some facts about the scottish establishment

Some facts about the Scottish establishment.Source: Bristol Selected Pamphlets, (1880)Published by: University of Bristol LibraryStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/60229436 .

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SOME FACTS .^^

OF BRISTOL U8RARY

ABOUT

THE SCOTT

There are three great Presbyterian bodies in Scotland

—the Church of Scotland, the Free Church, and the

United Presbyterian Church—the last two being the

result of secessions from the first. Their doctrines, modes of government, and worship are alike. Yet the

first is "established by law"—at the cost, and to the

disadvantage, of the other two Churches, and of the

rest of the people of Scotland who do not belong to,

what is erroneously called, the Church of Scotland.

Besides the Presbyterians, there are in Scotland Epis¬

copalians, Congregationalists, Baptists, Soman Catholics,

and other religious bodies. The Roman Catholics alone

number between 200,000 and 300,000. These all

maintain their religious agencies at their own expense.

The Established Church embraces only a

minority of the population.—It claims to have

1,432 Churches; but the non-established bodies have

2,312 Churches. A census of Church attendance

taken by the North British Daily Mail, in 1876, cover¬

ing an area in the South and West of Scotland with a

population of 1,047,294, or very nearly a third of

the whole population of Scotland, showed that the

Establishment had only 32'3 per cent, of the whole

attendance in the Protestant Churches. Other journals

Jia\e taken a similar census; embracing a portion of the



district previously censused, but taking in leading towns

in the South and East of Scotland, and dealing with a

population of 906,646. This census gives the Estab¬

lishment only 30 per cent, of the whole Church

attendance.

A census of attendance at the Churches in the High¬ lands, taken by the Edinburgh Daily Review, showed that

in Caithness, Sutherland, and Ross and Cromarty the

Established Church had but 4,782 worshippers; while the non-established Churches had 36,213. Taking both Highlands and Lowlands together, it is estimated

that, at the very least, two-thirds of the Scottish 'people are

outside the Scottish Establishment.

The Scotch Establishment costs the nation

nearly =£390,000 a-year—in the form of teinds

(or tithes), grants from the Imperial Exchequer, the annual value of manses and glebes, and Church and

Manse Rates. Although Church Bates have been

abolished in England, they still exist in Scotland, where they yield ,£42,000 a-year. In many Scotch cities large sums are annually paid out of municipal funds to maintain the established churches and the ministers.

A good deal of this money is practically Wasted; because the people have left the Establish¬ ment and worship elsewhere. In three counties in the

Highlands the Establishment costs about ,£21,000 for 2,300 members, or £9 per member. In one

parish seven communicants cost the country ,£257

a-year> and in another six cost £233 The people, for



whose spiritual good the money is supposed to be spent,

pay for their own religion elsewhere, as well as have to

support the Establishment. In the Lowlands the

•endowments go to support ministers whose congrega¬ tions could, in a large number of cases, maintain them

themselves.

The bad effects of continuing a Church

Establishment in Scotland are numerous.—

Great injustice is done to those who do not belong to

the Established Church, and discontent and ill-will are

the result of State-interference and favouritism—for

which there is not the slightest necessity. Jealousy unci antagonism between the established and the non->

established Churches are fostered, and obstacles are

placed in the way of union, which is ardently desired.

The liberality of the members of the Established Church

is diminished; for, while they have voluntarily raised

for religious purposes only £2,588,702 in nine

years, the members of the Free and United Presby¬ terian Churches have raised during the same period

£8,224,132! Other non-established bodies also

raise large sums for carrying on religious work at

home and abroad.

The majority of the Scottish people want

the Church to be disestablished. The United

Presbyterian Church is unanimous on the point, and

the Free Church has demanded disestablishment by an

-overwhelming majority. The constituencies are moving

in the same direction, and the leaders of the Liberal party have declared themselves willing to give effect to their

wishes, so soon as they have been definitely expressed.



"When the time comes," said Lokd Haktinqton, at

Glasgow in 1877, "that Scotch opinion shall be fully formed on the subject, the Liberal party in England will do its best to give effect to that opinion." Mr.

Gladstone afterwards spoke in the same sense, and at the General Election which followed (in 1880) their

challenge was so far accepted that, not only were fifty- three Liberal members returned, against seven Con¬

servatives, but almost the whole of the Liberals returned were either favourable to Disestablishment in Scotland, or were prepared to accept the popular decision respecting it; while not one declared himself to be opposed to it.

It is believed that the next General Election will, so far as Scotland is concerned, decide the question ; but the help of English Liberals will be needed to pass a Disestablishment; Bill through Parliament. And will not the same help be given to Scotland which, in a similar case, was given to Ireland The whole nation is interested in putting an end to injustice in any part of the nation; and when the Scottish Establishment, lite the Irish Establishment, has ceased to exist, that of

England cannot much longer continue. For this reason,.

English State-Churchmen will do their utmost to main¬ tain the present state of things in Scotland, notwith¬

standing its injustice, and combined effort on the part of anti-State-Churchmen on both sides the Tweed

will be needed to overcome their resistance to the-

change which is required.

Societt for the Liberation or Keligion from STATE-PATEONACfH"^SH?1pne»TY Control, 2, Serjeants' Inn, Fleet Street, Lo>don. ^ ^ c*Rl3"fOL 1

U3BARV



some facts about the scottish establishment

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