The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-10-25
PLEADS WITH CLERGYMEN
TO PRAY DISTINCTLY
Church Periodical Joins With Corres-
pondent In Urging Siear Enuncin-
tton of Prayers Used in Ritual.

a correspondent of the Living
Church. n periodical chiefly devoted to
the interests OF the Protestant Epis-
copal Church, sen!s a plea that the
clergy. using tho special microscopy
prayers for peace that are current In
most dioceses, will take care to enun-
ciato them distinctly go that the con-
gregation may participate intelligently
in them. "will not our fathers of the
clergy" she asks. "show moro feeling
for this awful world calamity than by
the use OF mumbled. lukawarm prayer
used when the priest In charge feels
like IT,"
Her plea is n right one. CONNECTS
the editor, and '7ntinues with the
statement that the prayers used pub
licly In the choir or at the altar are
not the priests private dcvotions. They
are part OF the common. prayer" Of
the church. The priest acts as spokes-
man for the people In Offering them.
Just us in other places he acts as
spokesman from God to the people. and
it is an insult both to God and TO the
people to have these prayers treated as
meaningless combinations of sounds.
had HEADING PENALTY
FOR PRINTED FORMS
lue itiIS u tue GHuECn lOuss ago
acquiesced In the liberation, in our
ministry, OF ppbabiy, on the whole,
the worst GROUP ofsreadcrs that ever
esss.yed publicly to read in English.
That appears to he one OF the penalties
we pay for using printed forms OF wor-
ship in the English language. The ut
ter hopelessness OF getting the service
well read has largely sunk Into the
lay soul SO that, where II retains it's
natural sensitiveness, II often accom-
parties the offering of the liturgy with
the earnest sigh from the heart, How
long. .. Lord. how long!' The clergy
do not know and cannot know-some
OF them obviously do not carc-how
trying the bad reading that is com
mon among them Is to the people: and
the difficulty OF holding children and
young people In the church when the
service is so badly read that they can
not follow it intelliGently, Is a very
grave one.
ESPECIALLY NOW SHOULD
WORDS DE HEARD
And now. when we are all feeling
very intensely over the European sit
uation and Searn to offer the most
heartfelt prayer, II we are treated by
the priest at the altar as Il negligible
quantity I'm the prayers that are put
into his mouth as our spokesman, IL is
II rebuff such as we OF the laity feel,
and q wet blanket upon our devotions
such as will quench all that 1T not very
intense indeed.
The American laity long since gave
up their protest against bad reading.
So long as the clergy. IS a whole, are
not willing to correct that atrocity for
Gods and their Works sake, it is use
less for the people to complain. Some
day there will be a spiritual awaken
ing among the clergy and they will
correct this for themselves. 1t will
never lie corrected until the clergy
want It corrected.
Eut in this hour Of our spiritual need,
when we desire to pour out our hearts
in supplication 10 Almighty God iE in
tercessory prayer. do, reverend fathers.
let us know what you are praying for,
Then. perhaps, we shall be able to
answer Amen at the close.