The Press.
London, England, 1853-06-18 00:00:00

to avert, he must indeed " idealise." and soften
its horrors. or we turn with disgust, and some-
thing like resentment, from his work. But in
Hogarth's minute representations of distressful
truth we recognise a warning to those sur-
rounded by like temptations, and a wholesome
lesson to ourselves. We are pained, but we
escape from our present pain by an aspiration
after future goods. " Such things were"—we
feel" Such things ore—but we ourselves may
do much for their prevention and cure. It is
good fin• us to see them."
We have no time to pursue this thought
further at present. We should gladly have
seen it illustrated by Mr. Thackeray's powerful
pen. On the whole, we think Mr. Thackeray has
added nothing to his literary reputation, nor to
our critical literature, by his recent publica-
tion, but he has produced a lively volume,
which may agreeably pass an idle hour, and
excite, it' not gratify, a curiosity respecting
our classical authors among the rising genera-
tion—too well disposed to let them fill into
oblivion altogether.

THE CONVOCATION CONTROVELSY.

By A. J.

1. Last Glimpses of Conroeotion.
Joyce. London : Bosworth.
THIS work is opportune, though not intended
for permanence ; and useful without pretend-
ing to originality. As a repository of histori-
cal facts, some of them not easily accessible
from other sources, it will be consulted by
most unlearned persons who desire to make
themselves acquainted with the Convocation
controversy. The writer objects to a revival
of this ancient assembly, which Dr. Johnson
•• would have faced a battery of cannon to re-
store to the Church," for the reason which in-
duced Mr. Hume to support. it in the House
of Commons—namely, that synodical action is
inconsistent with the connection of Church
and State. He points out with great clearness.
in an introductory chapter, the variety and
discrepancy of views entertained by those who
seem to be acting in concert, and advocating
a simple return to the policy of old times. It
is easy enough to petition for the revival of
Convocation, but much less easy to define the
object contended fin•. Shall the ecclesiastical
assembly of 1840-60 be identical with that of
? or shall it be framed on a new prin-
ciple? Is the basis of the movement restoni-
Um, or is it reconstruction? Assuming (which
seems by no means certain) that the necessity
of some departure from ancient precedent
were admitted on all hands, the question still
remains open, of what nature shall the change
be? How far is the representative element to
be admitted ? Are laymen privileged to hike
part in the proceedings ?—to what extent, and
through what agency? Until these queries
be answered—and to no one of them have we
yet heard an answer—the demand for revived
synodical action is like the demand for elec-
toral ref win—it may mean anything or no-
thing. And it seems a little suspicious that
nearly all the leaders in this movement are
men pledged to maintain, so far as in the pre-
sent age may be practicable, the supremacy
of the clerical over the lay element in the
Church. It is, no doubt, within the range of
possibility that an ecclesiastical senate should
be framed capable of embodying and directing
the public opinion of Churchmen. But such
a senate or council must contain at least a
tiiir infusion of laymen ; whereas, in the
Synods of the seventeenth and eighteenth
century, not only were the laity without re-
presentatives, but the working clergy them-
selves possessed little influence. " A recent
writer," says Mr. Joyce. " who compared the
Lower House of Convocation to the unre-
formed House of Commons, with its rotten
boroughs and nominee members, did the bitter
great injustice. Of the 144 members of the
Lower House, more than half-7 S—are deans
and archdeacons, sitting as a matter of per.
sonal right and for life, if not promoted to the
episeopal bench ; 2•.. more are delegates and
1101flimees of the cathedral chapters ; leaving
only 44, or less than a third of the whole body,
to embody the representation' of the great
mass of the clergy ; and even among these
there are a few nomineeships." This will
never do! Convocation, to be restored. must