The Sun.
London, England, 1868-10-06 00:00:00

THE CHURCH CONGRESS.

The question discussed at the sitting of the Church
Congress on the last day of the meeting was.
" How the efficiency of the Church services may be
increased." The paper on the subject was read (in the
absence of the Dean of Norwich) by the Rev. W. Walsham
How, rector of Whittington, Shropshire. The rev.
gentleman advocated that the prayers should be mono-
toned, the Canticles and " Gloria Patri " sung. But he
objected very much to elaborate, intricate, mediaeval (might
he say sensational ?) Ritualism. At the same time, "an
efficient service must have some Ritual. It must address
itself to man in his threefold nature—intellectual, moral,
and physical. We cannot provide for the 'spirit and soul'
without providing also for the ' body.' The ' ministry of
the body,' as the good Archdeacon Evans has taught us, is
a very important element in religion. But I hold that
such Ritual as it is wise to introduce should be simple and
obvious in meaning, as well as reverent and impressive.
It is utterly impossible to go into detail, but I will illus-
trate my meaning by one example. Bowing the head at
the Gloria Patri is an old English custom, which in many
places had never died out. The most illiterate person
would discern the suitableness of this simple act of
reverence. Therefore Ido not think it is an aot which
can be reasonably objected to. But turning to the east
in the Gloria l'atri is by no means intelligible to the illite-
rate. It possesses neither the beautiful antiquarian
symbolism nor the prestige of unbroken custom which the
same act possesses in the case of the creed, and therefore I
should deprecate its revival." In making suggestions the
rev. gentleman advocated the adoption of a plan by
• which the daily service might be shortened on
any day but Sunday ; and suggested that the order of the
Gospels and Epistles should be revised ; that appro-
priate services should be set forth for certain days; and
that the table of lessons should be made more complete.—
A paper was then read, contributed by Sir Joseph
Napier. "It may he more than doubted," said the paper,
" whether in the Rubrics of the Prayer-book and the pro-
vision of the Act of Uniformity, too narrow and rigid a
rule has not been adopted ; and whether in the altered
circumstances of our own times this should not be relaxed
so as to admit of an adaptation of service's to the condi-
tion and wants of the people ; whether a greater variety of
services might not be provided, and a greater freedom of
selection and use permitted, whereby the general efficiency
of the service of the Church might be much increased.
The Christian system has a marvellous power of adapta-
tion to the various circumstances of man." The curtailing
of the morning service by the omission of the Litany was
advocated. The Litany was so complete in itself that it
could and should be used as a distinct service. Espe-
cially with regard to hymnology was some authority
required. In this particular all was anarchy. Another
matter was, good reading. That was certainly required.
Mr. Beresford Hope next addressed the meeting. He
contended for a weekly communion, where possible, a
musical service, and an organised choir. He
deprecated the pew system, and the office of parish clerk.
The Rev. J. C. Ryle, who followed, warned his hearers to
" beware of any worship in which an excessive quantity of
decoration and ornament is used. There are churches at
this moment in which divine service is carried on with
such an amount of gaudy dressing, candle-lighting, and
theatrical ceremonial, that it defeats the very purpose of
worship. Simplicity should be the grand characteristic of
New Testament worship. Ornament at any time should
be employed with a very sparing hand. Neither in
the Gospels nor in the Epistles shrive find the slightest
warrant for a gorgeous and decorated ceremonial, or for
any symbols except water, bread, and wine." Further, he
denounced Romish doctrines—the Real Presence, auricular
confession, and mere formal worship. Earl Nelson argued
in favour of a more catholic use of the Prayer-book. He
gloried in the width of teaching of that book, and asked
that it might not in any sense be used in a sectarian
spirit. " Hold fast by your Prayer-book," he exclaimed,
" and use it in all its freedom, in all its catholicity.
Political bodies of union are but a question of to-day.
This is a bond that must unite us for ever, and, moreover,
it will do more than anything else to save you from falling
into the position of a mere sect, for it will preserve to
you all the largemindedness and all the freedom which
is essential to a true branch of Christ's Holy Catholic
Church."

At the afternoon sitting the Archdeacon of Dublin read
a paper on " The Church and the Periodical Literature of
the Day." He remarked upon the great number of pub-
lications, and the tone of hostility recently assumed by a
large proportion of them, if not towards the very idea of
Christianity, at least towards all that is positive and defi-
nite in Christianity. He regarded a modern newspaper as
nothing more than a machinery for reducing to method
the confused utterances of what is called public opinion.
He disapproved of the practice of anonymous writing,
and declared his preference for the French system of
affixing signatures to leading articles, which he said had
worked well. The effect of the present system was that the
ordinary mass of readers received as the utterances of an
infallible oracle what were in reality only the fugitive
opinions of the staff of contributors to a newspaper. In
reply to the objection that independent and vigorous writers
would rather give up contributing than affix their names
he said it was quite consistent with that opinion to believe
that "an improved tone of journalism would probably be a
cause, though not an effect, of comparative rarity of
anonymous writing ; some of the offensive flippancy which
existed would disappear. The archdeacon observed that
"merely to chronicle passing events, or to utter the
watchwords of a party, or to afford a vent for crude specu-
lation, cannot be the highest aim of either a serial or a
newspaper. If the instruction of mankind, in any sense of
the words, is to be the object of periodical literature, it
must not content itself with the humble part of echoing
public opinion or repeating popular prejudice. And this
consideration at once sets aside the only argumentative plea
which can be urged in defence of anonymous writing. In
reply to the wish that articles should be signed because men
would then be able to know their value, it is said with off-
hand dogmatism, ' Put the painter's name to the picture,
that we may tell whether it is a good one.' This answer
entirely ignores the fact that an article may subserve the
purpose of instruction ; and it may not be irrelevant to
remind those who put forward the argument which I have
quoted what were the feelings of a Reyno;ds when he
first studied the paintings of a Raphael in the
Vatican." He remarked that the practice of giving
the author's name was becoming not "nusual, and surely
the arguments of Professor Tyndall in the Fortnightly
Review, in an article both opposed to revealed religion and
discourteous to the clergy, were not studied with less
attention because his name was attached ; while, on the
other hand, he thought that much of the effect of a review
which appeared in the Times on the 2nd of June on " The
Life and Work of Christ" had been lost by the with.
holding of the writer's name. —An interesting discussion
ensued, in which the Rev. Erskine Clarke, the Rev. Pro.
fessor Burrowes, and the Bishop of Derry took part.
Professor Burrowes, of Oxford, said that one of the
greatest difficulties which the Church had to contend
with was the mass of unsound periodical literature which
was afloat in the country, and which he found circu.
lating not only among the lower ranks of society, but
also among the higher and educated ranks of society.
The influence of this literature was to be traced to a
source which had not yet been mentioned—the fact that
about twenty years ago a band of most highly-educated
young men had gone forth into the field of periodical
literature, and had devoted themselves to it as a pursuit,
making great sacrifices, and determined to influence their
age in the direction in which they had themselves been
educated. But for this opposition the Church had herself
to blame in a great measure, for she had neglected hei
own opportunities.—An address by the Bishop of Derry
closed the business of the session. His lordship made
some remarks on the duty of clergymen whc
entered the field of periodical literature. A
certain class of so-called Church or High Church
papers treated the hishops in a manner somewhat
similar to that in which, as Herodotus relates, the Egyp.
tians treated those whom they called in to embalm theiz
friends. Immediately after leaving the house, they fol
lowed them with the most hideous execrations, and pelted
them with stones. Many able writers failed to occupy
the ear of the age because they seemed to think they could
convert it by insulting it. He distinguished between
the spirit 'of the world and the spirit of the age,
observing that the sum total of sins, of wickedness, of
follies, of low desires —in substance always the
same, inform ever different—these things seemed to him tc
make up the spirit of the world, and of that spirit of the
world the Church of Christ must be the enemy tc
the end of time. But the ideas, the thoughts,
the yearnings, the longings, the aspirations, the institu.
tions of any particular period of time, these are the
result of the spirit of the age. And if there were mud
in the spirit of the age to deplore, was there not some.
thing for them, the priests of God, to bless and to sympa.
thise with? The love of truth as truth—the instinct, if he
might so call it, that made man long for a better, and a
holier, and a grander, and a more expressive worship—
the noble instinct that sent forth women day by day froze
their homes to cross the dreary thresholds of the poor.
house, on the walls of which were written, in the eyes of
the industrious tradesman, those words which the genius
of Dante placed over the gloomy portal of hell--
who devoted themselves, spirit, soul, and body, to smooth
the pauper's dying bed for the dear love of Christ, whc
bled and who died for their redeemed souls—these were
among the expressions of the spirit of the age. lie recom
mended Churchmen who desired to leaven the world with
the spirit of the Church to acquire a real knowledge of Chris
tianity. He feared that many teachers were more anxiom
to teach the Gospel according to Bacon than the Gospe]
according to St. John.—A vote of thanks was proposed tc
the English visitors. The speakers warmly eulogised the
Bishop of Oxford and Earl Nelson.
An extra-sessional meeting was held on Saturday in the
Exhibition Palace, when Dr. Stewart, Professor of Music
in the University of Dublin, delivey_e4 interesting
J
c.two 9.14 sh 2 rat p 1 4• - •• -