The contest over the ritual question grows more and more acute, and Sir William Harcourt is throwing himself rt and soul into the fray the cause of Protestantism. Th" bishops have ju-t met and reed to promote a Bill giving the authorities of the Church and the law of the Realm greater power to deal with ders who persist in practices which are forbidden by the bishops and regarded with strong disfavour by the bulk of the Church. But Convocations of York and Canterbury and then to go through both Houses of Parliament; and there is considerable doubt whether, even if it came safely through it would enable the authorities to cope successfully with the evils inst which it is directed. One result of the agitation will assuredly be to awaken the somewhat somnolent agitation in favour of the disestablishment of the Church. Large numbers even of churchmen feel that, while there should be perfect religions liberty to allow the Ritualist to adopt the methods of the Roman Catholic Church, and to the ultra Low Churchman to rob the service of all that which, in the opinion of the High Churchman, is necessary to render it impressive and reverential, neither party ought to be able to claim the thority of the State for their observances.
20th
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.