CHURCH DISESTABLISHMENT.

Press, Volume XLIII, Issue 6368, 16 February 1886, Page 3

CHURCH DISESTABLISHMENT.

[Prom " Truth."] There are 384 livings with a net income of above £1000 per annum, the net average bein? £1124 with an average population of 3181 each. Of these, 50 livings have an average of £1097 per annum with an average population of 622 each—that is to say, the clergyman in these parishes gete £2 Iα 4d per head for looking after the spiritual wants of bis parishioners. Tre richest living is that of Halsall—£3soo, population 1681. In London there are are many monstrous instances of plethoric endowments ; tor example, St. Andrew Underahaft — income £2400, population 327; St. Edmund the King—income £1200, population 2971 St. Olave—income £2050, population 430; All Hallows—income £1700, population 535 j St. Ethelburga — income £1066, population 199. There are 140 livings with a population of 100 or lesß each, the average population ! being 72 j the benefice with the smallest I population being Telford, which has only eight inhabitanie. In contrast witi this there are 100 livings with an average population of 16,000, and an average endowment of less than £300 each. According to the Official Year Book of the Church of England, in 1885 there were 350 incumbents non-resident, who served their cures by deputy. ' .' . ■ The capitalised value of the funds at the disposal of the State in the event of diaendowment is £183,503,050, of which £125,000,000 represents tithes—this is without allowing anything for ecclesiastical edifices. In 1873 Mr Gladstone estimated the neceEßiry cost of disendowment at £90,000,000. Mr Arthur Arnold makes the amount £61,011,084, thus divided -.— Bishops and dignitaries ...£3,440,000 Beneficed clergy ... ... 31,088.264 Curates and other clergy ... 8,012,800 Church and Cathedral officers... 6,000,000 Purchase of advowsons ... 3,000,000 Private endowment*... ... 6,000,000 Official expenses ... ... 500,000 Providing, then, handsomely for every vested interest, and leaving to the Church ita fabrics, the nation would gain from £90,000,000 to £120,000,000 by disestablishment. •

There are in England and Wales 14,573 churches of the Established Church, 20,518 of Nouconformiste, and 1188 of Somas Catholics,.

Tithes were originally mentioned in 786, when their payments were first recommended. In the code of agreement between Alfred and the Danes, a penalty is I imposed for their non-payment. On the division of dioceses into parishes, the tithe i revenues were divided into four portions— I one for bishops (this was abolished when i the sees were divided into four portions) ; two for the fabrics; three for the poor; four for the priest (in lieu of eurplice, marriage, christening, and burial fees). As the two first have ceased, the poor have an equal right' with the clergy to the benefit of parochial tithes. But not only have the poor been robbed of their half, but both poor and clergy have been robbed by the great landlords and their descendants. The Norman monks originated the praotaca of appropriating benefices. Toey left a small portion of the tithe for the parish priests, and diverted the reet to their monasteries When Henry VIII. laid hands on the monasteries, he gave away the greater portion of the abbey lands with their tithe revenues to his favorites. Thus tithes came into the possession of laymen, who now have an income of about one million from these sources.

The Bishop of Peterborough's proposed Bill on Churoh referm will, if carried, remore one of the abuses of the existing state of affaire. At present, the pew rent system, which perpetuates caste, and alienates the rich from the poor, almost everywhere prevatle. This system would be abolished by the Bishop's Biil in 13,000 i out of the 16,000 churchee of the country, all of which would be declared to be for the free use in common of all the parishioners for the purposes of Divine worship. In other words, the Bill would give to the people their ancient common law rights. The recent" utterances of the Bishop of Chichester on this subject, and the proposed action of the Bishop of Peterborough, show that even prelates are beginning to be sensible of tte people's power. ■