346 RURAL RECONSTRUCTION 



on Irish fields every tenth potato lifted, for himself, good children of 

 the Church as the Irish are, they would infallibly rebel. One must 

 have lived in a county in which extraordinary tithe has in the past 

 played an important part to appreciate all the odium which in the 

 minds of rural folk association with that impost, hallowed by long 

 tradition — as we know from Selden — perfectly natural in its incep- 

 tion, has left attaching to it. The " minister " has this advantage, 

 that he is as a rule " sprung from the people," and can speak about 

 their sentiments in their own language. Notwithstanding all this, 

 the officers of the established Church are likely to exercise the greater 

 influence if they only will. They are, moreover, the appointed 

 shepherds of the whole parish, whereas the ministers are only the 

 private chaplains to the members of their several denominations, 

 without any official call to trouble about others. There are plenty 

 of parsons who in this way do their duty earnestly and admirably, 

 and their influence is proportionally great. But under a system of 

 selection, which appears to be governed by differing principles, there 

 are also not a few who do anything but the right thing. Thus we 

 had in Sussex one who would not recognise dissenters as his parish- 

 ioners, nor visit them. The consequence was that a substantial 

 farmer in the parish set up a Wesleyan chapel and got the minister- 

 ship endowed. And there was open schism declared ! And the 



Rev. Mr. F forfeited all his influence. Another made his name 



" stink in the nostrils " of his parishioners because, with an excep- 

 tionally liberal endowment to keep his chimney smoking, he was a 

 habitual absentee, " not spending £5 in his parish," as was said. In 

 addition there are "criminous clerks," of whom we have had more than 

 one. Nonconformist ministers, appointed on a more democratic basis, 

 are not allowed to go this length. However, churches must all work 

 together on our present problem. Rural folk, as observed, are no 

 judges of dogmas. They would not engage in a great fight for any 

 number of the historic " iotas," however pregnant with meaning 

 such might be. And if modern Donatists were to raise their terrible 

 cry of Deo laudes among them, they would simply be met with 

 " bats " and be " made summut of," as the Ashdown Forester 

 threatened to do to the bullying counsel cross-examining him 

 in court, "if he could only have him for a quarter of an hour in 

 the forest." They know nothing about the refinements of academic 

 curriculums and the meaning of hoods. But they are admirable 

 judges of conduct and dispositions evinced. If " the Church " will 

 only for the nonce forget to be " schoolmaster," and become heartily 

 " comrade," it has a great field open to it for assisting in the creation 



