The Irish standard., 1912-06-01
PLUMBER
OF CATHOLIC ABBEYS
Lloyd George Reminds Assailants
of Welsh Bill of Spoliation
of Henry VIII.
London Professor Shows That Cecil
Family Received Large Grants
of Church Land.
Lord Robert and Lord Hugh Cecil
Admit Charge After Bitter
Controversary.

The bill for the disestablishment Of
the Welsh church is not a measure
that inspires any enthusiasm outside
of Wales, says T. P. O'Connor in his
London cable letter to the Chicago
Tribune Of May 26.
On the other hand. it excltes very
fierce hostility, as all measures do
which touch religion in any shape or
form. The Church Of England, with
its powerful organization. its church
and parson and squire in every viii
lage, is thrown into the fight against
it full force. Scotland naturally
is not very deeply concerned with a
measure applicable only to Wales;
Ireland is not in herself interested ex-
cept in so far as her own humiliations
under an alien church and an alien
race, make her profoundly sympathize
with Wales fighting the same fight.
The attitude of the working classes
and the labor party is one of indif-
ference and even of something like
latent hostility. Definite religious
faith has decayed in the populations
of the English towns so much that it
is now rare to find q working man or
working woman who darkens the door
| Of any place of worship, barring the
time of baptism. marriage and death.
1t is also significant of the growth Of
| unbelief that even the nonconform-
lists, who used to be at one time re-
garded as the church of the poor,
have largely lost all touch with the
workingmen, and especially with those
who have adopted socialistic views
other big middle-class organization,
with white waistcoated and prosper
GUS shopkeepers as its mainstay. and
| besides, all such. fights as those be-
| tween church and chapel are to the
| workingman mainly concerned in the
| Improvement of his own conditions Of
daily life, merely academic and unin-
| teresting and antiquated and sectar-
| ianism.
Strange Political Paradox.
Indeed there has rarely been so
strange a paradox in English political
life as the different effect of the Irish
Home Rule and the Welsh disestab-
lishment bill on the fortunes of the
parties and on the popular mind. In
all former phases Of the Irish ques-
ton Home Rule has been source Of
division and of embarrassment to the
liberal party, while disestablishment
always rallied and united it's forces,
as was natural in a party that mainly
rests on nonconformist support. To-
day Home Rule has been an extra
ordinary agency in producing cohe-
| sion, prestige and hopefulness in the
liberal party, and among the masses
Of the English people, it is the one
subject that will attract huge meet
ings and enthusiastic applause. The
liberal party was down in the dust
after the big defeat in the by-election
Of Scotch Manchester when the Home
Rule bill was introduced. It has been
ever since in the highest of spirits
Welsh disestablishment, on the other
hand, brought back depression and
disunion and very bad total when
the forces were arranged against each
other in the division lobbies.
This situation has suddenly been
transformed by one of these peculiar.
tiles of the English temperament to
which have alluded. In the course
Of a brilliant speech, Mr.. Lloyd
George, dealing with the cry of sacri-
lege against the bill, made gentle
allusion to the fact that some Of the
aristocratic assailants of the bill were
themselves in the comfortable enjoy.
ment Of large properties derived from
the plunder of the Catholic abbeys by
Henry VIII. and his successors. Al
Lloyd George said this. his twinkline
and expressive eyes were directed t
the spots where sat Lord Robert and
Lord Hugh Cecil. They rose to the
} bait at once. Pale with rage, Lore
Robert rose to shout that Lloyt
George would not have dared to max.
such . statement II he were not awas
5.% ~ - ~ sc{ts e n