Punch (73.1877)

122

PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVAEI.

[September 22, 1877.

CLEAR THE COURSE!

OR, HOW TO TREAT THE FOLKESTONE CAD.

SACERDOTALISTS AND SECEDERS.

The principal ratepayers of Cuddesdon, Oxon, headed by two Churchwardens, have
written the Yicar, the Rev. Canon Ftjbse, a letter requesting him to refrain from inviting
the Rev. E. F. Willis, the Yice-Principal of Cuddesdon College, or any other Member of
the " Society of the Holy Cross," to officiate any more in the church of that parish. The
Vicar of Cuddesdon replies to them in many words, reducible to two, the ex officio form
of refusal peculiar to another Vicar, of loftier pretensions than even those of the highest
Anglican parson—" non possumus." First on the list of signatures to the Cuddesdon
ratepayers' letter of objection to confederates with the Priest in Absolution, stands the
name of John Chlllingwokth. Is this John a descendant of that William: who, having
persuaded himself of Popery, did not pretend to play the Popish Priest, but honestly and
consistently went over to Rome, and, after having had a little experience there, came back
again, and vindicated the "Religion of Protestants"? A Chillingworth appears to be in

his place as Churchwarden of a Protestant
parish, and, in that capacity, taking the
lead of parishioners protesting against the
sham sacerdotalism of pseudo-Roman Father
Confessors.

Not that our friends the Ritualists are
not Protestants also, just as much as
Chillingworth the Controversialist or
Chillingwoeth the Churchwarden. The
Bishop of Exktek considers them ultra-
Protestants. Referring to them, in a reply
to a letter from the Mayor of Plymouth,
he says :—

" It should never be forgotten that the position
assumed by such men is in reality based on the
exaggeration of the Protestant principle of private
judgment."

They will submit neither to Rome nor Can-
terbury. Each has hitherto been his own
Pope and his own Archbishop. However,
according to the Whitehall Review, a con-
siderable number of them, clergy and laity,
are now organising a Church of their own;
an opposition Church of England, under the
denomination of " The Order of the Cor-
porate Reunion." These are consistent
pseudo - Papistical Protestants. Nobody
can complain of seceders for conscience'
sake. If'Ritualists will only get out of the
National Church into a Church of their own,
they will be entitled to play at Roman
Catholics as much as they please, and no-
body will have any more right to blame or
ridicule them than anybody has to censure
or make fun of the Irvingites or the San-
demanians. Do the laymen of the " Order
of the Corporate Reunion" include any
members of the lower classes ? If so,
they might get up amongst them, as an
invitation to Ritualists in general, the .cry
of " Flare up and join the Order ! "

LINES TO LORD DUNDREARY.

(On the Moons of Mars.)

Poets talk of silvery light

In their verses on the Moon.
Is the radiant Orb of Light

Made of silver, like a spoon ?

Such as that wherewith the blest
In their mouths, 'tis said, are born.

Wooden spoons befit the rest;
Mimic metal, iron, horn.

Other spoons there are, to wit;

Biped Spoons, that mooning go :
In the " hollow muscle " hit

By the winged Urchin's bow.

Mars has got more moons than we,

Two to one, a sign on high,
If it could suspended be,

Like mine Uncle's in the sky.

Mars is but Earth's fifth in size :
How then is't his moons are two ?

It seems to Reason's purblind eyes
One, a smaller one, would do.

A reason one can understand

Why Venus should have sundry moons,
'Neath which fond lovers, hand in hand,

Might wander—sentimental " Spoons."

If Mars's moons the mind affect,
And slates in Reason's roof unfix,

Than Earth, a fellow might expect,
Mars would have twice more lunatics.

Now, haply, on a battle-plain
In Mars, if lunar influence works,

Lie twice as many maimed and slain
As all yon Russians or yon Turks.