21 JUNE 1935, Page 18

[To the Editor of TILE SPECTATOR.] SIR,—In your excellent leading

article on Marriage and the Church of England a sort of regretful surprise is expressed that Convocation does nothing to bring its ideas of marriage into line with the most enlightened opinions held today. " Why," it is asked, " cannot the Church make some attempt to commend Christian Marriage by repudiating the unintelligent obscurantism which sacrifices human happiness to a theory ? " It seems to me that the reason for this obstinate refusal to live in the twentieth century is plain enough. The Church of England, whether we like it or not, is rapidly being trans- formed from a liberal, progressive body to a reactionary

sect. The progress of the " Anglo-Catholic " movement, the enthusiasm of its rank and file, and the untiring vigour of its propaganda cannot be denied by anyone who takes the trouble to look into the matter. Those of us who still believe in religious freedom are doing nothing to maintain it, and, while we are inactive, church after church is being approximated in doctrine and ritual to those of the Roman Faith.

I am not attempting to decry the genuine religious fervour and self-sacrificing zeal of Roman or Anglo-Catholic propa- gandists. But if we do not want to be driven out of the Established Church, we really must pay some attention to what is going on. We cannot expect an enlightened policy on any subject whatever while the whole machinery of the Church is being captured by men who are Roman Catholic in every- thing but a few comparatively unimportant details of church government.

Over 70,000 members were enrolled in the Anglo-Catholic Congress of 1933 and the new Church Union is incomparably the most powerful and vigorous body of organized opinion in the Church today. Unless the Bishops are somehow rescued from the threats and demands of this increasing propaganda, it is idle to expect a mitigation of the cruel mediaevalism enshrined in the marriage laws of the Church.—I am, Sir,