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Leader (1850-1860), 4th January 1851, Edition Country of 2, Page 19

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    • mtnvtau mmnntr\ AND ITS OFFICIAL ACTS.
    • Stomriotiw pngctsB.
    • dtomt Cmraal.
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      Jan. 4, I85i.] Cfre Reafret.

      Jan . 4 , i 85 i . ] Cfre Reafret .

      19

      Mtnvtau Mmnntr\ And Its Official Acts.

      tintwnu Mtmntmty , AND ITS OFFICIAL ACTS .

      A 3 There Is No Special Intelligence Fro...

      a 3 there is no special intelligence from the Demo-A ™ Z nor any document of urgent importance , Sis week , there is no necessity to occupy the space usually devoted to this head . _____

      Stomriotiw Pngctsb.

      Stomriotiw pngctsB .

      Nv-Emn Of The Committee Of Management Of...

      nv-emn of the Committee of Management of t , Tnln and Scientific Institution , John-THB Li ^/^ Joy sauABE—At a meeting of the Lonf * Co 6 DerSve Building Society , which erected the ^ t ; t ? Zn held in February , 1846 , it was found that the I SHmi debt then due was £ 1200 , with an annuity of So pe r annum payable to W D . Saull , Esq . Active tin , were shortly afterwards taken to pay the debts of the building society , viz ., to satisfy the claim of £ 424 Sip to Mr Braby ' s executors , secured by the guarantee nf the principal creditor of the institution , and also to huv up Mr . Saull ' s annuity . Since that time , a period of four years and a half , the institution committee have 3 dof their liabilities he

      r ^ . ^^^ 42-73 , . . I present position of the institution is exemplified by the fact that the debt is now reduced to £ 506 . The good offices and active exertions of the friends of the institution are still necessary to pay off this sum . The substantial support accorded to the committee has enabled them to preserve this institution for the purposes of " Free discussion and free expression of opinion on all subjects of public interest ! " This distinction—of so much importance in a country confessed by its ministers to be " governed by opinion "—this institution has always been proud to preseTve and had the committee no other elaim on public support they would deem this sufficient . In that exciting period through which the country recently passed they opened their doors to the Political Conventions of the "Working Classes , and afforded accommodations to their Chartist brethren , when all places of similar conveniences

      were closed against them . But besides promoting freedom of opinion , the institution labours to diffuse popular knowledge , without which opinion must be inefficient . To this end the weekly lectures at the institution are maintained , in which a greater variety of literary , political , and speculative 1 nformation is communicated than in any other institution in London . The committee are now labouring to extend its scientific and educational classes , which they hope to put upon a footing of unquestionable efficiency . They desire the institution to posseus as much instructional , as they believe it has of moral utility , and on this account they bespeak for it the continuous interest of its friends , and the cooperation of the district . ( Signed ) J . G . Holyoake , President ; J . Reed , Vice-President ; E . Thuelove , Secretary . — Literary and Scientific Institution , 23 , John-street , Fitzroy-square , October , 1850 .

      The Redemption Society . —Meetings , as previously announced , were held in Horsforth and Huddersfield . The one at Horsforth was the first , and will do much good . The Huddersfield meeting was good and highly satisfactory . Indications of a large gathering are now beginning to appear for the 13 th of January , We are receiving letters from various gentlemen of eminence who intend being present . The late soiree in Halifax has resulted in more than fifty candidates putting down their names . Halifax is a proof of what a few good workers can do in a cause . We had reason to be glad at its activity before Mr . Dennis went , but since then it has surpassed our expectations . The secretary

      , Mr . Chuflbr , and Mr . Sturzaker deserve public acknowledgment for their zeal . Newcastle-on-Tyne , we are told , ia about to hold a public meeting on this subject ; and we huve no doubt but Manchester , Hyde , Rochdale , 1 adiham , Burnley , and Liverpool will do their share in the coming labour . Mr . Denton , our secretary in Wales , is on . a visit to Leeds , and is in favour of communal life , arter having experienced it . The pros pects of the society are highly gratifying . The first cargo of shoes and boots lias arrived from the community , und has been sold to the members for cash , who are much pleased with the price and quality of the goods . Moneys received for the wetkeidia December 23

      . g , 1850 : —Leeds , £ 2 5 sA 0 d . ; Lont V : i CharU " 1 > aul . « - 5 Uudder 8 iield , 2 s . ; Glasgow , J -Henderson , Is . ; Newcastle-on-Tyne , T . Woodruff , Is . ¦ moneys received for the week ending December 30 , I 860 r-LeedH , £ 2 12 s . lOd . ; Hyde , Mr . J . Bradley , 8 s . Gd . ; J lyinowtli , Mr . J . Bottomley , 8 s . 8 d . ; Worcester , F . O . Joiit'H , fis . 2 d . Communal Building Fund : —Leeds , T n \ Glasgow , J . Henderson , 2 s . ; Newcautle-on-^ yne , 1 . Woodruff , 18 . ; Itowtll , Northamptonshire , J . < -i \ % ' 0 ovtIltry , * Mr . Shufllebotham , 10 s . ; Leeds , •*< i 17 a . (> d . Hyde , per J . Bradley , £ 1 18 s . lOd . ; Wor-« 'ster , per Mr . F . C . Jones , ( is . l ) d . ; Plymouth , ' per Mr . Bottomley , 3 s . 4 d .

      kociAi , Institution , Manciikhtkk . —On Sunday last , JJecember 20 , Mr . Walter Cooper , who is on a tour of iiitMininufucturing uiutrictH , delivered two lectures in the In ' I 4 . th S institut" >» . Garratt-road , on " Alton Locke , .,, tlle socialism of Literature . " After allowing the '" uuenceof the associative idea on the press and literu"ir « of this country , the lecturer quoted largely from <«<>» Locke , and commented on various passages . Mr . ^ ooper will lecture ugaiii at the institution on Sunday "' 'xt , January 6 ; and during the week will visit L ' ury , ¦»*< ywood , and the surrounding towns . —T . Lindsay . fo . Vr '' I *! ' tHlt for ' » > «> " < - » would lmvo been acknowledged bt'oiulurthttr uccountB . ;

      Dtomt Cmraal.

      dtomt Cmraal .

      Pc01909

      [In This Department, As All Opinions, Ho...

      [ In this department , as all opinions , however extreme , are allowed an expression , the editor necessarily HOLDS HIMSELF RESPONSIBLE FOR NONE . ]

      There Is No Learned Man But Will Confess...

      There is no learned man but will confess he hath much profited by reading controversies , his senses awakened , and his judgment sharpened . If , then , it be profitable for him to read , why should it not , at least , be tolerable for his adversary to write . —Milton .

      The Ecclesiastical Courts. Dec5nrtrer20r...

      THE ECCLESIASTICAL COURTS . DeC 5 nrtrer 20 r-1850 r Sir , —The restoration of the Western empire by Charlemagne forms an important epoch in the annals of the Church , and the fetters of ecclesiastical authority , then firmly rivetted on an uneducated laity , were only burst asunder by the convulsive movement of Europe at the Reformation . The Carlovingian princes had accepted the royal unction of the kings of Israel at the hands of the successors of St . Peter ; and the head of the Apostolic Church of the West , in imitation of the Jewish , priesthood , assumed the character of a spiritual ambassador of divine appointment . The reverence of Charlemagne for the clergy induced him to entrust that aspiring order with temporal power and civil jurisdiction ; and lie was the first to enforce the payment of tithes . " Such obligations have country gentlemen to His memory , " Gibbon sarcastically observes . Under Gregory VII . the Papal pretensions to ecclesiastical supremacy , as yet but partially developed , were first matured ; and it was ^ not till the sixteenth century that the secular power began vigorously to resist the encroachments of the clergy . The ecclesiastical laws of this country have been , for the most part , derived originally from the authority exercised by the Roman Pontiffs in the different states and kingdoms of Europe , under the title of the Canon Law ; but in England its authority has always been much restricted as incompatible with the jurisdiction of the courts of Common Law . In the eleventh

      century , however , episcopal' courts of unique authority were established in England . The Conqueror separated the ecclesiastical from , the civil courts , and constituted them by charter . \ For several centuries these courts have been the subject of attempted legislative correction . Henry " VIII . commenced the work of reform in earnest , which was continued by Edward . But the House of Commons , in the reign of Elizabeth , declined to undertake the task initiated by the meek " Defender of the Faith . " At length a commission was issued by George IV ., in 1830 , among other things , "to enquire into the jurisdiction of the Ecclesiaetical Courts of England and Wales , and whether such jurisdiction may be taken away or altered . " Few of the recommendations , however , contained

      in the report of these commissioners have been adopted ; and as Mr . Muscutt says , in an able pamphlet on the " Ecclesiastical Courts , " * the main point , that " of altering or taking away the jurisdiction of these courts , " remains unaccomplished not unattempted . The efforts to reform or amend the system have failed by reason of the enormous wealth , patronuge , and parliamentary influence ( especially in the House of Lords ) of the Anglican clergy . . . . .

      Before the Reformation the bishops issued process in their own names ; but by a statuto of Edward VI . all ecclesiastical jurisdiction wan declared to be from the crown . This was repealed under Mary , but her act was itself repealed by James ; and the spiritual courts continued to issue process in the bishop ' s name . On some difficulty being made concerning this , it wab referred by the star-chamber to the twelve judges , who decided that the pructieo of

      the courts was agreeable to law- Lord Brougham , however , Iiuh stated that in his opinion the original jurisdictions of the bishops are un anomaly . The organ of the High Church party , on the other hand , assorts that " the great mischief und injustice of Lord Cottenham ' s bill is the attempt to withdraw the right of issuing original writa from the bench of binhops" : that , if " the Government insist on making the Bishop ' s Court the Queen ' s Court , .... it will be a formal and legal retracta-• The HiHlortj and Power < J" the Kcclesiautical Courts . Uy Kdwiml MuuciiU . C . Uilnln , o , JLJi » hi > i > K | jiU < j-8 tm ) t Without , London ,

      tion of those powers hitherto recognized in the episcopal clergy as Christ ' s ambassador . " It is " declaring the violation of the supremacy of the priesthood , .... which strikes at the very root of that power which makes their office effective , and independent of man ' s jurisdiction "; and that , " if her Majesty put forth her hand to issue that writ , which should come only from the altar , she ought to find the spirit of the Man of God that

      withered the hand of Jeroboam at the altar of Bethel . ' Such is the nature of the pretensions again revived by the Anglican clergy who boast their lineal succession from the only Apostolic Church of the West . Our Ecclesiastical Laws have been described in the language of our statutes as " Laws which the people have taken at their free liberty , by their own consent . " It is for the people , therefore , ' to inquire into the jurisdiction of these courts "— " whether such jurisdiction may be taken away or altered . "

      With your permission I will again return to the subject . I remain your obedient servant , W . C .

      Papal Aggression". London, Nov. 24, 1850...

      PAPAL AGGRESSION " . London , Nov . 24 , 1850 . Sir , —I will give you some of my ideas on the " Papal aggression . " I shall probably horrify you by declaring that , after the first feeling of irritation at the insolence" of the Pope , I have had but one

      strong impression of the absurd spirit ^ in whlchrthis crusade against Popery has been carried on . That the excitement will have a good effect in calling general attention to the errors and dangers of Popery I doubt not ; but that is no reason for those who , like myself , utterly reject the domination of all priesthoods whatever , but at the same time desire perfect toleration for all religions , to join a crowd of High Church , Low Church , and Dissenters in crying out against the Court of Rome , and praying for pains and penalties against iny fellow-countrymen , the Catholics .

      And why is this outcry ? Because the Roman Catholics have petitioned for , and the Pope has granted them , a form of hierarchy more suited to their government in things spiritual than that which they have had since the Reformation . Will it be said that , as the minority m this country , they have no right to Bishops ? Then , how will the members of the Church of England justify the appointment of their Bishops in Ireland , where the Catholics are nearlv seven times more numerous than

      all the sects of Protestants put together ? Or , how will they justify the right assumed by the Queen , who is the Pope of the English Church , * of nominating her Bishops in foreign countries , though the majority of the inhabitants may be Roman Catholic , Mahommedan , or of any other religion ? The only real foundation , therefore , for this outcry must be the manner in which the Pope has made tjie appointment , not in the appointment itself . This , I will admit , has been insolent and domineering ' . It is certainly very disagreeable tg . iind the Po ^ fe'ignoring all the Protestants of this Country as h e athen ( as our Bishops would the Mahommedans in Jhdia ) , and pretending to assume a spiritual jurisdiction over , not only those of his faith , but over thos 6- dTevery other faith .

      How can Lord John Russell , however , " agree " with the Bishop of Durham in calling the " aggression" " insidious ? " It is the most open act ever perpetrated by a Pope ; and , so far from being " insidious" in an attempt to propagate Romish doctrines , it is founded , as Lord John himself so forcibly points out , in a great measure , on the backslidings of the clergy of the Church of England . Now , this insult offered to Protestants by the Pope

      should , in my humble opinion , be treated with dignified and silent contempt ; but , as I know thut , in their present temper , this will not suit my fellow-Prote $ tants , let me advise them not to try to conceal their fears of the spreading disaffection among their own ranks under a cry that the Queen ' s Crown and Supremacy are endangered by the act of u Sovereign so insignificant aa the Pope of Rome , nor ( as they value their own title to religious freedom ) to attempt to fetter other men in the freest exercise of their

      religion . But , say my zealous friends , it is the Queen's spiritual supremacy that is in danger . Let us look this question boldly in the face . Is the Queen the spiritual head of her Roman Catholic subjects ? No . Would the clergy or the members of the Established Church wish her to become such ? No ; they would not hear of it for nn instant . On the other hand , it is vain to deny that the Pope does exercise spiritual jurisdiction over the Catholics ; that is , over all who choose iu thin country to submit to it , and over no others . Can tho Queen prevent her subjects

      • Ah evidence ! of thin I would refer you to the Act of f > Victoria , cHp . ( I , 'which , « ft «» " empowering tin ) Arcliliiuhopu of Canterbury mid York to conuecruto MriUnli or foreign nul > jcetn to lie JUuhopH in liny foreign country , enactH that Much HislwpM ' * may exercise , within hiicIi limits hh may from timo to time he iiHitijriie . l for thut ]) iii- |) ohu in hucIi foreign eountrien by her Majesty , Hpii ituul juimdiclioii over tho ininlBteiB of Hi Wish coiuriotfauoiiH of the united Church of Kngliuid and Ireland , und over such other J ' ro tent ant congregation * na muy be detiiroud of placing tht'in-Mch « i under their authority . "

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), Jan. 4, 1851, page 19, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_04011851/page/19/