To the Editor of the WIELD OBSERVER AND SOUTH WORCESTERSHIRE
COURANT,

SIR,--The leader in your issue of last Tuesday upon my sermon in
St. Andrew's Church on the preceding Sunday calls for some
corrections. The action of the Bishop of Kidderminster in
inhibiting Father Rowley from accepting an invitation to preach in
my church is due either to his ignorance of the facts of the case,
to his stupidity in appreciating them, or, I must regretfully add,
to his natural bias towards persecution. These are strong words for
a parish priest to use about his diocesan; but the Bishop of
Kidderminster's consistent support of latitudinarianism and his
consistent hostility towards any of his clergy who practise the
forms of worship which they feel they are bound to practise by the
rubrics of the Book of Common Prayer call for strong words. The
Bishop in correspondence with me declined to give any reason for
his inhibition of Father Rowley beyond a general disapproval of his
teaching. I am informed privately that the Bishop is suffering from
a delusion that Father Rowley disobeyed the Bishop of Silchester,
which is of course perfectly untrue and which is only one more sign
of how completely out of accord our bishops are with what is going
on either in their own diocese or in any other. My own inclination
was frankly to defy his Lordship and insist upon Father Rowley's
fulfilling his engagement. I am not sure that I do not now regret
that I allowed my church-wardens to overpersuade me on this point.
I take great exception to your statement that the offertories both
in the morning and in the evening were sent by me to Father Rowley
regardless of the wishes of my parishioners. That there are certain
parishioners of St. Andrew's who objected I have no doubt. But when
I send you the attached list of parishioners who subscribed no less
than L18 to be added to the two collections, you will I am sure
courteously admit that in this case the opinion of the parishioners
of St. Andrew's was at one with the opinion of their Vicar.--I am,
Sir, your obedient servant,

ADRIAN FORSHAW.

Mark was so much delighted by this letter that he went off at once to
call on Mr. Forshaw, but did not find him at home; he was amused to hear
from the housekeeper that his reverence had been summ