Disestablishment of the English Church

Feilding Star, Volume VII, Issue 87, 2 January 1886, Page 2

Disestablishment of the English Church

The London correspondent of the Auckland Bell writes : — Probably you take some iuterest your side of the world in the question of Church and State. You have no State Church, and yet the Anglican Church in New Zealand holds her own against all other denominations. Even many churchmen favor a separation of the Church from the State. Recently the rector of Wychling, the Rev. Thomas Norton, delivered a speech of an unusual character at Ashf ord, in which he said : — '• The great guns of the Church are opposed to Liberalism, but big names are not "of much use. They don't represent the Church — at least they don't represent me. I don't see why there ought to be such a difference between the Church and other denominations. I say that if you can't stand on your own base', you have no right to stand at all. As to extraordinary tithes, I would abolish them as rank, downright robbery. We were talking about great guns just now. Well, I will give you semething rather spicy about the Archbishop of Canterbury. A living in East Kent — I won't mention names — fell vacant, and the Archbishop sent down a man who was a disgrace to any respectable body. Was that right ? What voice have you in electing the vicar of Ashf ord ? Why, none at all. As a Liberal, I think we ought to disestablish, and, if necessary, disendow, the Church. I don't think the Church requires money, in that sense, to ensure good spiritual teaching. Why, the commonest savage could put us to shame that way."