The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-08-31
DY La MAnoUIsE DE FoNTENoY.

lew things In the world are more
fertile and discomfort and OF bad
blood. than questions OF preced-
ence, and in England the officials OF
the lord chamberlain's department have
managed to stir up a perfect hornets
nest in connection herewith, both at
King Georges coronation. and on the
occasion OF his subsequent State visits
to Dublin and Edinburgh.
1t may be recalled that during his
stay In his northern capital he held
court, or rather levee. OF all tho no
tables Of the realm, ut Hollywood Palace
and in the newspapers on the follow
ing morning there was printed list
OF the persons present, and OF the pre-
sentstions made. the list being an on
cial one. issued by the lord chamber
lain's department. This list was head
cd by the Roman Catholic Archbishop
OF Edinburgh and st. Andrews. Roman
Catholic primate of the Northern king
dom; and two other Roman Catholic
prelates, namely, the Bishops OF ABB
erdecn and OF Argyll. as we'll as six
OF the seven bishops OF the now dis
established Anglican Episcopal Church
of Scotland. occupied n very prominent
place in the list. Immediately after the
peers. and before any OF the baronets,
knights. or other dignitaries.
Now. in the Table OF Precedence for
Scotland. determined by royal war
rant Of Edward VII. in 1906. 1t was
decreed that the moderator or metro
pol!taG OF the National Church of
Scotland. should occupy place on the
Table of Precedence. before all dukes
and other peers. above the Lord High
Constable OF the Kingdom. the Score
tary OF State for Scotland. the Keeper
of the Great Seal OF Scotland, etc, and
Immediately after the lord high chan
cellor for the United Kingdoms of Eng
land and Scotland. Therefore, undoubt-
edly. the moderator as the only eccles-
astic mentioned IN the Scotch Table OF
Precedence. and s the Primate of tho
National Established Church of Scot
land should have figured on the lord
chamberlain's list before the Roman
Catholic Archbishop of Edinburgh.
The National Church of Scotland
which is the established or State church
of the Northern kingdom. is Presby
terrain. and its highest dignItary is n
moderator. who is selected each spring
by the General Assembly at Edin-
burgh. that lasts for a fortnight. and
Is presided by some peer of the real
In the name of the King, as hrs lord
high commissioner. The mode rator,
although mere minister OF the Pres
byterian Church. Is officially addressed
during his term as tho Right Rever-
end,' in the same way IS bishops. This
naturally led the lord chamberlain's
department to regard him as inferior
to prelate who was an archbishop.
and entitled to the prefix Of Most Rev
erenu." AS soon as the mistake was
noticed, King George caused the lord
chamberlain to address an apology to
the moderator. and to explain to him
| that the place accorded to him on the
| list was a mistake, duo 70 the fact that
| he. the lord chamberlain himself, had
| been absent from the levec through H.
ness. The moderator expressed him
| self as perfectly satisfied. Unfortunate
| ~, however. number of Presby
terrain ministers took tho matter up.
called public meetings ct Edinburgh
and in other Scottish cities, and ad-
| dressed communications to the lord
chamberlain. to the Secretary of State
| for Scotland, to the premier, and even
to the King. protesting against the
| gross outrage on the Protestant re-
! l!gion. and the churches of Scotland,
| in placing the names of Popish and
| Episcopalian pricsts-prests OF two
J allen systems which in the past drench-
I cd Scotland with the blood of Reform
| crs and Covenanters--before the min
| listers of the Church of Ccotland and
| the members of Scotlands ancient no.
| bility." Some of the petitions address,
ed to the King were OF the most extra
| ordinary Violence: and in one of them,
| indeed. a Dunfermline minister of the
name of Jacob Primmer demands the
roofing out OF tho nest of Papists and
Jesuits who have by their outrageous
| nudancity and impudence revealed their
| presence In the lord chamberlain's de-
partment."
It would have been well If the au-
thorities had remained content with
tho explanations given to and accepted
| by the moderator of tho Church Of
| Scotland. For the lord chamberlain
letter to Minister Prlmmer, dated from
| St. James Palace, and expressing re-
| greet for tho mistake made In the plac-
Ing OF the name OF the moderator on
the list. may be Justly regarded by the
| large number of adhcrents of the Ro-
man Catholic Church. and of tho Angll-
can Church In Scotland. as tolerance
| of his extraordinarily violent attacks
| upon these two churches.
| But 1t is not only in Scotland that
bad blood has been created during tho
| past summer in connection with this
everlasting bugbear of precedence.
I There was all sorts of unpleasantness
| connected therewitK during tho coro-
nation of King GcorHn.t.lnr nj eisa N 4 N a a q