The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-11-03


for quick lunch. But at night it is differ
ent. 'All told" said the Rev. Montague
Fowler. there are 164 people living in this
parish, including babies. And" said he,
the men all have the same occupation.
They are all caretakers of large buildings.
Naturally, too" he went on, 1.-The popuIa-
ton is decreasing. for occasionally several
buildings are removed TO make room for
single larger one. and that means reduc-
ton in the number of caretakers. Let me
tell you something else" he said, and
was glad to have him. for what he said
would throw light. 1 felt sure upon Lon
don church problems. There isn't a man
residing in my parish who pays rates.
Therefore not one who is eligible for the
office Of church warden. So We have to
press in some of the city merchants who
do business near by and live in the coun-
try and the situation at All Hallows is
unique in one respect. for it so happens
that both our church wardens are Non
conformists who never come here to church.
but go to chapel somewhere"
One is not surprised that the rector of
church whose average Sunday audience is
twenty-five should have cast about him to
see If there were not some other use to
which he could put his plant and energies
besides the conventional one of holding
services twice a Sunday. with sometimes
only his wife and a few other sisters to
listen to the Dearly beloved brethren" of
the Church OF England prayer book. Still.
to worship at All Hallows-on- theWall must
mean not little to one who can enter into
the spirit Of the place. This church stands
close against the wall of old London. and
it is only in this and a few other spots
that a portion of that ancient barricade
still remains 1 thought of this when 1 sat
that morning as a privileged onlooker in
that crowded congregation of London work
ing girls who were waiting for the hour to
begin their dany labor. and meanwhile.
after variously occupying themselves with
reading, sewing. ETC.. were at last, just
after o'clock. listening reverently while
the rector recited the ten commandments.
and gave. here and there. a few words OF
kindly exhortation. Against that impregna-
BILE Roman wall enemies vainly threw them
selves as early as in the fourth century,
and here | thought, fifteen centuries later,
was an effort on the same spot to build
wall of protection equally secure around
the exposed life of Londons present-day
toilers, both men and women.
All Hallows is one of the churches that
escaped the great London fire. But falling
into ruin later it was rebuilt as it stands
at present 40 years ago. 1t is generally be-
lieved that upon this same site there has
been a church for at least thousand years,
but the parish records go back only to the
fifteenth century. Rare indeed the church
in this country that hasn't in its annals
nd
oftener than not it is a story OF self-denial.
One parish that 1 know cherishes the ira
dition that an ancient rector was so anxious
to increase the living or income of the
church for those who might succeed him
that he labored thirty-five years without
taking a penny of the salary, subsisting
most of the time dry bread and herrings
Self-denial almost equal TO this is recorded
to the credit or otherwise of Sir Simon, an
Anchorite. who was rector of All Hallows
in the fifteenth century All HalloWs
abutted against one of the bastians OF the
city wall, and in this bastian he made him
self cave. Here during the intervals of
public service he had his abode. His aus
terity of life increased until he vowed at
last that he would never again leave his
rough cave dwelling, not even to enter the
church But this VOW his devoted parish
toner's induced him to break in part, though
not wholly. From his cave in the bastian
they cut a narrow and perfectly secluded
passage into the pulpit of the church so
that he could still go and preach to his
people without having further intercourse
either with them or the outside world.
See" said the rector in demonstration of
all this, there is the pulpit, supposedly
-.
How do get into it when 1 leave the chan
eel to go and preach my sermon?' gave
this question up, for from the inside of the
church there was plainly no way of ingress
to the pulpit, and the fact impressed me
strangely. But come" said the rector as
he entered little vestry, this is the way
to get into the pulpit. This vestry is on
the very site Of the old Anchorites cave,
and there in that dark corridor which leads
to the pulpit is. what remains of the secret
passage specially made for that purpose
four hundred years ago"
ITS PRESENT WORK.
But far more interesting than what is an
cient about this Church of All Hallows is
it's present, up-to-date effort to meet cry
ing public need. The call to-day is not for
Anchorites, but for clergymen who know
life as IL is, who become familiar with their
surroundings, and who, if the way of use
fulness be blocked in one direction look
eagerly, as the Rev. Montague Fowler has
done, to see If it isn't wide open in some
other. That tent in the graveyard Of All
Hallows, so conspicuous TO the passer-by
was symbolical to this writer of the
changed view Christian churches are get
ting as TO their mission. A tent is natur-
ally suggestive, or ii used to be, of an army
on the march, looking for enemies, watch
ing for opportunities. never getting into
ruts, but always on the move, and one is
constantly impressed in London, by the
extraordinary amount of street preaching
there is and by the multiplied and ever
increasing agencies for helping people, that
many of the churches here are tired of con-
ventionalities, and instead of waiting vain
~ for the people to come to them, are
pitching their tents in the graveyards of
Journalism. and with all their war paint on
going after the people.
For the kind of work into which II has
entered with much enthusiasm the
Church of All Hallows-on-th Wall is adj
mirably located. 1t is only two minutes
from Liverpool-street Station, that great
terminus of the Great Eastern Railway.
which. with the adjoining station of Bish-