Sta,—I did not refer only to direct money grants from
Parliament. 1 admit frankly I thought such support was given, but the receipt of several letters this week, some polite, but others more abusive, has left me better informed!
No, I referred to the endowments of centuries which were intended for national purposes. Adherents of the Church of England are said to number 7-10 per cent of the population. I fail to see anything 'fair-minded' about devoting moneys originally meant for 100 per cent of the nation to a minority body.
One is told all persons baptised in the Church of England belong to it, and these number a far larger percentage. Do parents christen their children because of a sincerely held conviction concerning the saving grace of the waters? Often it is because social advantages derive from admission into an established Church.
My main argument stands. Bishop Stockwood finds parliamentary oversight of the Commissioners irksome, but not the strength derived from the peculiar constitutional position of the Church. No doubt, as a spiritually-minded man, he is also aware of the more non-material benefits to be derived from Establishment.
As long as the Church remains established, we are likely to live under laws which assume charity is a Christian monopoly, which are based on un- acceptable and unproven mythologies. Perhaps this assists to make post-Darwinian history as gloomy as pre-Darwinian.
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