[To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR." J SIR,—One of
your leading articles in the Spectator of July 17th is entitled " The Clergy and Home-rule." It puzzles me much to think from what knowledge, or ground of any kind, your conclusions are drawn. Among the clergy known to me, are only one or two at most who have been at all influenced or guided by their admiration for Mr. Gladstone, or their ap- preciation of that fervid enthusiasm which, undoubtedly with some knowledge, you attribute to him. As a rule, as you remark, the clergy as a class are Conservative; and I know far more whose enthusiasm has been from the first strongly set against him, than I do in his favour; and certainly, if anything has affected their judgment and feeling unfavourably in regard to him, it has been his sudden and determined adoption of principles favouring Home-rule in Ireland. Where strong partiality towards him existed from the first in the minds of my clerical friends (the one or two I know), I do not think his, new schemes and sympathies for Ireland have made any change but in the great body of Conservative clergy generally, they have certainly become his more fervid and strenuous opponents and adversaries (I may say), since his adoption of the Home- rule system for Ireland. I should really like to know on what grounds the writer of your article came to entertain the idea that the clergy have differed from the laity in cleaving to the Prime Alinister under his new tactics. I, for one, am very incredulous of its truth. Of course, if it is founded on fact, on known statistics, there is no more to be said ; but certainly the opinion does not hold true in this part of the world, although it is the Yorkshire that Mr. Gladstone claims as belonging to, himself and " the civilised world."—I am, Sir, &o.,
A YORKSHIRE CLERGYMAN.
[Our correspondent forgets that our remarks applied only to the Liberal clergy, that is, to the class of whom he admits that, so far as he knows them, they have held fast by Mr. Gladstone in spite of his Home-rule policy. That there is a considerably larger number of Liberal clergymen than our correspondent appears to recognise, we have ample means of knowing from the correspondence that we receive, though we are often unable to publish it. Doubtless they are a minority, and a small one, but they have become a much more considerable minority in recent years than they once were.—ED. Spectator.]
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