The Feilding Star. Oroua and Kiwitea Counties' Gazette. SATURDAY, MAY 18, 1912. Disruptdistablishment.

Feilding Star, Volume VI, Issue 1797, 18 May 1912, Page 2

The Feilding Star. Oroua and Kiwitea Counties' Gazette. SATURDAY, MAY 18, 1912. Disruptdistablishment.

[ Chukchmen in England and Wales ! to-day are getting very much ex- ' cited over the big Bill in , the House of Commons for the disestablishment of Wales. This looks as 'inevitable as Home Rule for Ireland. -. And to-day is the 69th auniI versary of a historic Disruption — that of tho Scottish Church. To quote Tout on the subject: "It is not ovory- nation, rt Is not every . age, which can produce the spectacle lof nearly 500" men leaving their j homes, abandoning their incomes, ' for the sake of opinion." Yet the ! Scottish. Disruption of 1843 was frequently- a sentence of poverty and occasionally of death to the ministers of the Church. After prolonged ' disputes and agitation the Government, in 1843, finally gave a per- . emptory negative to tho claims of tho Presbyterian Church for spiri--1 tual independence. The section ; which refused State patronage re- ■ solved upon secession. This occurred in a memorable scene at tho open- '' ing of the Assembly in Edinburgh !on May 18, 1843. The Moderator i (Dr. Walsh) read a protest against further proceedings in the Assembly because of certain acts, sanctioned [ by the Government, which had in- , fringed on tho liberties of the conL stitutidn of the Church. tie then ! left the chair and walked out of the church. "Instantly Dr. Chalmers, > Dr. Gordon, and the whole of those . in the left side of the church rose and followed him. Upwards of 200 ministers walked out, and they were joined outside by 300 clergymen and i other adherents. Dr. Walsh wore L his Moderattor's dress, and when he 5 appeared on the street, and the people saw that -principle had risen i above interest, shouts of triumph ; rent the air such as had not been | heard in 'JSdinburgh since the days of tho Covenant." The first Gen- | eral Assembly of "The Free Church •of Scotland" was then, formed, with ! , Dr. Chalmers as Moderator, and 474 ; ministers left the Establishment at i, : this time. The Welsh Disruption of ' 1912 (?) will bo somewhat different; 5 . and it will be seen by to-day's cable 1 ' news that tho second reading debate , j was of tlie strenuous order.