THE STATUS OF THE CLERGY Sta,—Writing from about midway between
" Rome " and "Geneva," I protest most strongly against the suggestion made in your leaderette, "The Status of the Clergy," that in the matter of the purchase of advowsons there is nothing to choose between the Anglo-Catholic and the extremer Protestant or, as you put it, the High Church and Low Church bodies. They are in this respect as the poles asunder, and, after all the publicity given to this scandal during the last few years, I am astounded that The Spectator appears ignorant of the tact that the High Church body never has "made a practice of buying up advowsons . . . in order to staff the Ministry with their own particular brand of churchmanship."
The relatively few advowsons they have "otherwise acquired" they have acquired precisely to prevent the traditions of those parishes from
being ruthlessly and wickedly trampled on. What then are the facts? In 1939 five AngktCatholic " Societies " held 106 advowsonw, not one of which was acquired by purchase. Protestant Trusts held at the very least 954 (probably many more, as they work underground, and in many cases the fact that a benefice has been purchased by them is nknown until 'a vacancy occurs). A certain ultra-Protestant Trust, with the name, activities and methods of which many readers of The Spectator wilt be well acquainted, is ruthless as regards the needs and traditions of a parish, and in 1939 was working under 13 aliases.
I hasten to make clear that I am not suggesting that there are no honourable Protestant Trusts. There are, for example, the Simeon Trustees, Peache Trustees, C.P.A.S., C.P.S., and it is almost true to say that nearly all the opprobrium attaching to party trust patronage has been occasioned by the nefarious and unscrupulous dealings On the part of a certain Protestant Trust formed some 25 years ago.—Yours, &c.,
PREBENDARY AND RURAL DEAN.
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