RITUAL AND BITUALISTS.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 12120, 6 December 1894, Page 2

RITUAL AND BITUALISTS.

TO THE EPITOB Sir, — A correspondence has of latebpen conducted through your columns under the above heading. Ido not wish to tain any part in the correspondence beyond correcting a statement by ' Observer" in, yonr issue of November 2(}i;b, which has not yet been corrected, and which has tigubled many reades, The »ffttemerjt is : !' Not many months ago a large num.: her o{ "Ritualist parsons (over 400, 1 am informed) sent a petition to tb,e Pope ask: ing him to take them into the Roman Communion, reserving one or two points only as a cod di! ion of their joining ths Holy Eoman Church " Later on in the Efinie letter he stafo3 that this fact is recorded iti the Guardian' of 27th Juno, 1894, page 982- 'Observer's " statement is simply untruo The passage he refer 3 to saya nothing whatever about the number being 400, nor doe 3it state any number a f - all. The whole paragraph is based on the statement of thu correspondent of the Daily Chronicle, and the petition is only "said to have boan recently" sent. Tfco statement about the three Bishops is likewise made only on the same [ authority j and your roaders can judge what value to set on tho uncorroborated 6tateraoct in such a matter of the seoular correspondent of a London daily, situated i a lie was inßorae.and possibly evnn a R.C. himself. Then again, these who are said to havo sent tbe petition, as I understand it, imply that t.ho " High Church move, mint" is adverse to the Church of Rome, a belief which is entertained a'so by those who are in sympathy with tbe movement, and know all about it, which dearly is not the case with "Observer." Further, some of your correspondents seem to think thai; they are justified in their statements^ l.ecause the Eoraan Church papers agree "*~ with them. Of course they do j it is to their interests to make a erroat deal of every perversion from cur Church j and those who study the writings of common E.G. controversialists know how untrustworthy they aro. It wonld be well if people would make Eiire of thc-ir facts before writing to the newspapars.— l am, &c,

C. CoiiEßiDiiE Harper, M.A., Curate of Patea.