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quarto-Brown on The Articles. I recalled the dreary hours spent over that volume, the concentrated essence of arid churchmanship. "I never got much out of that," Earnshaw said; nor did I, except weariness. Trevor on The Eucharist stood next. I remembered somebody's criticism of its theory of the Eucharist as "A profane and indeed impossible heresy." The criticism was most just. "I have forgotten what Trevor does teach," Earnshaw said.

All this came late in the evening when we had settled for a smoke and Ward ("of the General," as he explained-unnecessarily) was asking us questions about the Berkeley of our time with an air of having exhumed antediluvian beasts. We had passed into the state of reminiscence. I had recalled Dr. Coit's recommendation of the velvet sermon-cover which still survived at that distant epoch, as an excellent instrument for protecting the chest during long rides in the winter; and Earnshaw had revived joyous memories of the professor's daughter who, when sent for the cigars, had called down the stairs, "The students' cigars, papa?" And I began to ask about the parish and what it did and what it stood for.

"Well," Earnshaw said, "I suppose you would not altogether approve of us here. I know the sort of position you took in the seminary and I know the sort of parishes you have had and I've read some of your articles in the magazines. I don't pretend to understand your position but the Church seems to accept it as a possible one and doesn't turn you out. I don't see why I should object. I fancy the Church is wide enough to contain us both-at any rate it does. But, as I say, I don't understand you. I am a Prayer Book churchman."

"Perhaps, then, we are not as far apart as you think," I answered. "I am something of a Prayer Book churchman myself. When you say you are a Prayer Book churchman I suppose what you mean is this: You have a daily celebration of the Holy Communion, and also celebrate the Holy Communion as the principal service on all Sundays and Holy Days. So

much at any rate must be included in the conception of a Prayer Book churchman."

Earnshaw seemed somewhat taken aback by this analysis of his asserted position and somewhat nettled by the laugh which the curate contributed to the discussion. "No," he said quite positively, "that is not what I mean by being a Prayer Book churchman. I do not understand the Prayer Book to direct the constant celebrations of the Holy Communion that you suggest. What the Prayer Book directs is daily Morning and Evening Prayer."

"You have, then, daily Morning and Evening Prayer?" I asked.

"Well," Earnshaw was obviously confused, "well, what I mean is that the Prayer Book requires that on Sundays. Of course we have the Holy Communion too every Sunday and Saint's Day. I do not want you to think that we neglect the Communion."

"But," I insisted, "the Prayer Book sets forth daily Morning and Evening Prayer. I do not remember that it requires it on Sunday any more than on any other day. You, however, have, I understand, Morning and Evening Prayers on Sundays only at least not regularly on other days. Why don't you follow the Prayer Book?"

"I suppose I don't follow it," Earnshaw admitted, "in that sort of minute detail. What would be the good? No one would come."

"The question is not at all," I answered, "what would be the good or whether anyone would come. Our question is about being a Prayer Book churchman. Beyond that, there would certainly be the good that you would be offering the service appointed by the Church as the worship of Almighty God by the Body of Christ in this place. And you can hardly be sure whether anyone will come or not come till you have given them a chance."

"Saying offices has never appealed to me very much," said Earnshaw. "I remember in the seminary some of the fellows,

perhaps you were one, were always saying offices of some sort in the chapel or in each others' rooms. I went once or twice, but I must say I never cared for them. And it is that way here. We are busy, Ward and I, from morning till night with work of one sort or another. We have a great number of guilds, and I am mixed up a good deal in town affairs— am on several important committees. Ward has to do most of the parochial visiting and has the Sunday School and children's societies to look after. I tell you we are just driven. We have no time to say offices in an empty church."

"It does look that way," I said. "But again; that's not the question. The assertion that you made was that you are a Prayer Book churchman. That assertion is hardly justified by the explanation that you haven't time to be one-not even time to say your prayers. But leaving aside the question of Morning and Evening Prayer, it can't be true that your engagements interfere with your having a celebration of the Holy Communion every morning. That, I should think, would aid rather than hinder your work. And there can be no reason at all why you should not have a late celebration of the Holy Communion every Sunday."

"We could easily do that," Ward interjected. "I should be glad of a chance to celebrate. As it is now the rector takes all the celebrations and I get no opportunity to celebrate unless he is out of town."

Earnshaw refilled his pipe and settled back in his chair in a way that suggested that he was resting on impregnable defences. "I do not care," he began, "about all the history and archaeology that you high-flyers seem to think is the sum and substance of religion. With me it is not a question of what they did in the primitive Church or in any other church; it is a question of what it is advisable to do here in America; in Oak City, today. And here today where I have to minister to a very mixed congregation of all sorts of religious training and back-ground-why there is hardly a family in the parish which has been brought up in the Church, or of which all the

members belong to the Church-and I must fix the services of this parish so the people will come to them. There is no use having services to which no one will come, is there? And what people who go to the late service on Sunday like and want is Matins; and the Prayer Book provides Matins and I give it to them. That's what I call good sound Prayer Book churchmanship, and also good sound common sense."

"Passing your assertion about the Prayer Book for the moment," I replied, "I do not at all admit your statement that people like and want Matins. Your congregation, in common with many others, is used to Matins-but that is a different thing. They have been trained to think Matins the normal Church office at 11 a. m. A few of them, I admit, are traditionally attached to Matins. But by your own statement that is not true of most of your parish. The number of people in it who are habitually attached to Matins is very small. When they were admitted to the Church it would have been as easy, indeed, I have no doubt, easier, to train them to Eucharistic worship. People who come into the Church from Protestantism find the Eucharist a wonderful experience. It is not true that most people like Matins; most people endure Matins because they have to. It bores children; but you can easily teach them to love the Eucharist. If you really think people like and want Matins rather than the Eucharist, and that it is your business as rector to provide the people with the services they want, why don't you have Matins at 7:30 a. m. every Sunday instead of the Eucharist?'

"People would not get up to come to Matins at 7:30, of course,' " said Earnshaw.

"But why, of course? If they are devoted to Matins and find the service spiritually profitable they would come. The fact is, you have a few people in your parish who love the Eucharist and will come out to an early celebration every Sunday. The same people, and it may be some others, will come out, I infer from your notices, to a late Eucharist on Saints'

Days. The same people will come out to a late Eucharist on Sundays, will they not?"

"Certainly," the rector admitted.

"If you had the Eucharist on Sundays late who would stay away?"

"Why, I fancy a number of people who are opposed to 'High Church.' The senior warden, I feel sure, would be very much opposed. And Mrs. A, who is my largest contributor, would certainly stay away."

"But they would stay away because they don't like 'High Church,' not because they love Matins. Would they stay away if you had Matins before the Eucharist?"

"They would, in that case, go out before the Eucharist." "Very well. Now let me ask you just one more question; Earnshaw. If you had Matins late every Sunday without a sermon would people come?"

"I should think not at all the same number-people like sermons."

"I agree with you; and I have no doubt they like your sermons, Earnshaw. Now we seem to have reached this conclusion, that if you were to have Matins and Eucharist every Sunday at 11 a. m., there would be present the people who love the Eucharist, the people who like the sermon, the people who would go to Church in any case, and the people who like Matins. In the course of the morning a number of people would go out, notably those who do not like 'High Church.' But most of your congregation would remain, and the number of those who come because they love the service which our Lord Himself instituted would increase. And, moreover, Earnshaw, you would be able to assert with truth that you were approximating to the position of a Prayer Book churchman.”

I rose to go and Earnshaw said, "I suppose we shall never all think alike in these matters. But I am awfully glad to have seen you, old man, and hope you will be around again soon. If you could arrange to be here on a Sunday I know

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