One comes across interesting snippets when browsing old newspapers. The following is taken from the Qu’Appelle Didette, Thursday February 7th, 1889:
The Ritualistic movement in the neighbouring Anglican diocese of Niagara has led to the formation of an association for adherence to evangelicalism. Hartley, Carmichael and several clergymen waited upon the Bishop of Niagara and declared the introduction of ritualistic practices to be repugnant to the majority of the members of the diocese.
It was a valiant effort by Hartley and Carmichael but it didn’t last: today in the Diocese of Niagara there is little left but “ritualistic practices”. “Adherence to evangelicalism” has all but been stamped out by the concerted efforts of Bothwell, Spence and Bird and the only thing that is repugnant to the diocese is the Gospel.
I believe what is called Ritualistic is what is known as High Church today. (Anglo-Catholic). There was a lot of ill feeling when this renewal from the Tractarians swept through Anglicanism from Low Church advocates. Nevertheless it became one of Anglicanism’s greatest revivals. Now how ever you would be hard pressed to find any true Anglo-Catholic practice left. And it began with Bagnall who sent in Low Churchmen rectors into the staunch High Churches of the Niagara Peninsula and thereby degraded the worship there with the result of starting the first wave of fleeing parishioners. Bothwell, Spence and Bird and their followers have just continued the emptying of the parishes with their ill conceived adherence to the trendy new ideas that have proven to be just more whitewash to the churches of Niagara.
The tactics of persons like Bird are all to clear to anyone with eyes to see.
1. Change the rules.
2. If the rules cannot be changed, than change how the rules are “interpretted”.
3. If the rules cannot be re-interpretted, than ignore the rules.
4. If the rules cannot be ignored, than redicule the rules and those who continue to support the rules.
What these persons fail to comprehend is that the rules were written by God, and God does not allow any of these 4 tactics.