II is an
inustrious line. that Of the archbishops,
going back 20 the year G02. when ST
Augustine erected Canterbury into
metropolitan see and became the first
4 Archbishop. DR.. Davidson is the ninety
/ seventh in succession.
u Was said Of Mr.. Gladstone-nay. he
said os himself-that he could repeat
/ the whole list-no very prodigious feat
4 memory. after all. but an unusual
feat Many more Englshmen could reel
off to YOU the catalogue OF Derby
/ winners than that of arChbishops. 4
man remembers best what interests him
most / viii not say that the Turf rivals
the Church i'm the affections or thoughts
/ Of any great number of Englishmen II
would not be true. The Church holds
4 Tho first place. nor has it any second
4 when mcn reflect upon those matters
which are vital 20 The life of the nation
aud 10 :hcir own lives. And yet, the
dates 20 which most of the events Of any
year are referred in the natural order
/ are either saints DAYS or race days
LADY Day. Easter. Mhusuniide. Mich
acInas and Christmas arc, for secular
purposes. hardly more important ami
versaries than the Derby Day. Ascot. or
e 81 q Fzi-
agtical fixtures are quarter days when
rents fan due. and the affairs Of two
worlds arc transacted together. Parlia-
uent stili adjourns for the Derby. So
,ietv adjourns for Ascot and dissolves
after Goodwood. Add the 18th Of Au-
gust. sometimes lippantly called -.
/ Grousc's DAY, when the world streams
northward 10 the moors Of Yorkshire
and of Scotland: the LIST Of September,
when partridge shooting begins. and the
Ii of October. when the massacre Of
rbeasants opens. and the preponderance
Of these laicsl fixtures becomes greater,
aLd you may add the Cowcs week to the
rest
or II YOU take all tho really con-
sid erablc race meetings at Newmarket
Epsom. Sandown and the rest by all
of which the social movement is anect-
. ed. the figure mounts much higher. il
remains true that there are hfty-two
SUNDAYS in tha year and that all
I churches and cathedrals are open on
earb one of those Sundays, and that
II is stil thought-perhaps as much as
ever thought good form 10 attend al
least one Sunday service. II IS the s1r-
vice. not the sermon. which attracts
No degree Of familiarity can make mel
or worn,n insensible 10 the beauty oi
The Church Of England service. Higi
church quarrcls with Low, but The
Idtanv and the Lessons still appeal tC
All there is deepest in this great body
of true worshippers.
Many years agO-I begin 10 think ina
most things happened many years ago
found myself one Sunday in house ~
Dorsetshire which had fine old chape
g. ,be park, close 10 the house itself
AL walked out Of the breakfast room
,,ith a friend said 10 him: i suppos'
must go TO church this morning. a.
the Archbishop Is 10 preach l fslt
hand laid softly on my shoulder and
80. ,-,f,e said .'Oh no, you needn't.