, 1879-07-20
rha French Passion for Crucifixes,
Madonnas, and Religious
PageantrV.
p.6ormed Judaism---Farewe1l Sermon
Of Rabbi Unborn, After Forty
Years Service.
General Notes, Personals, Sun
day Pleasantries, Services
To-Day


AND WANT NONE.
The working classes OF East London, says the
ron1on Spectator, do not 70 to church or care
ehout religion in any Wav- But no one e1plnins,
or er.n mentions, the most striking fact OF all
that no movement, or cry, or prayer comes
FINN the other side; that these vast masses OF
ropsh folk, male and female no more ask for
e|ezgYmen, OF churches, or religious teaching OF
snv kind than fishes ask tor fishermen. We
should all hrar 1t fast enough If theg did; in
deed. it is difficult to imagine, If all these
royr;ads wanted the tuition they are SO eagerly
asked to want, what the volume Of the conse-
ouspt roar would be- Suppose they only re-
seutcd the absence Of religious teaching as they
would the absence Of work, or called for clergy
men as they would call, if they were made
ouate,y supplied, for publicans. The sound
wonld neyer cease from the ears Of West Lon
don until the demand were granted, and Govern
mcnt would he distracted By its own eager
ness to comply with the request. The multi
tudes, how ever, remain quiescent. No crowds
march through Pail Mall demanding ministers
Of religion and carving banners with PITY the
Cdurchless y; no meetings are held in Victoria
Park to denounce the "vi1lainous monopolists
Of the means Of grace" nor are public meet
ings held to see if the want cannot be supplied
by an in6nite collection OF pence. You never
meet men calling in the street, "We've .got no
clergy TO teach us!'' Here are more than !, ,000,-
coo Of people, upon whom circumstances have
laiu what used to be called in Catholic countries
IN interdiet silenclng all bells, withdrawing all
priests, shutting alsl sacred buildings, and not
one jp hundred caras, nor is one IN ten 30
much as fully aware OF the difference between
Oh 1sT-v ftH 1fSvaa ff% and 441N ~ hA
world It is this which strikes us as SO wonder
full and so little noticed. How does it Happen
that here in London, in the richest and most
civilized Of capitals, Deopled By race perhaps
as good and certainly as respectable as any
other, the want which socioloeists say is the
most instructive Of humanity is SO little felr,-
OF, Tor We must not forget that conceivable
replr, appears to be so little telta Here are a
million Of people, fairly fed, fairly intelllgent.
fairy ORDERLY who seem to care as little about
tns gseat problem Ct ne rw9enee esas ana wae.na
feeling at all about it, no desire for any special
form Of worship or mode Of. expressing religi-
Gus feeling. fear that il they neglect 1t utter
II anything will happen to them. No other peo-
pie, except the Chinese, seem to be in that
frame Of mind. It East London were addicted
to odd heresies, or to strange forms Of worship,
or we're skeotical OF superstitions, or given to
indoor religion or to the worship Of goodness
which prevails IN some parts OF Germany, it
FOQlQ De 1QLeluglult1 uuL IQe CouL1QHAl apaLOy
Of millions on the subject, lasting for genera
tons, and never disturbed except by efforts
from without is surely very strange
There are skeptics in East London, and fierce
skeptics, but the body Of the .people are not
scept;cs, have none of the sort Of irritable dis
Ike Of religion and the clerical order shown in
Paris aud Berlin. 4 very small proportion
would declare themselves intdels, perhaps as
small As the prorortion among the private
soldiers, among whom such an announce
ment il the rarest OF events. They
have to declare their faith joining, and In the
great garrison Of Malta chaplain who cared
aoout the matter found that in four years only
one man had asked to be recorded as an 1nfdel.
The officer presiding, greatly surprised, asked
The man twice, and, twice receiving the same re.
ply, entered him a "Member Of the Church Of
England" ''Wnat else could dos" he asked,
In answer to a subsequent remonstrance;
@'there's no congregation of shem.''
Five-sixths of I'LL the people in the East End,
II forced to listen to ordinary religious or moral
teachingg, raise no objection, feel no objection,
and 60 away neither assenting, nor dissenting,
nor mored,-entirelY without irritation, but
wanting no more Of it, and not disposed to give
eyen Fence for its purchase. They do not care.
Nor do We hear OF much superstition. There is
often good deal Of downright superstition
among the .sPagans'' of country places, great
deal Of fear Of the unknown, 4 great reliance on
old practices in defense against evil bowers, but
in East London superstition seems as dead al
most as religion. You would no more see
horseshoe on door than IN oeatorY in house.