Although the Church Congress is this year held in London, and the attendance is enormously in excess of that at any previous Congress, the war news has so completely monopolised public attention that very little notice is bestowed upon the proceedings of this greatest of religious gatherings of the year. Yet the Congress in itself is one of exceptional interest, for it has shown how deep a schism has been made in the Church by the ritual dispute. The English Church Union seized the opportunity to hold a great meeting at St. Semen's Hull and, under the lewlership of Lord Halifnx, to pass a resolution demanding that "greater spiritual autonomy and powers. of self-government should be granted to the Church of England, and that for this purpose stops should be taken to secure a more adequate representation for the clergy, beneficed and unbeneficed, nnd such a place given to the Inity in the Councils of the Church wx on Cathslic principles can rightly be allowed to them." A' the Church Congress the itualistic party are, of course, in a small minority, but they are numerous enough to make themselves loudly heard, but it is plain that the greater umber of those who have submitted thewse'vs to their Bishops and abandoned the o of incense and processional candles still feel deep! aggrieved by the Lambeth decision an are seeking an excuse for rebellion, The Bishop of London, who is ex-officio President of the Congress, is well-known to have a leaning towards Ritualism, but he has adopted an attitude whick commends itself thoroughly to the great body of Englishmen. I have an ideal of the Chyreh of Englind," "which has. steadily grown with wit. I see in it a Church not existing in indefinite space, and founding claims to universality, on the ground that it has no particular home, but a Church rooted in the minds and hearts of the English people." Many among the extreme ritualists themselves recognise that any other view of the position of the Church must lead to disestablishment, and not a few of them are prepared to accept disestablishment rather than give up their cherished rites,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.