The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1869-04-03 00:00:00

EASTER DAY SERVICES IN LONDON.

On Sunday—a hizh festival of the Church—the ser-
vices in churches where Ritualism prevails were of a
very advanced character. At all of them there were
processions with banners and processional hymns, pm-
cessions being held to be the Christian way of obeying
the injunction of the Psalmist, "Oh, praise God with
dances." At St. Alban's, Holborn, the banners were
of a very rich character, ye the procession a very
large one. Mr. M ickonschie anti other clergymen
were habited in gorgeous eucharistic vestments, yellow
being the prevailing colour. Sonie of the choristers
wore red cassocks, Arrived at the church, Mr. Macho-
niieltie, who was the celebrant, with his deacon on his
right, and his sub-deacon on his left, took his place
below the altar-steps, while the choir sang the Introit.
The altar itself was adorned with flowers the
trumpet lily, the cytisus, the cineraria, the
azalea, the hyacinth, the hydrangea, the 1
pelargonium, anti red and white camellias. At the
previous service, mot fling prayer, only a large number
of tapers were burning on the altar, but these were
extinguished before the commencement of the Corn
munion office. The celebrant and his assistants did
not kneel during the consecration prayer, but they
bowed no low at various irtions as nearly to prostrate
thorns-Ives. At the close of the consecration prayer the
bell tolledsixty-eight times—a novelty, of which therein
at present no rublic explanation. Comparatively few
persona partook of the Holy Communion, as there hail
been four previous celebrations during the morning ;
namely, at six, seven' eight, and nine o'clock. At the
churches of St Michael, Shoreilitch ; St. Ethelburga,
Bishopsgate ; St. Matthias, Stoke Newington, and
other Protestant churches, the services were of a
character.
The modification of R Mali:die practices which was
observable at All SAints. Chords, Lutubeth, f• or borne
time after the judgment of the privy council in the
Maekonochie case, has at length subsided, and there
was on Sunday last full servbe, with advanced Ritua-
listic observances of even a inure pronounced character
than previous to the decision. The altar was profusely
decorated with flowers and the chanted with flowering
plants, the reading .le--ks and altar-rail being orna-
mented with fh qui devices. At the conintencement of
the service a procession entered the church from the
vestry, and paraded slowly down anti up the side and
centre aisles to the altar. The procession, which con-
sisted of the celebrant priest, assistant priests, acolytes,
chorietera, and others, to the number of forty, bear-
ing banners, fl tgs, and other ecelesiasticsd insignia,
was headed by a youth hearing the processional cross
on high, supported on either side by an acolyte
carrying large lighted candles. The processional banner
was followed by the censer-bearer, from whose burner
was made to ascend clouds of incense as the procession
slowly proceeded to the foot of the altar. The sermon
was preached by the newly-appointed curate, the Rev.
I'atrick Levey. Holy Communion was celebrated by
the Rev. F. G. Lee, the vicar, and during the conse-
cration prayer the paten and cup were elevated on
high, the celebrant genuflecting low at the conclusion.
After the service the procession moved out of the
chancel in the Caine order as it entered, incense being
freely burned by the way ; most of the processionists,
in addition to being haltited in the most advanced
Ritualistic vestments, carrying in their hands tufts of
' primroses.

At the High Mass, in the Roman Catholic pro.
cathedral, Moorfields, Archbishop Manning, duringthe ,
course of his sermon, referred at great length to the
doctrine of the Real Presence, in which, he said, all
within the pale of the Holy Catholic and Roman
Church implicitly believed. But their frequent
communion gave them a consciousness of that
presence ; while others without the unity of the
Church were still in the twilight of doubt and
unbelief. Christ's presence on the altar was real,
substantial, and personal; but He was present in the
spiritual order. But why should the members of
the Catholic Church finds it difficult to believe in the
Real Presence who had their Lord upon their altars,
while a certain class without believed the same doc-
trines, and had Him not? These persons robed them-
selves in the vestments which the priests of the Church
are robed in when they approach Him ; they sang the
same hymns as those used in the Catholic Church;
they offered Him fragrance and all the homage of their
hearth; but still they had Him not. He (the Arch-
bishop) loved these people for the love they had for the
shadow of our Lord.. He would do anything to recon-
cile them, but would not depart from the truth to meet
their views.

The Rev. H. P. Liddon's sermon at St. Paul's on
Sunday night, which closed the series of special
services there for the present season, lasted an hour
and twenty minutes; but though the cathedral was
fuller than it has ever been known to be on these
occasions, there was no synipt, m of weariness
among the congregation. Mr. Liddon's theme was
the Resurrection. He remarked that if such an
event had occurred in modern times there would have
be.tu a scientific commission of inquiry into the circum-
stances, and that, indeed, would have been exactly
what the Apostles would have liked, for they had
nothing to fear; but, on the contrary, everything to
gain from a rigid inquiry. He treated with derision
the notion that there was any hallucination or collusion
on the part of the people who gave their accounts of
Christ's appearance on earth after His crucifixion, and
instanced the case of St. Paul, who, twenty•nve years
afterwards, leas than half the time of which English-
msn had to think of the Battle of Waterloo, thought
out the matter fully, and was then able to speak to the
PhiliWans in the words of the text—" That I may
know Him and the power of His resurrection."

HOW TO GROW MUSHROOMS.
(Mr. Punch's Way.)
Take a lot of snobs. Manure them with money,
made fast. Plant them in the House of Commons,
and stick their wives in Society. You will have a fins
crop of Mushrooms.—Punch.

A PAUPER'S WILL.—At Halifax' on Tuesday,
a curious case in equity came before Mr. Stansfeld,
judge of the County Court. It was an action brought
by Edmund Burrows and Ellen, his wife, of Booth
Town, against Aaron Robertshaw and Joseph Sot-
cliffe, the executors under an alleged will of the late
Mrs. Mande; also against Abraham Jagger and his
wife Elizaleth, and Rachael Maude and Hannah
Maude. The parties all live at Halifax, and Mrs.
Burrows, Mrs. Jagger, and Rachel and Hannah
Maude are the daughters of the deceased. The
solicitor, who appeared for the plaintiffs, said if objec-
tion WAS taken to the will he would order letters of ad-
ministration to be taken out and an account
of the deceased's effects rendered. His Honour
thought that would be the most advisable course to
adopt, and he ultimately adjourned the case for a
month.— There are connected with this case some '
curious circumstances. Mrs. Maude, the deceased, I
had passed for many years at the latter part of life as I
very indigent person, and WAR in the receipt of parish '
relief. After her death there was found concealed
beneath her bed £2go. There was also found sixty-
seven chemises, lots of bedding and blankets and
wearing apparel, which had been given to the old
woman in charity. Other sums of money have since
been found in the house, making up a total of nearly
£lOO. The parish officers have caused £23 to be re-
funded—the amount which had been given to the
woman as relief.